<P> The scandal broke in 1872 when the New York Sun published correspondence detailing the scheme between Henry S. McComb and Ames . In the ensuing Congressional investigation, it was recommended that Ames be expelled from Congress, but this was reduced to a censure and Ames died within three months . </P> <P> Durant later left the Union Pacific and a new rail baron Jay Gould became the dominant stockholder . As a result of the Panic of 1873, Gould was able to pick up bargains, among them the control of the Union Pacific Railroad and Western Union . </P> <P> Visible remains of the historic line are still easily located--hundreds of miles are still in service today, especially through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and canyons in Utah and Wyoming . While the original rail has long since been replaced because of age and wear, and the roadbed upgraded and repaired, the lines generally run on top of the original, handmade grade . Vista points on Interstate 80 through California's Truckee Canyon provide a panoramic view of many miles of the original Central Pacific line and of the snow sheds which made winter train travel safe and practical . </P> <P> In areas where the original line has been bypassed and abandoned, primarily in Utah, the road grade is still obvious, as are numerous cuts and fills, especially the Big Fill a few miles east of Promontory . The sweeping curve which connected to the east end of the Big Fill now passes a Thiokol rocket research and development facility . </P>

What first drove the pace of railroad construction in the us