Virginia and Truckee Railroad
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The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a privately owned
heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
, headquartered in
Virginia City, Nevada Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...
. Its private and publicly owned route is long. When first constructed in the 19th century, it was a commercial freight railroad which was originally built to serve the
Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the Unit ...
mining communities of northwestern
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to the state capital at Carson City. In Carson City, the mainline split into two branches. One branch continued south to
Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of De ...
, while the other branch traveled east to Virginia City. The first section from Virginia City to Carson City was constructed beginning in 1869 to haul ore, lumber and supplies for the
Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the Unit ...
silver mines. The railroad was abandoned in 1950 after years of declining revenue. Much of the track was pulled up and sold, along with the remaining locomotives and cars. In the 1970s, with public interest in historic railroads on the rise, efforts began to rebuild the line. The portion from Virginia City and
Gold Hill Gold Hill may refer to: Canada * Gold Hill, British Columbia United Kingdom * Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset, a steep street used in Hovis commercial United States ;Alabama * Gold Hill, Alabama ;California * Gold Hill, El Dorado County, Ca ...
has been rebuilt by private interests, and is operated separately from a portion from Gold Hill to Mound House, that was rebuilt with public funding and private donations.


History


Comstock Lode

Gold was discovered in Nevada (then western
Utah Territory The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah, the 45th state ...
) in spring 1850, by a company of
Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...
emigrants on their way to the
California Gold Rush The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) was a gold rush that began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California f ...
. These early travelers only lingered in Nevada until they could cross the Sierras. By 1858 prospectors were soon permanently camping in the area around what is now
Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City developed as a boom ...
. In 1859, gold was found in outcroppings in the hills and canyons just outside what is now Virginia City. Among the gold ore in these outcroppings were bluish chunks of silver ore which clogged the rockers. Silver was not recognized in this form, so initially, it was overlooked in favor of the gold, and later found to be quite valuable. This was the first of the silver from what came to be called the
Comstock Lode The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada (then western Utah Territory), which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the Unit ...
. Numerous mills appeared along the Carson River from Dayton to Brunswick (toward Eagle Valley (
Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on th ...
)) to process the ore from the Comstock Lode. Low interest rates enticed mine and mill owners alike to finance through the bank. Many of these mills and some mines were built with loans from the
Bank of California The Bank of California was opened in San Francisco, California, on July 4, 1864, by William Chapman Ralston and Darius Ogden Mills. It was the first commercial bank in the Western United States, the second-richest bank in the nation, and consid ...
, whose Nevada agent, William Sharon, would foreclose upon the mines or mills when their owners defaulted on payments. The bank gradually came into possession of many important mining and ore-processing facilities. Sharon, along with business partners Darius Ogden Mills and
William Ralston William "Billy" Chapman Ralston (January 12, 1826 – August 27, 1875) was a San Francisco businessman and financier, and the founder of the Bank of California. Biography William Chapman Ralston was born at Wellsville, Ohio, son of Robert Ralsto ...
, formed the bank-owned Union Mill & Mining Company to process the ore from the mills that had been foreclosed upon. Initially, the Comstock Lode was a boon for the Virginia City area, as the city grew to over 25,000 inhabitants at its height, and was among the largest and wealthiest towns in the West. However, from the beginning, the costs to transport Comstock ore to the mills from points on the Lode (as well, to return with wood and lumber to supply the mines) became so great that many mines were closed and only the higher quality ores were worth processing in the mines that stayed open. Being in control of mines and mills with his partners, Sharon realized that a cheap form of transportation between the mines, the mills, and the cities would allow the banks holdings to be more profitable.


