I now have Fitz and the girls crossing the US. The time is a problem here because as has been pointed out to me the transcontinental railway opened in late '69. But if I use that time line then within days of the completed line there were Pulman trains and that doesn't allow a lot of adventure.
A year earlier, which is where I have set it, the western part of the line wasn't out of the mountains and a stage coach between that and the Union Pacific? I don't know. What I can say is that conditions along the line were - in English vernacular - as rough as a badgers arse (I have no personal experience of this!) and taking a couple of ladies through that? Well plenty of opportunities for adventures, but I felt the stage journey would be more productive due to the availability of a contemporary account (Mark Twain)
And, as a Western fan (will we meet Rooster Cogburm? Probably not) there are endless possibilities for mayhem, Indians (am I allowed to say that?)and this heroine is a pretty good shot.
Mean while the honeymoon may become even more exciting!
Martin