Jim Grant / Nevada Appeal A worker provides hand signals to a crane operator lifting the Virginia and Truckee Engine No. 29 back onto the track Monday morning. The engine derailed on Sunday evening with seven passengers on board. No one was injured.
GOLD HILL - Some 18 hours after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Engine No. 29 derailed at the Gold Hill crossing blocking the road to Virginia City, crews got the train back on track and reopened State Route 342 just after noon today.
A burst of rain and hail washed sand and rocks into the flange way at the Gold Hill crossing, derailing the engine after its last run Sunday, said Kevin Ray, project manager of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V & T Railway.
Ray said the train carried about seven passengers at the time. No injuries were reported.
Dale Diessner lives just feet away from the Gold Hill crossing and has grown accustomed to the train whistle sounding as it crosses the road. But Sunday's final run into the depot was different, he said.
"When I didn't hear a horn go off, I knew something happened," he said.
The engine slipped off the track about 6 p.m. and slid another 10 feet before stopping.
Today as crews with Walker's A&KW Crane and Rigging Service worked to get the engine back on the tracks, Diessner used his push broom to clear his driveway which also fell victim to the sudden rain burst.
"All that mud and crud got in the tracks," he said.
Ray said the incident could have been more serious if hadn't been for the capable crew of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company, which has been running trains on this track for 35 years.
"They were going very slow, certainly they were exercising caution. They were very aware and we were fortunate to have such an experienced team bringing the train home," he said. "If you look up the record of all the railroad companies out there, you'll see that the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company has an excellent track record for safety.
"It certainly was an inconvenience and we recognize that, but no one knows those tracks better, so I'm really thankful we had such an experienced engineering team on it."
The V&T will resume its regularly scheduled weekend operations Friday.
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad provides weekend rides along 16 miles of the historic route between Carson City and Virginia City made famous by the Comstock Silver Boom of the 1850s.
The original route was reconstructed then re-opened last summer as a major tourism attraction.
The shortline, the historic route from Virginia City to Gold Hill, is operating today with its normal schedule being resumed tomorrow.
"The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Company has an excellent safety record and is operated by an experienced team," said Candy Duncan of the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Operations are moving forward as scheduled for the weekend."
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