Early years

There were many propositions starting as early as 1861 for railroads to service the area and decrease costs. Sharon eventually (with the addition of $500,000 in county bonds to move the railroad), envisioned a railroad to run from Virginia City, through
Gold Hill Gold Hill may refer to: Canada * Gold Hill, British Columbia United Kingdom * Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset, a steep street used in Hovis commercial United States ;Alabama * Gold Hill, Alabama ;California * Gold Hill, El Dorado County, Ca ...
where the first of the Comstock Lode was mined, passing the mills along the river, ending at the state capital,
Carson City Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on th ...
. When finished, this route would cover 21 miles, descend 1,575 feet of elevation and have so many curves as to make 17 full circles in the thirteen and a half miles from the river to Virginia City. Ground was broken on February 18, 1869, two miles below Gold Hill on American Flats when grading crews went to work. There were seven tunnels on the line requiring 2 – 5 months each to hole through and an 85 ft tall, 500 ft long trestle to be built over the Crown Point ravine. The first track and ceremonial first spike was driven on September 28, 1869 by superintendent H. M. Yerington, with the first passenger train pulling into Virginia City on Jan. 29, 1870. The railroad served as a reliable connection for residents of Carson City and Virginia City. By December, 1869 special rail cars were outfitted to bring theater patrons from Carson City to Virginia City for
Piper's Opera House Piper's Opera House is a historic performing arts venue in Virginia City, Storey County, Nevada in the United States. Piper's served as a training facility in 1897 for heavyweight boxing champion Gentleman Jim Corbett, in preparation for his tit ...
presentations. Named the
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...
, engine No. 1 was one of three 2-6-0's purchased from H.J. Booth by the fledgling railroad, along with engine No. 2, the Ormsby and No. 3, the
Storey A storey (British English) or story (American English) is any level part of a building with a floor that could be used by people (for living, work, storage, recreation, etc.). Plurals for the word are ''storeys'' (UK) and ''stories'' (US). T ...
. The railroad placed orders for five locomotives, three from H.J. Booth and two from
Baldwin Locomotive Works The Baldwin Locomotive Works (BLW) was an American manufacturer of railroad locomotives from 1825 to 1951. Originally located in Philadelphia, it moved to nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania, in the early 20th century. The company was for decades ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
. The first three of the five original locomotives purchased were named after
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
counties. The last two of the five were built by Baldwin, engine No. 4, the
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
and engine No. 5, the Carson, named after the respective towns. The Booth and Baldwin locomotives were disassembled at Reno on a Central Pacific siding. The "Lyon", "Ormsby" and "Storey" were hauled to Carson via Washoe Valley and reassembled in the shops. The "Virginia" and "Carson" were hauled up the Geiger Grade from Reno to Virginia City, thus reassembled. They had the distinction of being the first locomotives in Virginia City. The ''Lyon'', with the distinction of being the first locomotive for the V&T RR, was also the engine that pulled the work train, arriving in Virginia City on January 28, 1870, and completing the initially planned route. The line was opened in its entirety on Jan 29 with regular passenger service starting on Feb 1, 1870 On Nov. 12, 1869 V&T Engine no. 2, an H.J. Booth
2-6-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles and no trailing wheels. ...
, pulled the first car of revenue for the company from Carson City to Gold Hill, a flat car loaded with lumber for the Crown Point Company. This milestone was also marked by the opening of the Crown Point Ravine trestle and the first crossing of the work train, engine No. 1 plus four cars, followed closely behind by engine No. 2, plus four cars (1 revenue). It is assumed that from the 12th to the 18th the railroad laid track (spurs) to service the local mines of Gold Hill, for without the track, the railroad could not get cars in to load, although no sources have been found to reference this. On Nov. 18 1869, engine No. 1 hauled the railroads first revenue train of ore from the Yellow Jacket mine. By December 21, regular scheduled trains were running between Gold Hill and Carson City, hauling wood and lumber up the hill and ore back down to the mills. In the chapter above from the Gold Hill Daily News, it states that low grade ore was valued at $26 – $28.00 to the ton. It also states that (after transportation and milling costs, 'yield under the stamps') the result would be around $17.00 to the ton coming back to the mine. Milling rates were about $7/ton. Based on an average of $27/ton of low grade ore, that left a freight cost of $3/ton. That one ton of ore could pay the wages for 3 experienced underground miners and a carpenter for a day, so the mines could cover their costs selling the low-grade ore to pay expenses, and reap the profits from the high grade. With the coming of the railroad, a reduction in freight rates for lumber by almost half occurred, and the railroad could haul more material by the trainload, so mining activity increased, creating more business for the railroad. Sharon's idea of low cost transportation paid off. The railroad cost $1,750,000 to build, not including the cost of
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles ca ...
or buildings. The V&T ran 30 - 45 trains per day at the height of the Big Bonanza from Carson to Virginia City and Gold Hill. Still primarily a freight railroad, there were 22 locomotives and 361 freight cars in use at the peak of the Virginia and Truckee operations (1876 & 1877), which carried over 400,000 tons of freight per month. This was in contrast to a mere 10 passenger cars.


