THE VIRGINIA @ TRUCKEE RAILROAD

[LUCKYDOGJIM]

THE STATE OF NEVADA AND CARSON CITY HAVE PAID FOR THE REBUILDING OF THE V@T RAILROAD ALONG MOST OF ITS ORIGINAL RIGHT OF WAY. IT CURRENTLY RUNS FROM VIRGINIA CITY TO GOLD HILL NEVADA.THIS OPERATION HAS BEEN IN OPERATION SINCE 1978 OR SO. THE LINE WILL BE EXTENDED TWELVE MILES OR SO DOWN THE MOUNTAIN THROUGH ALONG TUNNEL DOWN ACROSS HIGHWAY 50. DOWN THE TRUCKEE RIVER TO CARSON CITY. THEY CURRENTLY HAVE IT REBUILT TO HWY 50. YOU CAN VIEW ALL THE PROGRESS OF IT AT...THE V@T RAILROAD PROJECT... LOTS OF INFO AND PICTURES. MOST OF THE ORIGINAL LOCOMOTIVES ARE STILL IN EXISTANCE.

[Wolfgang]

I'm headed up north in mid June and planning on getting over there to visit and ride it :)

[Odessa Red]

This is very exciting news! My husband worked in Lee Vinging for 2 years and on weekends I would pack up the girls and drive the 6 hours north to visit and explore the area. Virginia City was a favorite to visit, but one time I went up by myself...we rode this train and got to ride inside the locomotive (after sliding a $20 into the narrator's hand ;). I will never forget the feel of the wind on my face and the hot, oily smell of the machinery...I remember whatever I was standing on moved up and down, too...I'm not familiar with trains, but the experience was a once in a lifetime adventure! I'll have to dig up my pics now and post!...thanks for the info!

[DieselDaze]

Lived in Reno for about 8 years ( or so ) and spent many a weekends at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
Kids spent a lot of time there as well as countless weekends riding the short line in V.C.
We watched while the original idea to rebuild the V&T were re-surfaced and finally passed.
Job moved us out of the area just as the first ground breaking was taking place.
Ive been keeping tabs on the progress through various web links and friends.

Glad to see it coming around.
Looking forward to getting back and taking a ride!

[Odessa Red]

I know I have more somewhere...this is all I could find for now and unfortunately it's a smaller resized copy of the orig...this was taken after we had ridden up front...we stood in that area between the engine and the car...the section I stood on moved up and down...anyway...it was a nice historical tour and I look forward to riding on the lengthened version!

[Wolfgang]

Odessa . . . thanks for the post and the pictures. I'm sure looking forward to getting up there next month. The plate that forms the floor for the fireman to walk on to get back and forth between the engine and the tender will move up and down quite a bit. The cab floor will move some also. I've never gotten to ride in a steam engine . . . but years ago when very little was up in the cab of a main line Baltimore & Ohio passenger engine in Union Station in Chicago before the train left to head with us in it to Wheeling W.Va for the summer at the grandparants. I do remember it well. Hot, all those pipes and gauges. . . WoW . . . great STUFF steam trains.

[Odessa Red]

Wolfgang...it was an absolute blast and memorable occasion. At first we rode in the open boxcar with other people...I'm not an officianado on train terminology...then we 'greased the palm' of the tour guide that was with us and he let me and the hub ride up front for the next go around...an experience we'll never forget for sure!

p.s...I'm missing quite a few pics of VC and the RR...not sure where they are, but I had some great shots while on the train. Also, we went to Carson City where we visited an awesome train museum...we have plans to get up there again this summer since it's only about 6-7 hour drive from home!

[LUCKYDOGJIM]

HI JUST A FOLLOW ON ABOUT THE V@T. THE LOCOMOTIVES THAT WERE BUILT FOR OR WERE BOUGHT FOR THE LINE ARE ALMOST ALL STILL AROUND. THE CALIFORNIA RAILROAD MUSEUM HAS THE 2-6-0 EMPIRE, THE 2-4-0 BOWKER SWITCHER AND THE 4-4-0 GENOA. THESE ALONG WITH A COUPLE OF ORIGINAL PASSENGER CARS ARE LOCATED IN OLD TOWN SACRAMENTO. THIS MUSEUM IS ONE THE NICEST IN THE WORLD TO VISIT. THE OTHER V@T LOCOMOTIVES THAT ARE LEFT ARE THE 4-4-0 RENO IN OLD TUCSON ARIZ. THERE WAS A FIRE SEVERAL YEARS AGO THAT BADLY DAMAGED IT.I DO NOT KNOW THE CURRENT CONDITION OF IT. THE FOLLOWING LOCOMOTIVES ARE AT THE NEVADA RAILROAD MUSEUM IN CARSON CITY NEVADA. THE 4-4-0 DAYTON, THE 4-4-0 INYO, THE4-6-0 NUMBER 25, THE 4-6-0 NUMBER 27 AND POSSIBLY ONE MORE.THEY ALSO HAVE SEVERAL OF THE ORIGINAL PASSENGER CARS. THE INYO AND DAYTON AS WELL AS THE 25 AND 27 ARE BROUGHT OUT SOMETIMES AND RUN IN CARSON AROUND THE SHORT CIRCLE TRACK. WHEN THE LINE GETS REBUILT IM SURE THEY WILL ALL RUN THE LINE UP TO VIRGINIA CITY ON A LIMITED BASIS. HOLLYWOOD IS THE REASON MOST OF THESE TRAIN LOCOS AND CARS STILL EXIST. WHEN THE LINE WAS RUNNING OUT OF MONEY IN THE LATE 40S AND VERY EARLY 1950S THE OWNERS SOLD THE 4-4-0S OFF. LEAVING ONLY THE NUMBERS 25,26,AND 27 LEFT TO RUN THE TRAINS. THE POWERS THAT BE SHUT THE LINE DOWN BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MONEY AND GENERAL TERRIBLE CONDITION OF THE REMAINING TRACKAGE TO RENO. ON THE FINAL DAY OF OPERATION NUMBER 26 WAS BACKED INTO ITS SHED IN RENO ONLY TO CATCH ON FIRE AND BURN UP. WHAT A TERRIBLE WAY TO END THE LIFE OF A BRAVE ENGINE. WELL ALL IS WELL NOW. THE TRAINS WILL RUN AGAIN TO THE SUMMIT OF THE COMSTOCK LODE AT MT DAVIDSON............VIRGINIA CITY............THANKS FOR THE INTEREST FROM THOSE WHO HAVE POSTED !!!!!!! LUCKYDOGJIM

