Vol. 2, No. 17
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July 1, 2005
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CRIMINAL DEFENSE |
COPYWRITING
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Virginia & Truckee Railroad Coming Alive -- The Dayton, #18, Returns To Comstock Home
Rail Being Laid, Bridges Being Built, Even Tunnels Being Re-engineered For Multi-Million Dollar Project
by Johnny Gunn
(photos courtesy of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office)
The history of the industrial revolution relates directly from the invention of the steam engine, and one could say, the history of the industrial west is directly related to railroads and their mighty steam engines.
One of the most exceptional of those railroads was the Virginia & Truckee Railroad (V&T), a short line that hauled raw ore worth hundreds of millions of dollars from the fabulous Comstock Lode mines. There is a serious effort underway to reopen 17-miles of V&T rail from Virginia City to Nevada's Capital. When first conceived, that was the extent of the route, but over the years the line ran north to connect with Intercontinental Central Pacific, and south to Minden and Gardnerville. There was a connection at Mound House with the Carson and Colorado Railroad (C&C).
The C&C was a narrow gauge railway and the V&T was standard gauge, so goods and passengers making the connection had to literally change trains. As part of the restoration of the V&T a steel bridge was dismantled in southern Nevada and brought north in order to span U.S. Highway 50. The plans for the restoration call for spending at least $30 million, and so far a considerable amount of equipment and goods have been donated for the project.
Granite Construction Company of Reno, the prime contractor for the Reno Train Trench project donated several miles of track that had to be ripped out in order for the trench project to get underway. Granite also has the contract to fill the old Overman Pit in Gold Hill, site of an original trestle. The pit will be filled and rail laid across it. That part of the project is underway at this time.
Railroads and romance, a combination that exists in our minds today (think the Orient Express), but in the middle 19th Century, it wasn't the romance of the road that created industrial giants but rather the romance of the dollar, and that can also be said for the V&T, then and now.
In 1830 the first steam powered locomotive, called the Tom Thumb and created by Peter Coopers was operated. Prior to then, railroads were horse drawn. The Baltimore and Ohio ran in 1828 that way.
Gold and Silver were discovered on the slopes of Mt. Davidson in the heart of what we now know as Virginia City in 1859 and by 1861 the first charter for a railroad was offered. The line to be called Virginia, Carson & Truckee Railroad Company didn't come to fruition, but it certainly produced a fine seed for thought.
It was in 1862 that the charter for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company was offered, and it too sat idle for many more years. It was the opening of the Bank of California that finally forced the creation of a railroad from those high peaks in the Virginia Range.
William Sharon was the bank manager and through foreclosures and other expedient means, the Bank of California came to own and or control many of the mines on the Comstock. Sharon visualized great reduction mills along the Carson River fed continuously with high-grade Comstock ore. Sharon incorporated the V&T in 1867 and initially thought his line would run north through Long Valley to the Truckee River to join with the building Central Pacific.
The final charter was written on March 5, 1868 and ground was broken for the line in February 1869. Believe it or not trains were running from Carson City to Gold Hill by December of that year. By 1875 the V&T was paying yearly dividends in excess of $300,000.
Along with an effort to reopen the route from Virginia City to Carson City, to rebuild bridges, to blast open tunnels, to cross busy U.S. Highway 50 at Mound House, there is an equally strong effort to build a V&T Comstock museum in Virginia City near the original freight depot. One item that would make that museum stand out would be an original V&T locomotive. There were two in contention for the honor, #18, the Dayton, and #27, which once sat on the site.
Engine #27 (Click on thumbnail photo to enlarge)
It wasn't really a controversial decision that was debated before the Storey County Commission recently, but the discussion certainly resurrected memories in many a Comstocker, whether hot-water-plug or not. (Ed. Note: Hot Water Plug, a Comstock resident whose family has been there for three generations or more. Name is derived from the hot water that flowed into the mines at the lower levels.)
In the 1970s a group of bandits led by Father Paul Meineke of St. Mary's of the Mountains catholic church in Virginia City hired bulldozers, flat bed trucks, "borrowed" a quarter mile of rail and tie, and ripped Old Number 27 from her moorings in Mound House and trucked her to Virginia City. This writer was a member of the Meineke Gang, and there are many living in Virginia City today that can say the same thing. One for instance is former Storey County District Attorney Virgil Bucchianeri.
