V&T train could start this summer

V&T Railway train rides could start this summer under a plan to raise interest and money to finish the project.

The public commission building the tourist railroad from Carson City to Virginia City will talk about the plan Monday.

The private V&T Railroad Company would run rides on 11 miles of the total planned 18 miles of track that will be done this summer.

Under the first year of the four-year agreement, the company would have to run daily trips on part of the 11-mile track and three full round trips from Virginia City to the edge of Carson City. The company would have to gradually increase the number of round trips each year.

The Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway would pay for railroad maintenance and get 5 percent of ticket sales.

Ken Dorr, V&T project engineer, said maintenance could cost the commission $100,000 to $150,000 a year. He called the agreement "extremely generous."

It will give Tom Gray of the V&T Railroad Company a chance to show whether he can handle the project, Dorr said.

"It's going to be tough on him," Dorr said.

The Virginia City-based company runs 2.5-mile train rides from Virginia City to Gold Hill.

The commission canceled an agreement last year that would have let the V&T Railroad Company operate on the completely finished track. The commission has said it is in negotiations to buy the company.

Gray said he would love to run on the track once the agreement is right.

"There are a lot of good things," he said. "We're getting pretty close."

Commission Chairman Bob Hadfield said he is concerned the V&T Railroad Company doesn't have the money or the employees to meet the terms on the agreement.

But the commission does need to do something to promote the project while it is working to finish the track, he said.

About $37 million of the more than $55 million need to finish the project has been raised.

California-based Sierra Nevada Railroad Corp. has a tentative agreement to operate on the track when its done.

About six miles of track from Gold Hill to Mound House has been finished since construction started in 2005.

Work has started on the next five-mile section that will take the track across a bridge on Highway 50 into Carson City.

- Contact reporter Dave Frank at dfrank@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.