Expansion and prosperity

In late 1871, a line extension to
Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is th ...
was begun, to connect the V&T line with the
Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the " First transcontinental railroad" in North America. Incor ...
. This would allow through train service between Virginia City and San Francisco. Construction began with track being installed starting at the Reno end of the line. The first train to run end-to-end from Virginia City to Reno took place on August 24, 1872, pulled appropriately by the road's newest locomotive at the time, No. 11, the ''Reno''. This milestone marked the completion of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. In 1875, the railroad was earning a profit of over $100,000 per month and started paying annual dividends of $360,000 (or $30,000/month) to investors. In 1880, the V&T built a three-foot
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
railroad called the Carson & Colorado. The railroad ran from Mound House, just east of Carson City, to the southern part of California, and supposedly to the Colorado River where new mining claims were being struck. This never did pan out, and by 1891 those claim sites were all but forgotten. A liability to the V&T, the "slim princess" was sold to the
Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...
in 1900. In the words of Ogden Mills, "Either we built this line 300 miles too short or 300 years too early" reflected V&T's attitude towards the railroad. Shortly after the sale of the C&C, silver was discovered at
Tonopah, Nevada Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an unincorporated town in, and the county seat of, Nye County, Nevada, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95, approximately midway between Las Vegas and Reno. In th ...
. The C&C became prosperous for the Southern Pacific (as well as the V&T, which had intermediate rail access), as wagon trains would run for miles through the desert to reach the narrow-gauge line, or later on the
Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad The Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad, a railroad of in length in the U.S. state of Nevada, offered point-to-point service between Mina and Goldfield, running over the Excelsior Mountains and parallel to the Monte Cristo Range. It operated from ...
which would then carry it back to the V&T at the Mound House junction. Because the
break of gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...
between the Carson & Colorado and Virginia & Truckee, the Tonopah ore had to be unloaded by hand from the narrow-gauge cars and into the standard gauge cars at the C&C northern terminus, causing a backlog of traffic, as cars waited to be transferred. The problem caused by this was also apparent in delivering mining equipment and materials to the mines and the town of Tonopah which was in a building boom. Southern Pacific officials did not like this arrangement, so in 1904 they converted the narrow gauge C&C to standard gauge from Moundhouse to Mina, now renamed the Nevada & California Railroad. This allowed Southern Pacific trains to run along the V&T through to Mound House to the Nevada & California, and on down to Tonopah. In addition, the Southern Pacific (controlled at the time by the
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
) offered to buy the Virginia & Truckee, but the V&T officials set their price too high (according to U.P. president Harriman). Instead, the Southern Pacific built their own line from the closest available intersect with the former C&C. The line ran 28 miles from Hazen to Fort Churchill and connected their own main lines, thus bypassing the V&T entirely. In 1904, the corporation changed its name to the Virginia and Truckee Rail''way''. In response to agricultural and cattle ranch concerns, the V&T built a short branch line to Minden, about 26 miles south of Carson City, in 1906. This branch line brought in increased freight traffic; as a result the V&T purchased three new ten-wheelers from Baldwin: (the first) No. 25, 26, and 27, in 1905, 1907, and 1913 respectively.


Decline of the railroad

The Virginia and Truckee's decline began as early as 1924, the first year in which the railroad had failed to make a profit. Mining revenue had dropped off to very low levels, though revenue from the Minden line continued to flow. Passenger revenue was on a steady decline, due to the increased use of the automobile on the ever-expanding highway system in the US.
US 395 U.S. Route 395 (US 395) is a U.S. Route in the western United States. The southern terminus of the route is in the Mojave Desert at Interstate 15 near Hesperia. The northern terminus is at the Canada–US border near Laurier, where the road ...
ran alongside the V&T from Minden all the way up to Reno and US 50 ran from South of Carson City over to Mound House and the turnoff to Nevada State Route 17 (later NV 341), the route to Virginia City. The sole owner of the railroad in 1933 was Ogden Livingston Mills, grandson of original co-founder Darius Ogden Mills. He personally paid the deficits in the railroad's operating costs as a nod to the past and his family's involvement in the early days of Virginia City. In 1938, a year after Mills' death, the railroad went into receivership, and its management began making plans to cease operations, with the Virginia City branch already having been dismantled during that year. At the time of the railroad's closure, it had only three locomotives operating, the second no. 25 as well as numbers 26 and 27 (all 4-6-0's built by Baldwin in 1905, 1907, and 1913, respectively). The no. 26 was originally scheduled to haul the last train, but after making its run on May 1, 1950, the single-stall locomotive shed it was stored in on the banks of the Truckee River in Reno caught fire. The 26, deemed as a total loss, was scrapped, and the road instead restored no. 27 for the occasion. On May 31, 1950, the no. 27 pulled the Virginia and Truckee's final train, rather fitting as experts considered, since the 27 was the last engine purchased new by the road. Lucius Beebe, a noted railroad historian, settled in Virginia City with
Charles Clegg Charles Myron Clegg Jr. (June 29, 1916 – August 25, 1979) was an American author, photographer, and railroad historian. Clegg is primarily remembered as the lifelong romantic partner of famed railroad author Lucius Beebe, and was a co-author o ...
, a photographer and helped to revitalize the town and interest in the railroad by writing books about the Virginia & Truckee as well as other narrow gauge railroads, such as the
Carson and Colorado Railroad The Carson and Colorado Railway was a U.S. narrow gauge railroad that ran from Mound House, Nevada, to Keeler, California below the Cerro Gordo Mines. It was incorporated on May 10, 1880 as the Carson and Colorado ''Railroad'', and construct ...
,
Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
, and
Rio Grande Southern Railroad The Rio Grande Southern Railroad ( reporting mark RGS, also referred to as "The Southern") was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railroad which ran in the southwestern region of the US state of Colorado, from the towns of Durango to Ridgway, ...
.


