As part of the 2019 National Narrow Gauge Convention, we went to the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento to see their 3 Virginia and Truckee Locomotives.AND we went to Virginia City to ride the V and T.
We also visited the site of the V and T shops in Carson City and take a look at the other surviving V and T locomotives. As well as a glimpse of the models offered of these engines in HO scale and O scale.
From the web:
Gold was discovered in Nevada (then western Utah Territory) in spring 1850, by a company of Mormon emigrants on their way to the California Gold Rush. These early travelers only lingered in Nevada until they could cross the Sierras. By 1858 prospectors were soon permanently camping in the area around what is now Virginia City In 1859, gold was found in outcroppings in the hills and canyons just outside what is now Virginia City. Among the gold ore in these outcroppings were bluish chunks of silver ore which clogged the rockers. Silver was not recognized in this form, so initially, it was overlooked in favor of the gold, and later found to be quite valuable. This was the first of the silver from what came to be called the Comstock Lode.
Initially, the Comstock Lode was a boon for the Virginia City area, as the city grew to over 25,000 inhabitants at its height, and was among the largest and wealthiest towns in the West However, from the beginning, the costs to transport Comstock ore to the mills from points on the Lode (as well, to return with wood and lumber to supply the mines) became so great that many mines were closed and only the higher quality ores were worth processing in the mines that stayed open.
There were many propositions starting as early as 1861 for railroads to service the area and decrease costs. Sharon eventually (with the addition of $500,000 in county bonds to move the railroad), envisioned a railroad to run from Virginia City through Gold Hill where the first of the Comstock Lode was mined, passing the mills along the river, ending at the state capital, Carson City. When finished, this route would cover 21 miles, descend 1,575 feet of elevation and have so many curves as to make 17 full circles in the thirteen and a half miles from the river to Virginia City.
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7 сен 2024
