The Virginia and Truckee Railroad, "Queen Of The Shortlines"

While Virgina and Truckee Railroad, which has not been in operation as a freight line since its 1938 abandonment, has nevertheless earned legendary status for its transportation of silver and other ores located in mines around the rugged mountains near Reno and Carson City, Nevada. However, perhaps the V&T is best known for its background role in dozens of Western-themed movies with its preserved property and equipment that dated back to the 19th century. So, while it no longer hauled freight it became famous on the big screen after is multi-million dollar services for the Comstock Lode (at one time the railroad paid dividends that exceeded $100,000, in the 1800s!).

The V&T was chartered in 1869 for the express purpose of hauling ore, lumber and supplies for the famed Comstock Lode, the operation of extracting gold and, particularly, silver from beneath the mountains and hills of Virginia City. While the operation ended in 1878, after only 19 years of operation (due to flooding) it was able to reap rewards of $400 million, or over $500 billion in today's dollars. As for the railroad's peak system mileage, it would stretch from Reno to Carson City where it then split into two branches; one line headed east-northeast to Virginia City (the line being rebuilt as we speak) and another line heading due south to Minden. In total, the railroad operated a little over 50 miles of rail line.

While the mining operations around Virginia City signaled the peak years of the V&T's operations it remained a viable freight line until the late mid-20th century when, after years of lost traffic and revenues, finally ended operations altogether in 1950. However, life persevered for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. When the Western craze hit the big screen around the same time Hollywood descended upon the railroad as a backdrop for numerous movies. Not only did this make the little V&T famous it also allowed for its equipment to remain almost entirely preserved, including nine original steam locomotives! Here is a list of surviving Virginia and Truckee Railroad steamers:

· Baldwin 4-4-0 American Type #11 Reno: On display at Old Tucson Studios in Tuscon, Arizona.

· Baldwin 4-4-0 American Type #12 Genoa: Preserved at the California State Railroad Museum.

· Baldwin 2-6-0 Mogul Type #13 Empire: Preserved at the California State Railroad Museum.

· Central Pacific-Built 4-4-0 American Type #18 Dayton: Preserved in Virginia City, Nevada.

· Baldwin 2-6-0 Mogul Type #20 Tahoe: Preserved at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg.

· Baldwin 2-4-0 #21 J.W. Bowker: Preserved at the California State Railroad Museum.

· Baldwin 4-4-0 American Type #22 Inyo: In operation at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

· Baldwin 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler #25: In operation at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

· Baldwin 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler #27: Preserved at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Today, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad is again back in the public eye. As early as 1974 rails began to be relaid around Virginia City but lack of funds and numerous and expensive right-of-way maintenance issues forced the idea of a tourist line back into the dream stage. It wasn't until 1991 that plans began to be seriously developed to rebuild the railroad between Carson City and Virginia City as a major tourist attraction and in 2006 the first two miles of that plan became reality.

Courtesy of the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation this explains why the rebuilding of this iconic little mining railroad is so important for the region:

Why is this proposal good for the five-county region and the State of Nevada? Jobs. Nevada's economy is well developed for tourism, and it is now a nationally competitive market. Gaming alone can no longer be depended upon as the sole reason for visiting the state and other attractions can make the difference.

Just building the railroad is a $33.3 million project that will take about 4 years to complete, including construction and utility relocation. Right-of-way acquisitions add another $8.2 million to the total cost and engineering, permitting, environmental concerns, and project management costs comprise an additional $5.3 million, bringing the total cost to $53.5 million (including construction costs to date). Yes, this is a lot of money but the economic impact to the region and the State of Nevada is significantly more than the initial cost. The jobs created during planning and construction result in an immediate return on investment long before the first ticket is sold.

What's the total payoff? After the railroad is operating, annual economic impacts can total $11.8 million annually - just over three hundred jobs - at a sustainable level of ridership.

For more information about the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, including the latest updates and progress by the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation to rebuild the V&T main line between Virginia City and Carson City, please click here to visit their official website.

For more information on tourist railroads like the Virginia & Truckee Railroad you might want to consider the book Empire State Railway Museum's Tourist Trains 2006 from the Empire State Railway Museum. Given excellent reviews this guidebook covers nearly all of the tourist railroads and museums operating in the country in fine detail. So, if you’re interested in locating a tourist train or railroad near you, or simply want to know more about a particular one, you will certainly not be disappointed in Empire State Railway Museum’s guidebook to tourist railroads and museums. If you're interested in perhaps purchasing this book please visit The Railroad Diamond by clicking the tab in the menu to your left marked "TRD Store".