Restoring the line

In 1972, a Virginia City railroad enthusiast , Robert C. Gray, who as a young man was one of the passengers on the last train to Virginia City in 1938, sought to rebuild the V&T as a tourist line. After gaining approval from Storey County, reconstruction of the line began from F Street to the Eastern portal of Tunnel #4. Work to re-open Tunnel #4 continued until it was finally reopened in the late 1980s. Work had started on Tunnel #3 (which had a history of instability to the point that regular passenger cars could no longer fit by the time the last trains ran in 1938), but a large boulder shifted and buried the tunnel. A shoehorn was built around the tunnel, just enough as to not be too sharp for the locomotives, opening up a view of the valley. Officials with the Commission held a "silver spike" ceremony January 3, 2006, in Carson City to commemorate the completion of two miles of
track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...
near
Gold Hill Gold Hill may refer to: Canada * Gold Hill, British Columbia United Kingdom * Gold Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset, a steep street used in Hovis commercial United States ;Alabama * Gold Hill, Alabama ;California * Gold Hill, El Dorado County, Ca ...
. The construction, completed in September 2005, is part of an effort to restore the V&T's mainline from Virginia City to Carson City for operations. Then
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
Minority Leader
Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...
( D-Nev), who was instrumental in securing $10 million in federal funding for the project, and Nevada Lieutenant Governor
Lorraine Hunt Lorraine T. Hunt (born March 11, 1939) is an American businesswoman, former politician and entertainer who served as the 32nd Lieutenant Governor of Nevada from 1999 to 2007. Hunt was elected to the Clark County Commission in 1994, defeating ...
, who secured an additional $1 million in state funding for the project, both spoke at the ceremony. The completion of the first phase of the extension saw the last train of the day venturing beyond Gold Hill and to American Flats, over a massive fill of the Overman Pit, near the Crown Point Ravine. This practice has been abandoned in recent years, though. It is estimated that completion of the line from Gold Hill to downtown Carson City will cost in excess of $55 million, and it is hoped that the line, which was originally abandoned in 1938, was planned be completed and operational once again in 2012. However, as of 2022, trains only go as far as Eastgate Station, in eastern Carson City. In June 2008, #29 returned to operation after a significant overhaul. The public Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway has rebuilt the line from Gold Hill (connection with the current V&T Railroad) to Carson City, running the first train over the line in 68 years on August 14, 2009. The ceremonial first run from Virginia City to Mound House (referred to as "Carson City Eastgate" in official material) occurred for VIPs. On the 15th and 16th the line opened to the public


