NEVADA CITY RR MUSEUM

The center of activities these several days, for our Golden Spike RV Chapter, has, and will be the Nevada City Fairgrounds.  All 18 motor homes are parked in a group at the fairgrounds RV park, located just outside one of the gates.  We have use of an activity room, complete with kitchen and a nice deck under the pine trees.

We left the fairgrounds yesterday morning, carpooling to the Nevada City Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, located in Nevada City.  From the late 1800's up to 1942, a 22 mile railroad connected Nevada City, and Grass Valley to the transcontinental railroad main line in Colfax.  An all volunteer effort has kept much of that history alive at this really nice museum.  Even though there is no track left of the original railroad, the museum has a small amount of track in their yard, where they are able to run a small rail bus, and some other equipment.

 

 This small locomotive was built from scratch by the volunteers.  It is powered by a steam generator rather than a high pressure steam boiler.

Inside the museum, we took some pictures in front of one of the steam engines, and checked out all of the other displays.  Our group has it's business meeting tonight, and whenever we visit one of these railroad museums, or tourist railroads, we typically donate several hundred dollars.  Many of these entities are run by volunteer labor, and most are funded by an admission charge and/or donations.

We had lunch at a Lefty's Grill in downtown Nevada City, then visited a small museum in the original firehouse building.  It was focused primarily on the local Native Americans, and the Chinese immigrants who settled in the area, and played a big part in the building of the transcontinental railroad.  The young lady who gave our group a short talk is a descendant of the local indigenous people, and it's shameful how those folks were treated.  Perhaps now, with a long deserved change of attitudes, and many successful casinos, our original Americans are finally getting the respect that they deserve.

We ended the day with dinner at a Grass Valley Restaurant, completing a day of playing tourist, and enjoying the two gold rush towns of Nevada City, and Grass Valley.  More of the same today.

Grass Valley Fairgrounds RV park - $30   Cumulative - $50