SIERRA RAILROAD TO OFFER V&T PREVIEW RUN CARSON CITY, NV -- Virginia & Truckee Rail fans will be able to ride its steam locomotive on Memorial Day -- long before it gets to Carson City in 2010. The state board in charge of reconstructing the 18-mile railroad from Carson City to Virginia City approved a deal with its operator Monday to run the McCloud No. 18 in Sacramento and Oakdale, California. Sierra Railroad operates the excursion Sierra Railroad Dinner Train in Oakdale, CA, and the Sacramento River Train. The Sacramento company was awarded the contract to operate the V&T by the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway in late 2006. The commission purchased the locomotive for $420,000 from the McCloud Railway Co., which operated near Mount Shasta in Northern California. The locomotive has been in storage there since. "It's not doing any good in storage," said Commissioner John Tyson. "It's costing us money to keep it in storage." Robert Pinoli, vice president of tourist operations for Sierra Railroad, said for the three years the locomotive is operated in Northern California it will build anticipation for the V&T. The company could paint an advertising billboard on the tender's side. "We welcome that cross marketing and co-mingling of brands," he said at the Monday afternoon meeting. They will operate it from spring to fall. The train is expected to cost $1,500 per 40 miles to operate, Pinoli said. "Rail fans will have their interest piqued if they can ride the V&T engine for a summer on the Sacramento River Train," said Chris Hart, president of the entertainment division. The No. 18 will operate in Sacramento for a year and Oakdale for the remaining time. The next time tourists will get an opportunity to ride the No. 18 is in 2010, when it pulls up to a train depot off Highway 50 East along the reconstructed V&T Railway. In its first year of operation, the V&T is expected to make 360 trips with 73,000 passengers and net $420,000, according to Sierra Railroad. To get tickets What: The No. 18 on the rails in Sacramento and Oakdale, Calif. When: Spring and fall operating schedules, to be decided Cost: About $45 per adult, $20 per child. Ticket sales could start by next month For information: Call Sierra Railroad at 800-866-1690 from 08:00 to 20:00 daily. - Becky Bosshart, The Nevada Appeal further news.... MINING MOVES OVER FOR TOURIST RAILROAD Photo here: [www.nevadaappeal.com] Caption reads: Photo Courtesy of Gary Luce. The future V&T Railway will cut through this area of the old Frehner Pit, which is mined for aggregate by Road and Highway Builders. The historic V&T alignment is the cut near the base of the hill. CARSON CITY, NV -- An aggregate mining plant at the old Frehner Pit north of Mound House will be moved to make way for the reconstructed Virginia & Truckee Railway. Project officials said Tuesday that relocating Road and Highway Builders' asphalt-batch plant and truck scales will cost up to $200,000. The funds will come from the budget of the state commission reconstructing the 18-mile tourist railroad between Carson City and Virginia City. "This will provide a better experience for tourists," said Bob Hadfield, chairman of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway. "We won't be going through an actual mine. They will be able to observe, but we won't have to be concerned with all the (mining) trucks." Tourists riding the reconstructed Virginia & Truckee Railway in 2010 will cruise along the rim of the open pit before crossing Highway 50 East and rolling into the future Carson City depot off Drako Way. Hadfield said this agreement allows mining to continue at the pit and the railroad to get through without having to build a costly fill or divert miles out. The right-of-way purchase agreement is still being hashed out with the land owners. Dan Kappes, a partner in Decommissioning Services, of Reno, said the company will sell the land to the V&T at a reduced cost. "(The train) doesn't help the value of the land, but historically it's a nice thing to do, and we can accommodate it without hurting anything," Kappes said. "It could have a negative impact on the mining of the pit, but people are accommodating it." The mining operator could not be reached for comment. The sale could close by the end of the month. Kappes' partners are Mike Cassiday and Jim Golden. Decommissioning Services closes old mining operations and conducts environmental cleanup. It owns 190 acres at 200 Industrial Parkway. Ken Dorr, V&T project manager, said rail will be built in that phase in 2008. So far, a little over a mile of new rail has been constructed between Gold Hill and American Flat. - Becky Bosshart, The Nevada Appeal
Does anybody know when the 18 will be moved down? I am assuming it will go through Redding if by rail and I would like to get some shots of it moving through if possible. I know it won't be under it's own power, but it still be good to some last pictures of it before it leaves home territory. If I am correct the 18 has spent practically its whole life up here in Northern California on either the McCloud or the Yreka Western.
I'd be very surprised if the 18 is moved via rail (unless on a heavy duty flat car) as she still only has friction bearings. Several years ago we took the 19 from Montague to Mt. Shasta via SP's Shasta route. We had to stop about every 15 miles to service her and it took all day to get to Mt. Shasta.
"...on the rails in Sacramento and Oakdale, Calif." Anyone know what trackage this references? Boxcab E50
This would be the ex Yolo Shortline now the Sierra Northern in Sac. The route of the River Train. In Oakdale it would be the Sierra itself. Probably the Dinner Train.