Historic equipment

The Virginia and Truckee's locomotives and other equipment appeared in numerous Westerns over the years since the railroad operated otherwise obsolete equipment well into the "cinema age." Many of these pieces have been restored, and are currently on display at museums throughout the country. Cars and locomotives from the original railroad are on display at the
Nevada State Railroad Museum The Nevada State Railroad Museum, located in Carson City, Nevada, preserves the railroad heritage of Nevada, including locomotives and cars of the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Much of the museum equipment was obtained from various Ho ...
in Carson City, at the Comstock History Center on C Street in Virginia City, at the
California State Railroad Museum The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Histor ...
in Sacramento and at the
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is a railroad museum in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The museum is located on the east side of Strasburg along Pennsylvania Route 741. It is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Mus ...
in Strasburg. In addition, an operating 5/8-scale replica of the V&T locomotive, ''Reno'', has been running on the
Washington Park and Zoo Railway The Washington Park & Zoo Railway (WP&ZRy) is a Narrow gauge railway, narrow gaugeDrury, George (ed.) (1995). ''Guide to Tourist Railroads and Railroad Museums, 4th Edition'', p. 213. Waukesha (WI), US: Kalmbach Publishing, Kalmbach. . recr ...
since 1959. On April 18, 2018, The Nevada State Railroad Museum swapped No. 18 "Dayton" for No. 27. 27 will now be in the Comstock Historic Center, and The Dayton will reside in Carson City. On March 2, 2020, The replica of V&T #1 was shipped to Carson City, where it will reside at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and will be completed.


Other Historic designations

* National Register of Historic Places #NPS–77001508 — Virginia and Truckee Railroad Shops * National Register of Historic Places #98001208 Virginia and Truckee Railroad Depot - Carson City *
National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
#NPS–05000968 —
Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22 Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22, also called McKeen Motor Car 70, is a gasoline-powered railcar at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City in the U.S. state of Nevada. It was built for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in 1910 ...


Operations

In May 2013, the railroad acquired a GE 44-ton switcher engine and three passenger cars from the defunct Yuma Valley Railway. The diesel has been given the number D-3, and remained stored at the Virginia City Yard pending work until preliminary testing finally began in April 2016. In November 2016, the railroad acquired an
EMD SW1200 An EMD SW1200 is a 4 axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and May 1966. Power is provided by an EMD 567C 12-cylinder engine which generates . Additional SW1200 production was compl ...
from
Evraz EVRAZ plc (russian: Евраз) is a UK-incorporated multinational steel manufacturing and mining company part-owned by Russian oligarchs. It has operations mainly in Russia as well as the USA, Canada, and Kazakhstan. As of 2015, the ultimate be ...
, numbered 3540. 2020 saw the acquisition of a second bay-window caboose, No. 52, from Jim Dobbas Inc. in
Antelope, California Antelope is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States located approximately northeast of downtown Sacramento and southwest of Roseville. The population was 45,770 at the 2010 census. Geography According to th ...
. The caboose, a former Union Pacific CA-11 steel caboose built in 1979 as No. 25852, began being used on daily trains to Gold Hill in August 2021, and is used to increase capacity on busy weekends. In 2021, No. 29, along with cars 101-103, were trucked out to
Pawhuska, Oklahoma Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', w ...
to appear in the
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
film, ''Killers of the Flower Moon''. For the film, the Pullmans were repainted in Pullman green, while No. 29 was repainted as
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
No. 729 (the real 729 was also a 2-8-0 Consolidation, and several of its classmates are preserved). No. 29 is the latest in a long line of V&T locomotives to appear in films, as equipment from the original V&T frequently appeared in westerns by
Desilu Productions Desilu Productions () was an American television production company founded and co-owned by husband and wife Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball. The company is best known for shows such as ''I Love Lucy'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Mannix'', ''The Untouchabl ...
. As of June 2022, the Pullmans are still wearing their movie colors, while No. 29 was quickly given its old identity back upon its return. In February 2022, the V&T acquired three pieces of equipment from the
Fillmore and Western Railway The Fillmore and Western Railway was a heritage railway which operated on track owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Visitors to Fillmore would see filming activity as well as sets and support equipment at the company's rai ...
in
Ventura County, California Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura. Ventura County comprises the Oxn ...
. These were an ex-CB&Q Pullman numbered 2205 and named ''Rancho Camulos'', an ex-SP
ALCO S-6 The Alco S-6 (specification DL 430) was a diesel-electric locomotive of the switcher type constructed by ALCO of Schenectady, New York; a total of 126 locomotives were built between May 1955 and December 1960. The S-6 was an improved version of the ...
numbered 1059, and the body of a
Pacific Fruit Express Pacific Fruit Express was an American railroad refrigerator car leasing company that at one point was the largest refrigerator car operator in the world. History The company was founded on December 7, 1906, as a joint venture between the Union P ...
reefer. 1059 was acquired as a replacement for D-2. In May 2022, the railroad acquired a Baldwin 2-8-2 from the
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR) is a heritage railroad, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operating in Oregon, primarily between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach, with additional special trips to Wheeler, Nehalem River and into the Salm ...
. The locomotive, No. 100, was built for the Charles R. McCormick Lumber Company in 1926, and ran on the
Heber Valley Railroad The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 pass ...
from 1976 to 1989. The locomotive is currently at the Virginia City shops undergoing restoration work. It has been reassigned the tentative number 30 from SP 1251.


