Steam & Excursion > If It Weren't For Railfans History Like This Would Be Lost!

Railfans deserve credit for having saved some very historic and important scenes of American railroading that would have been lost with out them. Here is one such scene.

The fabled Virginia & Truckee Railroad of Carson City, Nevada built it's first line from Virginia City to Carson City in 1869 at the same time that the transcontinental railroad was just being completed. The V&T later added a line to the CP connection at Reno and later a branch down to Minden.

By 1938, the mining boom at Virginia City had played out and the decision was made to abandon the V&T line to Virginia City. My mid-May 1938 no further trains were scheduled for the Virginia City line. One would have thought this was the end of all operations except for a couple of railfan excursion.

However on June 3, 1938 Bay Area railfan Ted Wurm was in Carson City to visit some family. He decided to take his folding camera down to the V&T Carson City depot on Virginia Avenue to see what trains might arrive.

While inside the depot talking to the few remaining V&T employees he heard a signal of one of V&T gas rail buses as it rolled into town from Virginia City. He took a moment to capture this image through the wavy old glass of the depot windows of V&T #99 as she arrived running as train #3. She must have been running as an "extra" since the line had no scheduled trains.

If it weren't for this dedicated railfan, we would have lost this piece of history forever. It was the next day, June 4, 1938 that permission to abandon the historic Virginia City line was received by telegraph at this same Carson City depot.

Martin



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 09/19/17 05:44 by LoggerHogger.

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A true "priceless" photo! What a catch!
Bob

Sometimes the movies get it right.

This scene was captured during the filming of "There Will Be Blood" in June of 2006.

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