Nostalgia & History > SP Mina 1986

Three shots in Mina Nevada in 1986 as the local arrives, switches one of the local industries and is
spotted for the next morning's departure.

1) Inbound
2) Industry spot
3) Freight House

Out

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Great photos. Have any more? What was the industry at Mina?

Really neat,I have always been fascinated by this Nevada branch. Almost looks like the end of the world at the end of the branch.

Bruce Stikkers
St. Joseph, IL

There were a number of industries at Mina, all tied to mining. There was one house that took inbound
acid both in tank cars and in containers on flat cars. Quite a bit of dry chem business in hoppers, some
box car traffic in sacked chemicals. All vanished (place looks to be cleaned with a wisk broom) when
the SP pulled out.

Out

Very nice.
JB

Bruce, how could you say that? Branch ran through the garden spots of the West! This
was taken at Lunning (NV), major gypsum shipper on the line. Taken 6/86.

Out



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/14 13:19 by callum_out.

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Great images. Thank you!

callum_out Wrote:
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> Bruce, how could you say that? Branch ran through
> the garden spots of the West! This
> was taken at Lunning (NV), major gypsum shipper on
> the line. Taken 6/86.
>
> Out


Rock garden, or someplace on the moon! Cool photos!

Anyone know how often the military gets shipments to Hawthorne?

Can anyone point me to a map of this branch? I don't think I've ever heard about it before. I'm assuming it came off the line between Reno and Wells, but just not sure where.

Thanks,

Nathan

Nathan, it branched off the Fallon Branch which is about 35 miles East of Reno, town of Hazen East of Fernley, NV
on Highway 50. The line ran South to Appian (Silver Springs) then Wabuska, Schurz, Hawthorne (Home of the Army/Navy
Munition Base) and then to Lunning and Mina. The line was cut back to Hawthorne (railroad Thorne) in the late
eighties and that portion is still operated to serve the Base as needed. The portion to Wabuska sees several times
a week service by a local based out of Sparks (Reno) Yard.

Out

Those are some great photos. They really
capture the desolation of that area. It
really is "the back end of nowhere". Yes,
like a moonscape or Mars-scape!

When I saw the name "Mina", I remembered
this post by JLY in Railroaders Nostalgia, of a
DJ Russel inspection trip on this branch back
in 1965:

http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,2659570,2659570#msg-2659570

(BTW -where did the name "Mina" come from? TIA!)

Mina was also a junction point with the Tonopah and Goldfield RR and the SP narrow gauge operation over Montgomery Pass to the Owens Valley. The SP had standard gauged the old Carson and Colorado NG line in the early 1900s because of the Tonopah and Goldfield mining booms, but never completed the process any further than Tonopah Jct, which was located a few miles south. Thus for about 30 years, Mina was one of several 3 rail junctions and yards in the country.

The NG line ceased service in the mid 1930's and was torn up in 1942 for the war effort. The T&G boomed during the war because of the Tonopah Air Corps base, but when the war ended, so did the base. The T&G closed down in 1945-46 and Mina became just the end of a branch to nowhere. On Google Earth you can see the site of the wye, and where a track was cinder ballasted, but the rest of the yard, facilities, buildings have been wiped off the face of the earth. I was thru there about 8 years ago, and I was amazed at the fact that nothing remained.

Margaret_SP_fan Wrote:
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> Those are some great photos. They really
> capture the desolation of that area. It
> really is "the back end of nowhere". Yes,
> like a moonscape or Mars-scape!
>
> When I saw the name "Mina", I remembered
> this post by JLY in Railroaders Nostalgia, of a
> DJ Russel inspection trip on this branch back
> in 1965:
>
> http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?18,
> 2659570,2659570#msg-2659570
> The Luckey Strike?
> (BTW -where did the name "Mina" come from? TIA!)

For those out there who do not know where this is I recomend finding a copy of TRAINS Magazine January 1978 and read the story by Ted Benson. The photos arn't bad either

I have my copy handy all the time and have railfanned the line many times since 1970. It is too bad the tracks have been pulled but like many industries today, they close and so does the transportation.

#1 is Luning
#2 is Mina looking North
#3 is Mina looking south to the end of track

I don't know if anybody will read my notes here but here are a couple of pics I took in 1978

Enjoy them...its all gone now


Jay

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lamta_jay Wrote:
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> #2 is Mina looking South

Looks more northward to me. I was just through there about 2 weeks ago and it's amazing to see what was there then versus what isn't there now.

#2 is North, #3 is South looking at the empty and forlorn spot that the guy who wanted to
ship copper concentrate saw. Never did get a real story on why he was constantly shorted
on cars, spot price drop finally killed him. But like most things, it came back a couple
years after the rails were pulled.

Out