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Bargain Travel West guide to unique destinations, sight-seeing, history and culture,
budget travel vacation ideas in the U.S., Canada and Caribbean.
Travel Bargain destination
in Nevada
NEVADA
STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM - CARSON CITY
Railroad History and Movie Trains
The story
of northern Nevada is tied to western railroading history, first from
the Trans-Continental railroad
through Reno to California,
then the result of silver found in the Comstock Lode, turning Nevada
into the "Silver State". The Virginia & Truckee Railroad
was built to carry goods, passengers and oar from Reno to Carson City,
the state capital, then branch lines to Minden and to Virginia City,
the heart of the Comstock. The line not used for long haul routes remained
with older steam engines for a good time longer than the main line across
the mountains. Many of the engines for the Nevada rail line were bought
by the Hollywood movie studios for the popular westerns of the 30’s
to the 50’s. Many were later acquired by other railroad musuem
and some have returned to Nevada.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, located just off Highway
395 south of the city preserves the historic railroad heritage of the
past. The collection of 65 locomotives and rail cars are found in a
main display building and the round house. Almost half of the collection
is
from the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and many were built before 1900.
The museum is not large compared to some others, but the museum’s
signiture piece is the Inyo, a 4-4-0 Baldwin engine from 1875, one of
the most beautiful and oldest classic American steam locomotives from
the golden age of the Old West still operating. The Inyo has been featured
in 29 motion pictures and television shows, and serving as the “hero” engine
in the 1960’s Wild Wild West Television series (trains of the Sierra
Railroad in Jamestown California were also used on the series see Jamestown
Railtown 1890). The Inyo is brought out for rides on the 4th of July
every year, the rest of the time other locomotives serve ride duty.
The
other hero of the state museum in Carson City is Coach No 4, built
in San Francisco in 1872, one of the most expensive of the original
V&T
passenger cars, bougtht by Paramount in 1937 and was seen in movies
including Union Pacific, Duel in the Sun and Raintree County. In 1971,
the studio
sold it back to the state and it was restored to its 1890 appearance,
now roped off with a conductor mannequin inside.
Aside
from the static disply of full sized rail cars and engines and some
original engine lanterns,, the museum has a collection of scale models
of various exambles of engines
and cars from logging lines of the Sierra mountains to passenger
trains. An HO-scale model railroad featuring hundreds of passenger
and freight
and passenger cars, along the steam and diesel-electric engines of
the Union Pacific, Western Pacific, Southern Pacific and Nevada Copperbelt
depicting the railroad operations of Nevada in the 20th Century has
recently
been added.
Train rides are offered on weekends from the beginning of May to
the end of September, with rides on Nevada Day in October and Thanksgiving
weekend, as well as a Santa Train in December. The train rides alternate
between steam engines and a self contained 1926 Edwards Motor Car.
The trains depart from the period train station moved from Wabuska,
Nevada
to the state railroad museum grounds. Aside from the weeked train
rides, activities at the museum include rides on handcar, lectures,
an
annual
railroad history
symposium
and a variety of special events and lectures.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City is open from Friday
to Monday, 8:30 to 4:30 pm. Admission to the museum is $5 for adults.
Children
under 18 are free. The train rides are an additional $5 (kids 4-11
$3) for the steam trains and $4 for the Motor Car. The Santa Trains
are $3
for all. There are other branches on the Nevada State Railroad Museum
in Boulder City near Las Vegas in the southern part of the state
and the Ely Depot near the Utah border. © Bargain
Travel West
Find the best hotel and vacation deals in Carson City on Trip Advisor
Web Info
Nevada
Railroad Museum
NSRM
Friends
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West and WLEV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without
permission.
See these other articles on Bargain Travel West:
MARK TWAIN MUSEUM – VIRGINIA CITY
COMSTOCK FIREMEN'S MUSEUM - VIRGINIA CITY
RAILROADS
IN EUROPE
TALKING
HOUSES OF CARSON CITY
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