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Virginia
and Truckee Railroad
TIMELINE
"When
Did It Happen?"
Compiled
by Don Bush
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| Photo
By Charles Clegg |
1825 |
Stockton
and Darlington Railway in England |
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1828 |
Baltimore
& Ohio RR , horse drawn cars, Charles Carrol of Carrollton, richest
American of his time |
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1830 |
First run
of Peter Coopers "Tom Thumb," a steam powered locomotive.
Settlers
move to Oregon valley for agricultural reasons
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1847 |
Discovery
of steel by William Kelly, a Kentucky iron master |
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1848 |
Mexican
cession of California and New Mexico, Nevada and Utah |
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1849 |
Gold
discovered at Sutter's Mill in California |
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1850 |
Steam boat
transportatio;, 750 steam boats in the Ohio and Mississippi river systems,
canals and great lakes competed until Civil War for commerce traffic to
the free West, a struggle that paralleled the rivalry of the free states
and the slave states. By 1850's control swung to the canals and the lakes,
Weland canal, Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, ships could go from Chicago to
London.
California
becomes a state.
By the far
the biggest user of iron was the rail road, although machines and buildings
were being made of cast and wrought iron. Railroads also had the most
extensive machine shops in America, turning out parts iron and steel tools
and other machinery.
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1855 |
Panama
Isthmus railroad opened, monopolized traffic to west coast until 1869
when the first transcontinental railroad was opened.
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1856 |
Sleeping
car patented by G.M.Pullman |
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1857 |
Utah
war(statehood in 1896 after Mormon church repudiated polygamy) |
|
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August,
New York Bank crash |
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1858 |
Morman
station established in what is now Genoa. |
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1859 |
First
all steel car |
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Oregon becomes
a state
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Gold
discovered on the Comstock |
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1860 |
By
1860 there were 30,000 miles of railroad in America, passenger trains sped
along at an incredible speed of 20 mph, freight 11 mph, track mostly in
north east and south. |
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1861 |
Nov
29, original charter, Virginia, Carson & Truckee Railroad Co. |
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1862 |
Charter,
Virginia and Truckee Railroad Co. |
|
1863 |
Development
of Bessemer process of steel manufacture. |
|
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Nationwide
general use of steel rails |
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1864 |
Formation
of Bank of California, headed by Darius Ogden Mills, help from genius
William C.Ralston, soon VC branch headed by William Sharon. Mine foreclosures
were passed on to Union Mill & Mining Company, same shareholders.
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Nevada
becomes a state |
|
1865 |
Sep
1, Virginia and Truckee River Rail Road Co, W. Sharon stepped in... |
|
1867 |
May
8, Sharon incorporated the V & T RR CO to build from Hold Hill North
through VC along Lousetown creek to Truckee River, ten miles east of future
site of Reno, (Lakes Crossing.) Settlers donated $500,000 from Ormsby and
Storey Counties and petitioned to move route through Carson City. |
|
1868 |
Final
charter V&T, Mar 5... |
|
1869 |
Feb
18, ground was broken. |
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Sep
28, Engine arrives Carcon City. |
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Sep
30, completion of Crown Point trestle |
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Nov
12, First regular train on CP Trestle |
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Dec
21, trains from CC to Gold Hill |
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1869 |
Transcontinental
railway, Union Pacific, westward from Nebraska, Central Pacific, building
eastward from California, met at Promontory Point, Utah, May 10 |
|
1870's |
Nation
wide battle of railway financiers, Vanderbilt, Gould, Fisk, Hill, Harriman. |
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Mines
run out, roughly a the 1000-1100 foot level. |
|
1870 |
Jan
29, V&T line open in entirety. |
|
1871 |
February,
Hill Beachey, arranged right of way for VC to Reno, by Legislature, route
surveyed partly paralleled the line of present Geiger Grade,(This was before
V&T went from CC to Reno) |
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July,
Sharon forces take action,contract for bridge across Truckee River in Reno. |
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Nov
11, excursion to steamboat springs,(from Reno) |
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1872 |
Aug
24, first train full length of the line from Virginia City to the Truckee
River. |
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1873 |
February,
Discovery of the "Big Bonanza" in the Con Virginia Mine |
|
|
Five years
of rushing business on the V&T, 30-45 trains per day, 35 carloads
of lumber from Huffackers, (Owned by Bonanza Kings Mackay et al.)20-40
carloads of other materials and merchandise. Outgoing tonnage was ore,
80-100 carloads a day. four of seven carded trains between Carson City
and Virginia City were passenger trains.
