Steam & Excursion > A visit to the Virginia & Truckee

We spent last week at Lake Tahoe and went to Virginia City, Nevada on Tuesday. The V&T is running seven short trips to Gold Hill and back every day (steam only on weekends), but they are not running to Carson City (Eastgate) at all. 

1. GE #D3 leaves Virginia City, shoving its train toward Gold Hill. Despite appearances, this is evidently a 44-tonner; apparantly the military extended the frames of some units and added the uncharacteristic stepwells. The Railroad Picture Archives website has before and after photos of USN 65-00566 that show this modification as well. Reportedly, the D3 was last used by the Marine Corps.   
2. The train returns from Gold Hill, seen from the Highway 341 overpass.
3. The train approaches Virginia City, seen in the distance. The cars were converted from old Western Pacific wooden cabooses.
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Nice little railroad! Are they still running steam?

4. A visit to the V&T shop found the rest of their power parked, including GE 80-tonner #D1 and SW1200 #D4.
5. Also there was Alco S-4 #D2.
6. 2-8-0 #29 and 2-8-2 #18 were inside the shop. Both are operable.
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7. A closeup of #D4. Reportedly, it is ex-BNSF 3540 (still in the number boards), originally a Northern Pacific unit.
8. Also present was this GE 80-tonner, previously located at the Truckee Railroad Museum before urban development squeezed them out. Apparently, the V&T acquired it for parts.
Their website advertises steam operation on the weekends, but I was there on a weekday.

 

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Nice photo's, the 1605 came from  McClellen AFB ( East of Sacramento )
Tom Hirsch
Cherry Valley, Ca