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!).
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. For more information on the reconstruction of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad please visit the below links: Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company NV Commission to Reconstruct the V&T Railway Northern Nevada Railway Foundation Thanks to Craig Brinkman of the V&T for help with the information on this page.
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