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1874 |
Rails
of V&T replaced with new and heavier steel rails |
|
1875 |
V&T
RR paid dividend over $360,000 |
|
1876-77 |
Most
productive for V&T, then slump |
|
1879 |
Only
52,841 tones of ore down to Carson city mills, one fifth of 1876, surplus
locomotives were sold. |
|
1880's |
Standardized
rail width to 4 ft 81/2 in. |
|
1880 |
Begin
construction of Carson and Colorado RR at Mound House to the south. |
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1886 |
Branch
to Silver City abandoned |
|
1890's |
V&T
Dividends eliminated. |
|
1901 |
Many
miles of spur track, removed following an increase in the tax rate. |
|
1903 |
Rehabilitation
of Bowers Mansion by saloon keeper, Henry Riter. |
|
|
Improved
ore production, slight revival of V&T, Carson City Railroad started
using V&T rails between Mound house and Carson City. |
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Nov
17, fire destroyed Homestead Tunnel, two months to repair because of hot
rocks. |
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1904 |
Southern
Pacific and CC RR standard gauging of CCRR. |
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1905 |
Connection
to Hazen Cutoff for Tonapah traffic. |
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1906 |
Spur
to Minden began(trying to take advantage of agriculture) |
|
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Aug...first
regular service to Minden. |
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1910 |
Henry
Yerington, superintendent and Darius Ogden Mills, owner of the V&T die.
Ogden Livingston Mills, grandson of DO. Mills, becomes president of V&T. |
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1917 |
V&T
90 of the eight-ton ore cars were scrapped. |
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1920 |
Decline
of railroad industry across the nations as the trucking industry booms. |
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1921 |
Cyanide
Mill built at American Flat between Mound house and Gold Hill by United
Comstock Mining. Short reprieve for V&T, Frank Murphy becomes VP and
General Manager. |
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1924 |
Beginning
of red ink era. Deficits were reported continually until closing down in
1950. |
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1926 |
American
Flat Mill closes. |
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1933 |
Ogden
L. Mills becomes sole owner of V&T, picks up annual deficits out of
pocket. |
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1935 |
Crown
Point Trestle torn down by mining company. |
|
1937 |
Ogden
Mills Dies, V&T placed in Receivership. |
|
|
Short
spurt of Hollywood money. |
|
1938 |
March
4, Board of Directors resolution, "Be it therefore resolved that because
of the death of the owner of this Railroad, D. Ogden Mills (sic), this road
shall cease to operate as a common carrier on a date to be determined." |
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1939 |
June
4 - last freight train to Virginia City. |
|
|
Began
selling of old equipment, running "Railfan" excursion trains to
keep alive. |
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1941 |
Tracks
to Virginia City are torn up. |
|
1942 |
Begin
negative profit days as feeder line to Southern Pacific hauling freight
from Minden and Carson City to Reno. |
|
1945 |
Engine
#11, "Reno" in all her brass trimmed glory, was sold to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Sam Bigaloe, receivership manager, dies. V&T has only three trains,
ten wheelers, 25, 26, and 27. |
|
1948 |
Attempt
to dieselize the V&T railroad fails due to the high cost of a 90 ton
diesel engine large enough to pull Lakeview grade. |
|
1949 |
January,
Virginia & Truckee Railway applied to the Interstate Commerce Commission
and the Public Service Commission of Nevada for authorization to abandon
the entire line. |
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1950 |
May
1, Engine 26 burns from mysterious causes in Reno roundhouse. |
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May
11 - #27 makes the last run from Minden, through Carson City, to Reno. |
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May
31, V&T officially abandoned. |
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1970 |
Huge
Penn Central filed bankruptcy, fed created AMTRAK. |
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1976 |
Robert
Gray acquires a section of V&T line between Virginia City and Gold Hill
and begins running steam trains under the name "Virginia & Truckee
Railroad." |
|
1980 |
Nevada
State railroad Museum opens in Carson City and features many V&T treasures. |
|
1991 |
Track is
extended past Tunnel Number Three and reaches the Gold Hill terminal.
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