By now, everyone has heard of the plan to relay the 17 miles of track on the Virginia & Truckee roadbed between Gold Hill and the outskirts of Carson City. This was first proposed about 1961, but has yet to happen, though it may have a chance this time.

Now, however, a promoter wants to rebuild not only the whole V&T, including Reno to Minden, but the old Carson & Colorado narrow gauge line down to Lone Pine as well! See the link below..

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?f=1&i=199219&t=199219
ryarger@rypn.org

> By now, everyone has heard of the plan to
> relay the 17 miles of track on the Virginia
> & Truckee roadbed between Gold Hill and
> the outskirts of Carson City. This was first
> proposed about 1961, but has yet to happen,
> though it may have a chance this time.

> Now, however, a promoter wants to rebuild
> not only the whole V&T, including Reno
> to Minden, but the old Carson & Colorado
> narrow gauge line down to Lone Pine as well!
> See the link below..

I was the original poster of that on TO. I live here in Reno and seeing it as I do I just don't know if there is the traffic potential for this project.

The organizer of the project right in that we will need some kind rail-based commuter transportation since the Reno/Lake Tahoe area has gained a 30% population increase in the last ten years.

But most of that traffic potential lies in between Reno and Carson City, not south to Moundhouse or to Lone Pine. Alot of city development that I talk of has also occurred in places where the V&T never went, like east of town in Sparks and north of Reno in Stead.

I wish this guy luck, he is right that they do need to preserve an opportunity for rail transportation in the Carson City area before urban sprawl eats all of the available land up, but there wasn't much traffic going to Moundhouse and Lone Pine in 1946, and there isn't much there now.

Just some thoughts.

>...there wasn't much
> traffic going to Moundhouse and Lone Pine in
> 1946, and there isn't much there now.

My great grandfather was an engineer for the SP out of Sparks starting in 1904 (retiring in 1951 #1 in seniority on the Salt lake Division), and he made many trips down the V&T to the SP connection over the former C&C at Mound House as well as on to Mina and then over Mount Montgomery to Keeler.

The traffic that was there is long gone today. While I don't doubt that there may be undiscovered minerals waiting somewhere out there to be exploited, this one seems more than a little silly.

As well, he seems to forget that the C&C line is still in place and in operation in a limited fashion as far as Hawthorne. If there was need to go back to Carson and Minden, a branch from the line at Fort Churchill would probably make better economic sense, if traffic levels could support it.

Remember, the V&T and the C&C were built for a purpose: to support and supply the mines and mills and other properties owned by Ralston and his Bank of California partners. Today (and the forseeable future as well) has no such investors to driver such a project.

If you think folks in Reno don't like the Trench, they would be even less enthusiastic about a rebuilt V&T through the urban sprawl that has sprung up south of downtown.

Thankfully, the folks at the Nevada State Railroad Museum have well preserved the legacy and equipment of the V&T for the future. And if the gods of fortune and politics smile, there might be an extension of the revived V&T along the Carson River.

But as for the rest of this new dream...


teamzurg@earthlink.net

Are appropriate from an historical POV. The state was built on mining speculation and fortunately had the hidden resources to back a lot of it up.

The casino industry which now funds a lot of Nevada also is in the dream business, but with much lower odds for the small investor.

It is good to hear the spirit hasn't died.

Dave

irondave@bellsouth.net

> The traffic that was there is long gone
> today. While I don't doubt that there may be
> undiscovered minerals waiting somewhere out
> there to be exploited, this one seems more
> than a little silly.

Gadds! Back in 1915 the SP was out surveying to standard gauge at least part of the line on the Owens Valley end. Keeler in that year was reported to have the largest payroll in the county after Bishop (the chief commercial town). Even though LA was taking water, agriculture was booming in the valley.

To save on transfering the mineral salts from Keeler to standard gauge at Owenyo, the SP was looking at either standard gauge the line to Keeler or built a whole new line. Also the local newspapers reported survey crews all over the line -- except the Montgomery Pass segment. In the Spring of that year the newspapers were expecting an announcement within weeks from San Francisco.

But this never happened.

The same newspapers were also reporting on highway improvments, new automobiles, highway accidents, and the like. The times were changing.

Brian Norden

bnorden49@earthlink.net