Current equipment

The following is a list of the locomotives currently owned by the reborn V&T.


Steam locomotives

* No. 11: V&T No. 11 4-4-0 Baldwin built in 1872. Reno was the first locomotive to run a train between Reno and Carson City. Was considered the Crown Jewel of the V&T and given the affectionate nickname "Brass Betsy". Remained with the V&T until 1945 when she was sold to MGM, who owned her until 1970 when she was acquired by the Old Tucson Studios. The locomotive was converted to run on compressed air from a boxcar in the 1980s, and was seriously damaged by a fire in 1996, receiving a cosmetic restoration shortly thereafter and being put on display at Old Tucson Studios. The locomotive was acquired by the revived V&T in 2021, and arrived in Virginia City on August 25, 2021; it was the first time the locomotive had been in Virginia City since 1938. Inoperable, on display at Virginia City depot, planned to be restored to operation, tender currently receiving work. * No. 18: Ex- McCloud River Railroad No. 18. Baldwin 2-8-2 built in October 1914. Leased by the commission to the V&T Railroad. Operable. * No. 29: Ex-
Louisiana and Pacific Railway The Louisiana & Pacific Railway Company, controlled by the Long-Bell Lumber Company, had a total of 30.904 miles of tracks and trackage rights of 45 miles on the Lake Charles & Northern, between DeRidder and Bridge Junction ( Lake Charles), and 6.3 ...
No. 252. Ex-
Longview, Portland and Northern Railway The Longview, Portland and Northern Railway is a historic railroad operation in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It was founded by timber baron Robert A. Long, the founder of Longview, Washington. The company was incorporated in 1922. Be ...
No. 680. Baldwin 2-8-0 built in October 1916. Acquired by V&T in 1977. Restored 2001–08. Named "Robert C. Gray". Operable. Expected to undergo 1,472 day overhaul starting in 2024. * No. 100: Ex-
Heber Valley Railroad The Heber Valley Railroad (HVRX) is a heritage railroad based in Heber City, Utah. It operates passenger excursion trains along a line between Heber City and Vivian Park, which is located in Provo Canyon. The HVRX carries over 110,000 pass ...
No. 100, née
Santa Maria Valley Railroad The Santa Maria Valley Railroad is a shortline railroad that interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad's (former Southern Pacific) Coast Line at Guadalupe, California. As of 2006, the Railroad is owned by the Coast Belle Rail Corporation. Tr ...
No. 100, Pope and Talbot Lumber Company No. 100, Charles R. McCormick Lumber Company No. 100. Baldwin 2-8-2 built in 1926. Acquired May 2022 from the
Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (OCSR) is a heritage railroad, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, operating in Oregon, primarily between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach, with additional special trips to Wheeler, Nehalem River and into the Salm ...
. Inoperable, undergoing restoration at the Virginia City shops. Tentatively numbered 30. * No. 1251: Ex-Southern Pacific No. 1251. Built at SP Sacramento Shops in November 1919. On display in
Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...
from 1957 to 1984. Arrived in Virginia City in July 1984. Inoperable and partially dismantled.


