Virginia and Truckee Railroad

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Virginia and Truckee Railroad

Reporting marks	VT
Locale	Nevada
Dates of operation	1870 – present
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Virginia City, Nevada

The Virginia and Truckee Railroad (AAR reporting marks VT) was built to serve the silver mining communities of Nevada. At its height, the railroad's route ran from Reno south to Carson City, Nevada. In Carson City, the mainline split into two branches. One branch continued south to Minden, while the other branch traveled east to Virginia City. The first section constructed from Virginia City to Carson City was constructed commencing in 1869 to haul ore, lumber and supplies for the Comstock Lode

Today, the V&T operates as a heritage railway, headquartered in Virginia City. The Northern Nevada Railway Foundation hopes to rebuild the mainline to Carson City by 2010. The railroad uses the nickname "Queen of the Short Lines." The first piece of equipment acquired was a 1914 2-8-2 steam locomotive. The train from Virginia City runs full time from Memorial Day until the end of October

Cars and locomotives from the original railroad are also on display at the separate Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City.

1 Historic equipment
- 1.1 Historic designations
2 Restoring the line
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Historic equipment

The Virginia and Truckee's locomotives and other equipment appeared in numerous Westerns over the years since the railroad operated otherwise obsolete equipment well into the "cinema age." Many of these pieces have been restored, and are currently on display at museums throughout the country.

No.	Name	Type	Builder	C/N	Built	Remarks
11	Reno	4-4-0	Baldwin	2816	1872	On display at Old Tucson Studios.
12	Genoa	4-4-0	Baldwin	3090	1873	On display at the California State Railroad Museum
13	Empire	2-6-0	Baldwin	3091	1873	On display at the California State Railroad Museum
18	Dayton	4-4-0	CP's Sacramento shops	Sac 6	1873	On display at the visitor's center at Virginia City, Nevada.
20	Tahoe	2-6-0	Baldwin	3687	1875	On display at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.
21	J.W.Bowker	2-4-0	Baldwin	3689	1875	On display at the California State Railroad Museum.
22	Inyo	4-4-0	Baldwin	3693	1875	Operational, on display at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
25 (2nd)	Unnamed	4-6-0	Baldwin	25016	1905	Operational, on display at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
27	Unnamed	4-6-0	Baldwin	39453	1913	On display at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Ex-Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 18, a type 4-4-0 steam locomotive decorated to resemble historic Union Pacific No. 119, rides atop a Union Pacific Railroad flatcar as it stops in Ogden, Utah on May 9, 1969 just prior to the centennial anniversary of the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad.

Source: "V & T Locomotive Roster" of the Nevada State Railroad Museum.^[1]

See also: The Studio Trains — Virginia & Truckee in Films

[edit] Historic designations

National Register of Historic Places #NPS–04001198 — Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 27 (also known as Baldwin Locomotive Works #39435)
National Register of Historic Places #NPS–73002245 — Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 18, the Dayton, and No. 22, the Inyo
National Register of Historic Places #NPS–77001508 — Virginia and Truckee Railroad Shops
National Register of Historic Places #NPS–98001208 — Virginia and Truckee Railroad Depot, Carson City

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[edit] Restoring the line

Officials with the V&T held a "silver spike" ceremony January 3, 2006, in Carson City to commemorate the completion of two miles of track near Gold Hill. The construction, completed in September 2005, is part of an effort to restore the V&T's mainline from Virginia City to Carson City for operations. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev), who was instrumental in securing $10 million in federal funding for the project, and Nevada Lieutenant Governor Lorraine Hunt, who secured an additional $1 million in state funding for the project, both spoke at the ceremony.

It is estimated that completion of the line from Gold Hill to Carson City will cost nearly $40 million, and it is hoped that the line, which was originally abandoned in 1938, will be completed and operational once again by December 2009.^[2]