las vegas tourist railroads

[tomikawaTT]

n012944

This place is about a 20 minute drive from the strip, on the way to Hoover dam.

 

http://www.nevadasouthern.com/

 

Thank you!

The other three discussed above are a long day's round trip from the Las Vegas Valley, not my definition of, "Close."  If the OP is pushing his own wings, his opinion may differ.

I have visited all of the places discussed.  The V&T and the Nevada Northern are in NORTHERN Nevada, and not too convenient to each other.  The GCRR is in Northern Arizona, and not very convenient to anything except the Canyon.  If one two day trip fits the time budget, then the combination of the V&T and the Nevada State Railroad Museum (Carson City) offer the best bang for the buck.  V&T #18, Dayton, is on display in what was once the V&T Virginia City freight house.  There are also a couple of interesting ghost towns along the route (Tonopah and Goldfield.)  Too bad the USRA axed the Las Vegas and Tonopah in 1918...

Chuck (Las Vegas resident)

[n012944]

This place is about a 20 minute drive from the strip, on the way to Hoover dam.

 

http://www.nevadasouthern.com/

[Firelock76]

The real 1875 "Inyo" is at the Nevada Railroad Museum in Carson City.  To my knowledge it's fired up once a year on Independence Day and taken for a romp on the museum's trackage. 

There's You Tube videos of it.  Quite a sight!

[erikem]

A few minor corrections re: the V&T.

The original line from Virginia City to Carson City was torn up in 1938 - the V&T operated without direct rail connection for a few years. The later Carson City to Reno and Carson City to Minden/Gardnerville lines were the ones that lasted to 1950. The V&T shop buildings in Carson City lasted till the early 80's.

I lived in Carson City from '65 to '67, remember exploring a couple of mining adits next to what was left of the tunnel on the Carson City to Lakeview segment. Also remember the shops dominating the skyline of the northern part of Carson City.

The Nevada RR Museum has a restored McKeen car.

 - Erik

[Dr D]

rambo1,

There are some cool steam railroads in Nevada.  Near Las Vegas is the Grand Canyon Railroad with CB&Q 2-8-2 that is running on vedgtable oil or some such new age fuel.

Nevada Northern Railroad is the still existing historic mining railroad in eastern central Nevada near the town of Ely - with original main line intact and original steam power that runs.  They did offer the chance to be "engineer for an hour or day" for the well healed.  I do believe they run some kind of passenger trains.  Google for the details.

Near Lake Tahoe on the California, Nevada border - near Reno at Carson City is the restored Virginia Truckee Railroad.  This gold hauler railroad from the 1800's Comstock lode era of the gold mining boom was torn up after WWII - in 1950 - to the regret of everyone.  The Carson City, Nevada scenic part of this lost railroad has been historically rebuilt by the Nevada State government.  

The original Virginia and Truckee locomotives are in California Museums, but the V&T tourist railroad is running an assortment of acquired steam power and is now reproducing an authentic civil war era 1869 4-4-0 copy of their original locomotive that was named lyon that used to operate on the Virginia Truckee! - I should be pretty cool when it's finished and operating on the original reproduced main line!

Nevada is a cool state - when I was a young man out there in 1970 there was no speed limit on the open highways - I mean "open range" - Wyatt Earp the famous gunfighter who spent much time in Reno, Nevada had been dead only 30 years, he died in 1927.  

Nevada is a place that is haunted by the "Old West."

Doc

[rambo1]

Is there anything to ride in the vegas area?rambo1...