[Odessa Red]

Wow Jim...I found the education very interesting information...thanks for sharing.

[LUCKYDOGJIM]

THE VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RAILROAD WAS LOOKING FOR NEW REVENUE IN 1880 SO THEY BUILT A NARROW GAUGE RAILROAD 300 MILES TO NOWHERE, WHEN THE MINES ALONG THE COMSTOCK WERE REACHING THE ABILITY TO MINE SAFELY AND NO ORE IN SIGHT THE MANAGER YERINGTON GAMBLED THAT IF THEY BUILT A RAILROAD SOUTH THEY MIGHT HIT PAYDIRT. STARTING IN MOUND HOUSE NEVADA JUST SEVERAL MILES OUT OF VIRGINIA CITY THEY CONSTRUCTED A RAILROAD NAMED THE CARSON AND COLORADO . NAMED FOR THE STATE CAPITAL AND THE DREAM OF RUNNING IT SOME FIVE HUNDRED MILES TO THE COLORADO RIVER.RUNNING IT SOUTH THROUGH THEN ABANDONED FORT CHURCHILL AND THEN ALONG THE EAST SIDE OF WALKER LAKE THEY RAN IT THROUGH MANY SMALL MINING TOWNS AND OUTPOSTS. THE SLIM PRINCESS IT WAS CALLED AND WAS REALLY RUN ON A SHOE STRING. THERE WERE NO MAJOR TOWNS AND WAS AS POPULATED MAINLY BY JACKRABBITS,GAMBLERS AND WORSE. ONE TOWN NEAR CANDLEARIA WAS CALLED PICKHANDLE GULCH. AFTER DARK YOU WOULD HAVE BETTER LUCK ENDING UP DEAD THAN PULLING TWO PAIR IN A GAME OF POKER. THEY THEN RAN SOME HUNDRED MILES OVER MT. MONTGOMERY PASS IN THE OWENS VALLEY.,THEN A FARMING VALLEY WITH LOTS OF WATER. BRIEFLY STOPPING CONSTRUCTION IN OWENYO NEAR OWENS LAKE THE MANAGER ASKED THE OWNER TO TAKE A RIDE SO HE COULD INSPECT THE ROUTE. SHAREING THE TRAIN WITH CARD SHARKS ,TINHORNS,SODBUSTERS,GUNMAN ,,SNAKE OIL SALESMAN, LADIES OF LOW STATURE,,OUTLAWS, NOBILE INDIANS,AND THE USUAL LOT OF CROOKS, CON MEN ,WHISKEY DRUMMERS,AND EVERYTHING WORSE INCLUDING MINERS DID NOT IMPRESS MR. MILLES THE OWNER. WHEN ASKED BY MR YERINGTON WHAT HE THOUGHT OF THE LITTLE RAILROAD HE THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT THEN SAID SOMETHING VERY TELLING. EITHER WE BUILT THIS RAILROAD THREE HUNDRED MILES TOO LONG OR THREE HUNDRED YEARS TOO EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!.LEST TO SAY HE WAS NOT IMPRESSED.SO FOR THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS THE LITTLE RAILROAD RACED ALONG ITS TRACKS SEEING IF THE SAGEBRUSH MIGHT ARRIVE SOONER THAN IT WOULD TO WHEREVER ONE MIGHT BE UNLUCKY ENOUGH TO TRAVEL TOO. BODIE CALIF WAS A STAGE STOP AWAY AT BENTON CALIF.WHEN THE V@T WAS ABLE TO UNLOAD IT TO THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD THE MANAGEMENT WAS RATHER HAPPY EXCEPT WHEN GOLDFIELD AND TONOPAH WERE DISCOVERED SIX MONTHS LATER AND THE S.P MADE ALL ITS MONEY BACK IN SHORT ORDER ON FREIGHT CHARGES TO THE TOWN OF GOLDFIELD AND OTHERS. THE V@T WAS OFFERED BIG BUCKS TO SELL ITSELFTO THE S.P. IT DECLINED SO THE S.P RAN ITS TRACKS AROUND NORTH AND AVOIDING ANYTHING V@T AND HOOKED UP NEAR FERNLEY. ALONG THE TRACKS THEY OWNED GOING EAST AND WEST . I OWN A S.P CABOOSE THAT ONCE RAN THOSE HALLOWED RAILS FROM HAZEN TO MINA. MANY A GHOST OF TIMES PAST STILL HAUNT IT. SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE SEEN CONDUCTORS AND RAILROAD MEN AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE STANDING ON THE REAR PLATFORM. THE CARSON AND COLORADO RAILROAD DOES EXIST IN VERY SMALL FORM AT THE LAWS CALIF RAILROAD PARK. LAWS IS A SHORT DRIVE FROM BISHOP CA.