Diesel locomotives

* No. D-1: Ex-
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
No. 1694.
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable ene ...
80-ton switcher built in 1953. Arrived in 2003. Operable and in daily service. Formerly fitted with a Nathan K3LA, but was later replaced by a
Hancock air whistle The Hancock air whistle was a railroad whistle intended for use on North American diesel locomotives in place of the standard air horn. History Steam era Hancock was a familiar name to railroads during the days of steam. The company produc ...
. * No. D-2: Ex-PPL Montana No. 101.
ALCO S-4 The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...
built in 1951. Arrived in May 2010. Inoperable due to the scarcity of parts for its
ALCO 539T The Alco 539T was a diesel prime mover (locomotive engine) built by the American Locomotive Company. This engine was also used as a stationary powerplant, used in pipeline pumping stations, tugboats and dredges. It has a straight-six, four-stro ...
engine. * No. D-3: Ex- Yuma Valley Railway No. 3; née
USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...
.
GE 44-ton switcher The GE 44-ton switcher is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Electric between 1940 and 1956. It was designed for industrial and light switching duties, often replacing steam locomotives that had previously been assigned thes ...
built in 1943. Arrived in May 2013. Operable and in daily service. Repainted to V&T colors in July 2017. * No. D-4: Ex-
Evraz EVRAZ plc (russian: Евраз) is a UK-incorporated multinational steel manufacturing and mining company part-owned by Russian oligarchs. It has operations mainly in Russia as well as the USA, Canada, and Kazakhstan. As of 2015, the ultimate be ...
No. 3540, nee BNSF 3540, BN 205, NP 146.
EMD SW1200 An EMD SW1200 is a 4 axle diesel switcher locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division between January 1954 and May 1966. Power is provided by an EMD 567C 12-cylinder engine which generates . Additional SW1200 production was compl ...
built in 1957. Acquired November 2016. Operable. * No. 1059: Ex-
Fillmore and Western Railway The Fillmore and Western Railway was a heritage railway which operated on track owned by the Ventura County Transportation Commission. Visitors to Fillmore would see filming activity as well as sets and support equipment at the company's rai ...
No. 1059; née Southern Pacific No. 1059.
ALCO S-6 The Alco S-6 (specification DL 430) was a diesel-electric locomotive of the switcher type constructed by ALCO of Schenectady, New York; a total of 126 locomotives were built between May 1955 and December 1960. The S-6 was an improved version of the ...
built in 1956. Acquired February 2022. Operable. * No. 1605: Ex- Sacramento Southern Railroad No. 1605, née
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
No. 1605. GE 80-ton switcher. Acquired sometime in 2018 from Truckee Donner Railroad Society. Inoperable, used as a source of spare parts for D-1 and D-3.


Motor cars

* No. M-1: Ex-
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...
No. 507, later No. 9507. Built by
Edwards Rail Car Company Edwards Rail Car Company was located in the small town of Sanford, North Carolina, specializing in the manufacture of self-propelled rail transport, rail cars. History Harry P. Edwards began building passenger railway equipment in 1917 and forme ...
in 1926. Arrived in December 2010. Inoperable due to small wheels; used as a woodshop.


Passenger cars

* 1st No. 25: Combination Car. Ex-
San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad (SF&NP) provided the first extensive standard gauge rail service to Sonoma County and became the southern end of the regional Northwestern Pacific Railroad. Although first conceived of by Asbury Harpe ...
No. 37, later
Northwestern Pacific Railroad The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional shortline railroad utilizing a stretch of the 271 mile mainline between Schellville and Windsor with freight and Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) commuter trains. Formerly, it was a r ...
No. 37. Arrived in 1975. Used as the Virginia City Ticket Office 1976–2013. Built in 1888 by Harlan & Hollingsworth. De-numbered in 2020 after the second No. 25, a cupola caboose, entered service. * 2nd No. 25: Caboose. Origin unknown. Acquired from Roaring Camp Railroads in late 2000s-early 2010s. Initially planned to be used on Eastgate trains, the frame was found to be rotting, and thus was bad-ordered. Entered service as part of a photo freight in February 2020. Serviceable. * No. 50: Ex-
Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...
No. 680. Bay-window caboose. Built in 1916. Entered service in 1977. Serviceable, used on Gold Hill trains. *No. 52: Ex-
Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
No. 25852. CA-11 bay-window caboose. Built in 1979. Acquired 2020 from Jim Dobbas Inc. in
Antelope, California Antelope is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States located approximately northeast of downtown Sacramento and southwest of Roseville. The population was 45,770 at the 2010 census. Geography According to th ...
. Serviceable, used on Gold Hill trains. *No. 54: Ex-WP Box Car. Converted into a tunnel car, but capable of carrying passengers. Possibly built in 1916. Last used in passenger service in the mid-1990s; reentered passenger service on June 20, 2020 to aid in
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
; now alternates with Caboose No. 52. Serviceable, used on Gold Hill trains. * No. 55: Ex-WP Box Car. Converted into an open-air gondola. Built in 1916. Entered service in 1977. Serviceable, used on Gold Hill trains. * No. 100: Ex- Bangor & Aroostook parlor car No. 100. Named "Ardelle Mae", unofficially "Reno". Built in 1907 by American Car & Foundry. Used for special events. * No. 101: Ex-
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad The Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (also known as the DL&W or Lackawanna Railroad) was a U.S. Class 1 railroad that connected Buffalo, New York, and Hoboken, New Jersey (and by ferry with New York City), a distance of . Incorporated in ...
coach. Built by
Pullman Company The Pullman Company, founded by George Pullman, was a manufacturer of railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Through rapid late-19th century ...
in 1914. Named "Gold Hill". Arrived in July 2008 and entered service in May 2009. Serviceable, used on Carson City trains. * No. 102: Ex-DL&W coach. Built in 1914 by Pullman. Named "Silver City". Entered service in May 2009. Serviceable, used on Carson City trains. * No. 103: Ex-DL&W coach. Built by Pullman in 1917. Named "Carson City". Entered service in September 2010. Serviceable, used on Carson City trains. * The V&T also owns several coaches that are currently stored in the Virginia City yard in a dilapidated state. One of the coaches was the private car of Confederate General
Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nor ...
, while another was a presidential car used by the
Mexican Government The Federal government of Mexico (alternately known as the Government of the Republic or ' or ') is the national government of the United Mexican States, the central government established by its constitution to share sovereignty over the republ ...
. Another one was a former outfit dining car for the work crews of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, another famous Nevada shortline. The car was also used in several movies made by R-K-O Pictures with other famous pieces of V&T rolling stock.


