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July 17, 2006
ALL ABOARD
We read that the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City was going to run one of its old steam trains this weekend so we headed over there for a ride. We arrived to find a small crowd of other train fans waiting for Engine Number 8, a vintage locomotive that was built in 1888 by the Cooke Locomotive & Machine Company and originally used on the Denver, Texas & Fort Worth Railroad.
The classic engine, now used for steam-ups at the state railroad museum, was once owned by Twentieth Century-Fox Films and appeared in several movies including "Jesse James," in 1938, and "The Gambler" with Kenny Rogers in the 1970s.
After paying for our tickets, a very affordable $5 for adults and $3 for children 6-11 (under 6 free), we boarded the train, which had three passenger cars including a red caboose, an open car, and an antique Virginia & Truckee Railroad car (old Number 10).
Within a few minutes, the locomotive had built up a head of steam and we pulled away from the restored Wabuska Depot, an authentic V & T building that had once stood in the Nevada hamlet of Wabuska (near Yerington). The train runs around the outer edge of the museum grounds, offering an overview of the various buildings, including the main museum and the shops where the trains are maintained and restored.
It passes by a replica of an old-fashioned roundtable, which is kind a "lazy Susan" for trains, before heading behind the structures, by Ted Gibson Park, and toward a wooded area surrounded by a small marsh filled with cattails. There, the train begins a complicated series of maneuvers that allow it to be turned around before returning to the depot.
Along the way, we're jostled by the swaying motion of the old steam train, feel the metal wheels gripping the tracks, and experience the unique ride only found on an old-fashioned train journey.
We'd been on the train for about a bit under a half-hour but the ride felt like it was much shorter. We chatted briefly with a volunteer, who enthusiastically told us the history of the V & T and the car in which we were riding. We climbed off the train and wandered over to the museum and the maintenance shops.
But as we viewed the shiny locomotives and restored freight and passenger cars on display, we realized that they only made us think about riding the train again.
So we did.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum offers steam train rides on nearly every weekend during the summer and selected dates including Labor Day weekend, Nevada Day weekend, and Thanksgiving weekend. For a complete schedule call 775-687-6953.---Richard Moreno
Posted by Rich Moreno at July 17, 2006 12:00 PM