A RAILROAD IS REBORN

The Virginia & Truckee Railroad was a product of the huge Comstock mineral discovery, at Virginia City, NV, in the 1860's. It connected Reno, Carson City, Virginia City, and later, Minden, NV. It's initial, primary purpose was to haul ore from Virginia City, down the hill to the smelters along the Carson River, near Carson City. For about 50 years, until the 1920's, it was one of the most successful short line railroads in America. Then came the auto, the truck, and highways. From there it was a gradual decline, until the Virginia City branch was abandoned in 1938, and the complete line was abandoned in 1950. In 1975, an individual named Bob Gray, was successful in laying about 3 miles of track on the original line, out of Virginia City. This was a rebirth of sorts, for the V&T, and it has continually operated out of Virginia City for almost 35 years.


A little over 20 years ago, (about 1988), I rode my dual sport motorcycle (86 XRL650 Honda), from Virginia City, down the hill on the old railroad grade to Mound House, NV on Hwy 50. I can remember thinking, that most of the old grade was intact, and except for a few places, it wouldn't be that hard to lay new track on this historic section of the V&T. I knew at the time, that would probably never happen, and was content to see the scenery of what was a famous section of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. About 4 or 5 years ago, I started reading about an attempt to re-open the railroad between Carson & Virginia City, but there were huge obstacles, not to mention the millions of dollars necessary to make it happen. When they actually started re-laying track a few years ago, it looked like the re-birth of part of the V&T was really going to happen. When it opened in August of last year, it became a prime target on my radar, and yesterday, Patty and I made the round trip from the new station, just east of Carson City.

This was only the second trip of the new season, and despite a problem with the almost 100 year old steam engine, we made the trip up the hill, arriving in Virginia City at about noon. We had 3 hours in town before the return trip, so, after lunch, we walked the historic main street, checking out all of the attractions. During the 3 hour layover, the engine crew worked on the engine, trying to fix a hot bearing on one of the drivers. It was about 45 minutes late returning to the station, so our arrival back in Carson City was close to an hour late. (That's called AMTRAK time)


For this train addict, it was an incredible steam train adventure, including the extra stops going up the hill, to check the problematic engine bearing. We enjoyed the time in Virginia City, as we had not been there in about 20 years. Not much has changed, except the sound of the steam whistle, that can now be heard all the way down the hill to the outskirts of Carson City. This morning, we're headed north toward the Bend, OR area, where we have a reservation at the Thousand Trails. We have a couple of days to get there, so, I plan on leaving late, and not driving very far. I often like to stop in out of the way places, which can sometimes be a problem with internet connectivity. As we travel, my plan is to update the blog every day, unless we're in an area with no Sprint connection.