Former equipment

* No. 8: Ex-Feather River Short Line No.8, née Hobart Southern. Stored operable in Mound House, with no plans to return to service on the V&T in the near future due to it being owned by the Gold Hill Historical Society and not the V&T. Baldwin 2-6-2 built in 1907. Was steamed up on Memorial Day 2012. * No. 51: Ex-
Sacramento Northern Railway The Sacramento Northern Railway (reporting mark SN) was a electric interurban railway that connected Chico in northern California with Oakland via the California capital, Sacramento. In its operation it ran directly on the streets of Oaklan ...
No. 1644, nee WP No. 666. Bay-window caboose rebuilt from a box car in 1964. Destroyed in a fire by a welder's torch in 2003.


In popular culture

In order to ascend the mountain to Virginia City it was necessary to build an enormous trestle. Popular Nevada mythology says Crown Point Trestle was considered to be such a feat of engineering that it is featured on the
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
State Seal. This myth is mentioned by Lucius Beebe. Former Nevada State Archivist Guy Rocha debunks this myth on the state's Myth-a-Month page, pointing out that the state seal predates the trestle and shows a viaduct, not a trestle.


See also

*
List of heritage railways This list of heritage railways includes heritage railways sorted by country, state, or region. A heritage railway is a preserved or tourist railroad which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and often seeks ...
**
List of heritage railroads in the United States This is a list of heritage railroads in the United States. There are currently no such railroads in the states of Mississippi or North Dakota. Heritage railroads by state Alabama * Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Shelby & Southern Railroad a ...


Bibliography

* ''Steamcars To The Comstock'', Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg, Howell-North, 1957 * ''Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Vol. 1 The Northern Roads'', David F. Myrick, Howell-North, 1962 * ''Rebirth of the Virginia & Truckee R. R.'', Ted Wurm, May-Murdoch Publications, 1992 * ''The Silver Short Line: A History of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad'', Ted Wurm & Harre Demoro, (1983, Trans-Anglo Books) (). * ''Virginia & Truckee: A Story of Virginia City and Comstock Times'', Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg, Howell-North, 1949 * ''Virginia & Truckee, The Bonanza Road'', Mallory Hope Ferrell, Hundman Publishing, 1999 * '' Official Guidebook of the Virginia & Truckee'', Stephen E. Drew, Virginia & Truckee Railroad, 2011


References


External links


Virginia and Truckee Railroad
V&T Operations
Northern Nevada Railway Foundation

Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum



Virginia & Truckee Historical Society

Kent Kristiansson's V&T History Site History, Facts, Stories






No. 18, the ''Dayton'', and No. 22, the ''Inyo''


Guide to the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company Records, 1872–1950
at
The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

A Guide to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company Records, NC427
Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Reno
Photos of the V&T
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia Truckee Railroad Heritage railroads in Nevada Defunct Nevada railroads Virginia City, Nevada 1870s in Nevada 1870 establishments in Nevada American companies established in 1870 Railway companies established in 1870 History of Storey County, Nevada History of Washoe County, Nevada