Following laying of track and placing the massive locomotive thereon, the Julia C. Bulette Chapter of E Clampus Vitus erected a monument at the site. E Clampus Vitus is a group dedicated to preserving the history of the mining west, and the monument was in honor of the V&T.
Number 27 sat on the Comstock, proudly if not forlornly for a quarter of century before the powers that be in Carson City decided she needed to be taken to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in the capital city for complete restoration. That then was the controversy. Should #18 which ran from Carson City to Virginia City during the short line's heyday be brought to the Comstock, or should #27 which made runs from Carson City to Minden and back, but not to Virginia City be the featured locomotive.
My heart was with #27 because I felt that closeness one feels when being involved in something really unique, like stealing a locomotive, but my head said #18 had the proper background and should be on display.
Engine #18 (Click on thumbnail photo to enlarge)
The Storey County Commission voted in favor of #18, The Dayton, the little train that could, to be on display at the soon to be open Comstock Railroad and Mining Museum. The little train that could? Yes, you see because it was the Dayton that was fitted with a massive snowplow and kept those high mountain tracks clear and open in the late 19th and early 20th Century winters.
Number 18 was built in 1873 for the V&T. Called a 2-4-0, the locomotive was built at the legendary railroad shops owned by the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) in Sacramento. Two-Four-Oh is a designation given locomotives determined by their wheels. In this case, the two are two front wheels, the four are the four large drivers, and the Oh means there are no trailing wheels.
The V&T laid rail from Carson City to Reno in order to connect with the CPRR as it made its way to join with the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) at Promontory, Utah, May 10, 1869.
In February 1873 miners working in the Consolidated Virginia and California Mining Company shafts discovered what we refer to today as The Big Bonanza, the richest single piece of lode ore discovered on the already fabulously rich lode called the Comstock. This was what John Mackay had been searching for, told some he could smell, and for the next five years as many as 30-45 trains per day hauled ore off the mountain and brought tons of supplies to it. Between 80 and 100 carloads of ore were shipped off the mountain daily.
When the vast richness of the mines played out, called Borasca in the vernacular, the V&T slowly faded to its end. In 1937 the short line was put in receivership, by 1941 the tracks out of Virginia City were torn up, and the end came on May 31, 1950, the Virginia & Truckee Railroad was closed.
Old #27 made it almost to the very end making her last run on May 11 from Minden through Carson City and into Reno. But of course, the story isn't over.
As you read this Virginia and Truckee Railroad trains are running between Virginia City and Gold Hill, a run of only 2.5 miles, but the forerunner of things to come. Another 15 miles away is Carson City, and within the next few years steam engines and their passenger and freight cars and hopefully cabooses will be following along. There are pitfalls.
In Virginia City during the time of the original V&T there was a tunnel under the street in front of St. Mary in the Mountains Catholic Church, and there are plans to reopen it. Engineering wise, this is a difficult project at best. How to get all the fill used to close the tunnel out, put in new supports, and make it safe enough for a railroad train to pass through, and all at the same time not do damage to the grand structure of the church. That plan is being worked out by an engineering company that is working in concert with the Tri-Counties Commission in charge of restoring the line.
Known as Tunnel #6, it is 600 feet in length and led to the V&T freight depot, still standing along E Street just two blocks below Virginia City's main drag, C Street. The tunnel will open almost in front of the planned Comstock Railroad and Mining Museum, and plans call for the rail line to end almost in front of where mining engineer and entrepreneur Hugh Roy Marshall is planning to build a new Hotel.
Leveling of land for the hotel is continuing as we write this article, and the structure will sit on one of the most historic mine dumps on the Comstock. The hotel will be built over rock and dirt hauled from the shafts of the Big Bonanza.
Will a restored V&T railroad be economically viable? All indications are that it will, and through legislative action, a three county sales tax has been introduced to raise money for the project, federal funds are being used, and private donations are gratefully accepted. The rail line will travel through Storey County, Lyon County, and Carson City.
Because of the line, business people like Marshall are planning for more overnight visitors to the Comstock, and possibly visitors able to stay for longer periods. Currently there is a limited number of hotel, motel, and B&B rooms available. There is an RV park. Marshall's plans for the future include a second hotel, and there are plans for restaurants and casinos as well.
If you would like to know more about Virginia City contact the Virginia City Convention and Toursim authority (VCCTA) at http://www.virginiacity-nv.org.
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