For a train enthusiast like myself, Carson City, NV is paradise found. With the extension of the Virginia & Truckee Tourist Railroad, from Virginia City down to the outskirts of Carson City, the area now has a world class historic railroad, that only adds to the other train related attractions in the capitol city of Nevada. In May, Patty and I rode the "new" Virginia & Truckee, and yesterday, I was on board the first public train that traveled down into the Carson River Canyon, about 2 miles beyond the
Eastside Station. These two pictures show the train at the station, and a closeup of engine #18, a Baldwin 2-8-2, built in 1914. This is a larger engine than #29, which pulled the train that Patty and I rode in May, and came from the
McCloud River Railroad in Northern California, after they went out of business.
Our drive yesterday from Reno wasn't very long, as it's only about 30 miles from Reno to Carson City. It's been many years since we traveled this route, and a lot has changed. The Hwy 395 freeway extends farther south out of Reno, and another stretch is currently being built, that will extend the freeway into the
Washoe Valley. After we got settled at the Gold Dust West Casino RV Park, we drove the jeep to several places in town, all in preparation for an RV Rally that we're putting together for this time next year.
This little train runs on about a one mile track, in Mills Park, adjacent to US Hwy 50 in Carson City, and the bottom picture shows a model railroad layout inside the depot
building. We pretty much decided to incorporate this mini railroad into our rally next year. The photo below is of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, which we visited many years ago. This will also be part of our rally, and with a group, they will provide a private guided tour of the museum. On selected weekends, the museum fires up one of their steam locomotives, and they have a trolley car that runs around their 1/2 mile track on most every summer weekend.
Today, we're driving up to Virginia City, to look for a restaurant that has the capability of feeding a large group for lunch. One of the nice things about the Virginia & Truckee RR is the layover in Virginia City. It gives folks about 3 hours for lunch and browsing all of the historical attractions in town. In my opinion, there are a few ingredients that a successful tourist railroad must have, in order to survive. In no particular order, they are - scenery, history, the right equipment (like steam locomotives), and an attractive destination. The new Virginia & Truckee has all of those, and a few more. There is still about 4 more miles of track to be built, which will extend the line almost into Carson City. Unfortunately, with all of the budget problems every state faces, it's doubtful that this last part of the railroad will be built in the near future.
For a train enthusiast like myself, Carson City, NV is paradise found. With the extension of the Virginia & Truckee Tourist Railroad, from Virginia City down to the outskirts of Carson City, the area now has a world class historic railroad, that only adds to the other train related attractions in the capitol city of Nevada. In May, Patty and I rode the "new" Virginia & Truckee, and yesterday, I was on board the first public train that traveled down into the Carson River Canyon, about 2 miles beyond the Eastside Station. These two pictures show the train at the station, and a closeup of engine #18, a Baldwin 2-8-2, built in 1914. This is a larger engine than #29, which pulled the train that Patty and I rode in May, and came from the McCloud River Railroad in Northern California, after they went out of business.
Our drive yesterday from Reno wasn't very long, as it's only about 30 miles from Reno to Carson City. It's been many years since we traveled this route, and a lot has changed. The Hwy 395 freeway extends farther south out of Reno, and another stretch is currently being built, that will extend the freeway into the Washoe Valley. After we got settled at the Gold Dust West Casino RV Park, we drove the jeep to several places in town, all in preparation for an RV Rally that we're putting together for this time next year.
This little train runs on about a one mile track, in Mills Park, adjacent to US Hwy 50 in Carson City, and the bottom picture shows a model railroad layout inside the depot building. We pretty much decided to incorporate this mini railroad into our rally next year. The photo below is of the Nevada State Railroad Museum, which we visited many years ago. This will also be part of our rally, and with a group, they will provide a private guided tour of the museum. On selected weekends, the museum fires up one of their steam locomotives, and they have a trolley car that runs around their 1/2 mile track on most every summer weekend.
Today, we're driving up to Virginia City, to look for a restaurant that has the capability of feeding a large group for lunch. One of the nice things about the Virginia & Truckee RR is the layover in Virginia City. It gives folks about 3 hours for lunch and browsing all of the historical attractions in town. In my opinion, there are a few ingredients that a successful tourist railroad must have, in order to survive. In no particular order, they are - scenery, history, the right equipment (like steam locomotives), and an attractive destination. The new Virginia & Truckee has all of those, and a few more. There is still about 4 more miles of track to be built, which will extend the line almost into Carson City. Unfortunately, with all of the budget problems every state faces, it's doubtful that this last part of the railroad will be built in the near future.
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