It’s been a whirlwind since my last post, five days ago. That’s the thing about organized group tours – you’re no longer setting your own agenda and scheduling at your own pace. I ended my last post by saying we were going to Virginia City for a train ride – that wasn’t accurate. What we did was drive a few miles out of Carson City east on US50 to Eastgate Depot. That’s where we boarded the Virginia and Truckee (V&T) train for a ride up the railway to Virginia City.
Before we boarded, a couple in period costumes put on a two-person show giving the history of the area and the V&T line. It was quite good and somewhat hilarious although the truth of the matter is they exposed how corrupt the banks and politicians of the era were. There may be a lot of truth to it today as well.
The 1914 Pullman rail car we rode in was pulled by a steam powered 1916 Baldwin locomotive. Originally the V&T used wood-fired steam engines. They converted them to coal and quickly realized it was a mistake. The coal-burning locomotives required much more maintenance and the coal had to be shipped to the rail yards. They then converted them to burn fuel oil. The locomotive that pulled us along was fired with recycled motor oil.
They bill the trip as a 24-mile round-trip, making it 12 miles each way, but our tour guide told us it was longer than that. The train moves slowly as it climbs a 2.4% grade most of the way. We went through the 566-foot long tunnel #2 and another shorter tunnel. The tour guide narrated throughout the hour and 15-minute ride – when he wasn’t interrupted by the train whistle. There are whistle requirements for trains as they cross any thoroughfare, whether it’s open to the public or private.
We saw several wild horses on the ride up to Virginia City and many more on the way back down. The train took us to the Virginia City Depot on F Street. This is a few blocks down from C Street which is the main street through town. It’s a relatively steep uphill walk from the depot. Virginia City is built on the side of a mountain. We had a three and half hour layover to tour the town and grab lunch. I visited Virginia City back in 2016 and posted photos in this post.
Donna and I strolled along the wooden boardwalk through town on both sides of the main drag.
We poked around in a few shops and bought some locally made beef jerky. Then we looked at lunch menus and finally settled on Joe’s Cafe – which was recommended by our tour guide. The food there was excellent and we enjoyed lunch along with fellow Alpine Coach Association (ACA) members, Ed and Pat Meadows. We had lunch on the rear deck with a 100-mile view!
You see all types of folks in Virginia City. We even came across a modern day prospector doing it the old-fashioned way. He had a burro loaded with his equipment and supplies. He was dozing on a hitching rail when we first saw him, then later he loaded up and headed out.
The elevation of Virginia City is 6,150 feet above sea level, so we made a considerable climb to get here. The town was the result of the discovery of the Comstock Lode – the first major silver deposit discovered in America. At its heyday, the population may have been as high as 20,000 people. Today, there are about 1,000 residents with about 4,000 people total in Storey County.
In 1875, the main business district was destroyed by fire – what they called The Great Fire. As the fire spread toward the residential districts down the mountain, a decision was made to blow up the St. Mary’s in the Mountains Catholic Church to create a fire break. The church agreed to the plan as long as the town promised to rebuild the church. Their plan worked and saved the housing. There was much wealth in Virginia City at the time and they kept their promise to rebuild the church.
The Virginia City train depot doesn’t have a turntable. So, to get back down to Carson City, the locomotive was disconnected from the two Pullman cars, switched to another rail then reconnected on the downhill side of the cars. This meant the locomotive ran in reverse all the way back to Carson City. I should also mention that just before we reached Virginia City, there is a sharp curve in the railroad and the grade steepens for a short distance to 3.9%. This is the steepest railroad grade I’ve ever heard of. Modern rail lines don’t exceed 3%.
The train engineers were careful to keep the speed down as we slowly descended – a runaway train wouldn’t be good. We saw several small herds of a dozen or more wild horses on the way down.
The good thing about going on a pre-planned group tour is the fact that I wouldn’t have been inclined to spend $55/person to ride in an old train up to Virginia City. But now I’m glad we did the tour.
Saturday morning started with breakfast at the group area before we departed for two scheduled tours. Donna and I drove in Midget-San a few miles to the Nevada State Capitol Building. There we divided into two groups for a guided tour.
The guided tour was interesting as our guide was very knowledgeable and filled us in on many details of the state’s history.
The tour lasted about an hour and a half, then we walked a few blocks down the road to the Nevada State Museum. This museum is located in the old Carson City Mint Building. The building has additions to it and included a simulated mine in the basement. Again, the guided tour was filled with historical facts and worth the time. It was another hour and a half. We ended the tour with a demonstration of the Carson City Mint coin press number one.
This is the last remaining working coin press of this type in the world. Carson City Mint struck coins from 1870 to 1893. Coins with the CC stamp are highly sought after by collectors. One of the tour guides operating the press showed us a 100-ounce bar of silver – 99.99% pure.
Sunday morning we headed out for yet another tour. This time, Donna and I drove Midget-San about 30 miles east on US50 then south to Fort Churchill State Park. Fort Churchill was operated for only about nine years – 1860 to 1869. The soldiers stationed there were tasked with keeping the peace and protecting the settlers coming across the wagon trails. It also served as a Pony Express stop and supply depot for the army.
Today the fort is in ruins. It was abandoned in 1869 and pieces of value, such as doors, windows and hardware were sold off. Roofing material was stolen and the buildings vandalized. Today the grounds are preserved in a state of arrested decay. Only partial adobe walls remain of the buildings. It was interesting to tour the grounds and visualize what life must have been like there 150 years ago.
They have two of three cannons sent to the fort in the 1860s. The heavy cannons were considered useless by the commanding officer – they were too heavy and unwieldy for the terrain surrounding the fort. He gave them away to local militia. Now they are on display at the state park and are still in working order. We were given a firing demonstration – with a powder charge only, no projectile.
We regrouped for lunch at a nearby roadside picnic area. Most of the group went on to tour Buckland Station – another area of historical interest. Donna and I were toured out and headed back to Carson City.
I kicked back and watched the Formula One race from Monza that I had recorded. It was a great race! I watched a little football, then we departed for a group dinner at Red’s Old 395 Grill. We had a choice of smoked pork spare ribs or beef brisket with cole slaw, beans, cornbread and fried onions. Donna went for the ribs and I had brisket. We were about done in though and I missed all of the opening weekend of NFL action.
I should mention one more thing that happened at Gold Dust West Casino RV Park. On Sunday afternoon, Scott Hicks came by our site and told me there was a sign on our trailer saying it wasn’t authorized to be there and was subject to tow! What?! I went and pulled the sign and took it to the registration desk at the casino. I explained to them that I was in the RV park and I put the trailer right where they told me to put it. I also mentioned the green tag they gave me that was on the trailer identifying me as a RV park guest. Eventually, a manager told me it was a mistake by someone in security and not to worry, it was fine.
On Monday morning, we prepared to pull out and head south to Mammoth Lakes. When I went to hook up the trailer, there was another sign on it saying it was unauthorized and subject to tow! I’m not too impressed the with the security people at Gold Dust West.
This post is much too long, I’ll have to catch up on Mammoth Lakes in another post.