The train! The train already stopped!" three-year-old Cameron Lind was all aglow as he waited impatiently on the platform. His declaration was premature, prompted by that wide-eyed enthusiasm reserved for the very young.
But as No. 25 engine groaned to a stop he was one of the many kids, mostly under the age of thirteen, who climbed aboard with parents or grandparents in tow for the ride circling the museum.
"For a lot of them, it's their first experience on a train. It's great to see the wonder on the kids, and even the parents' faces." conductor Roy Hargrove said, noting he enjoys meeting people from all over. "Today one passenger came up to me and said he was a veteran from Great Britain. I told him since he was on our side, he could ride free."
This holiday weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the closing of the historical V&T railroad. Built between 1869 and 1872, the train hauled ore to the mills, and lumber from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the mines. When the mines played out, the line to Virginia City was discontinued, and it's route was eventually extended to Gardnerville. But any real profits faded with the Comstock fortunes, and after struggling for many years the V&T made its last run in 1950.
Engine No. 25 is the only working locomotive owned by the Museum from the Comstock.
Built in 1905, its coal-fired engine was soon converted to oil, a fuel more readily available in the West. It hauled freight and passengers until 1938, and sold to MGM studios in 1946. The engine was repurchased by the state in 1971, and restoration was complete by 1980.
Locomotive #8, purchased by the state in 1988, was built in 1888 by the Cooke Company in Patterson New Jersey. It was used in Texas and Arkansas before it was purchased by the movie studios in the 1940's.
The diesel-powered Edwards Motorcar, available for rides most non-holiday weekends, was originally built in 1926 by the Edwards Motorcart Company in Sanford, North Carolina. The Tucson, Cornelia, and Gila Bend, (its original name), was purchased by the state of Nevada in 1988.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum will also be hosting an open house and reception celebrating its twentieth birthday Wednesday evening at the Museum from 6-8 p.m. There will be free refreshments and rides on the Motorcar.
What: Nevada State Railroad Museum train rides
When: 10:a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday
Where: The Nevada State Railroad Museum, 2180 S. Carson St.
Cost: Adults, $2.50
Children 6-11 $1.00
Veterans five and younger, free