It is very precious for Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) when it was built. Last year, staffs of archive office have found there was a proposal (memorial to the emperor) of railway college to the Guangxu Emperor in 1896, saying why to build railway college, where was the campus, how to collect fund and how to teach. The proposal is kept in National Museum of China.
The proposal said (in Chinese):
再，津关自设铁路以来，征兵运械，通商便民，成效昭著。现在接修关外工程，津卢一路亦经奉旨兴办，近又议建卢汉铁路，从此风气大开，实为富强之业。唯造桥、造路、制造车辆及行车司机等事，借材于泰西各国，殊非久违之图。经臣饬，据铁路总局道员吴懋鼎、张鸿顺等公同商，酌拟就山海关局房设立铁路学堂，招选学生八十名。派洋文正副教习三人，汉文教习二人，分班教授，三年为期。学成后量材器使，仍随时募补足额。将来广建铁路，可期取用不穷，较之借材异国，所省实多，且可免要挟居奇之患。所需学堂经费，岁约银一万余两，即在火车脚价项下，按照向章，客货每银一两，酌加三分；开平矿局运煤脚价，酌加二分，以资应用，不另请拨款项。俟经费充足，再行推广办理。除咨总理各国事务衙门、户部查照外，理合附片陈明，伏乞圣鉴，谨奏。
光绪二十二年九月二十三日直隶总督王文韶
Wang Wenshao (1830 -- 1908), the proposer, was the district governor (Heibei, Henan, Shandong). He submitted it on Oct 29, 1896.
