The Great Nevada Railroad Bazaar
Single Serving Adventures on Nevada's Abandoned Short Lines
Every reader goes through an author stage, probably many times over. In the mid 80’s I found Paul Theroux. As a teenager I wasn’t a particularly sophisticated reader, nor do I consider myself that now, but I did know what I liked. I am sure I was introduced to Theroux’s books by a well intentioned English teacher. But soon I was scanning the “T” shelf in every used book store, looking for a title I hadn’t read. I felt like a Theroux scholar until I visited the author’s website, I have so many titles to catch up on! There are worse curses.
I have been listening to the audio version of the Great Railway Bazaar (Theroux, 1975). This is an account of his England to Japan and back again by rail. In the pantheon of train travel Theroux has penned THE OLD PATAGONIAN EXPRESS (1979), THE KINGDOM BY THE SEA (1983), THE IMPERIAL WAY: BY RAIL FROM PESHAWAR TO CHITTAGONG (1985), RIDING THE IRON ROOSTER (1989), GHOST TRAIN TO THE EASTERN STAR (2008), and THE LAST TRAIN TO ZONA VERDE: MY ULTIMATE AFRICAN SAFARI (2013). These great railway odysseys are a bazaar of single serving friends. Theroux has a gift of describing the visual and conversation of his encounters.
My Nevada Railway Bazaar is ongoing. Reno is a railroad town. (So close to Hell, you can see Sparks - Northern Nevada/railroad humor) One aspect of train travel in conjunction with bike travel is figuring out which stops will allow you to travel with your bike and load/unload. Amtrack is improving! My first bike/railroad experience was riding around Peavine Mountain and riding a portion of the Western Pacific Rail Road, historically the Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad.
At some point I noticed the raised red cinder bed along the south shore of Pyramid Lake. I didn’t know what I was looking at. There isn’t a lot of information on-line about the Fernley-Lassen Railroad. I was giving a talk to a local cycling group and after an audience member asked me if I had ridden it. No, but now I was motivated. That became my first abandoned railroad ride, Fernley to Flannigan Siding, mostly intact, ducking or skirting wildlife fences, getting around long gone trestles, but a wonderful adventure on the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe’s Reservation and beyond.
Our closest Rails-to-Trails route is the Bizz Johnson Trail in Susanville, CA. I have ridden the portion most local to Susanville. The process of taking an abandoned railroad grade and turning it into a grand multiuse trail system is a noble pursuit. The results can be fantastic, creating a space for everyone, and some like the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park serves as the backbone for the future 800 mile Capitol Trails Coalition Network of greater Washington DC. While I can appreciate the work of Rails-to-Trails I am not proposing this model for Nevada’s abandoned rails. I would like to see abandoned grades get adopted by local user groups for stewardship.
I don’t remember my exact timeline for learning about Nevada’s railroad history. I will give the railroad buffs their due, Nevada’s history is railroad history. Hyperbole makes such bold statements. But the correlation of national and local railroads, mining and the need for transportation, the narrow gauge boom, and bold entrepreneurism set the stage for rapid railroad expansion and equally imminent collapse. But I made the trip from Tonopah to Beatty to meet David Spicer. I remember from a high point on his property he had this ten thousand yard stare to the west and told me about Nevada’s abandoned railroad grades. “They go interesting places, with interesting histories, there has to be access to water, and they have to be relatively flat and direct. They are everywhere.” I had followed a few different ones on my way to his ranch. Now I would do so purposefully.
Next I learned about the Nevada Central Railroad. It was created to link the mining town of Austin to Battle Mountain and the Central Pacific’s mainline. It struggled for 50 years between 1880 and 1938. What impressed me the most about this story was the intertwining of political careers and the successful completion of the line. Austin’s boom and bust is reflected in the railroad and was influenced by the rise of mining areas to the southwest including Grantsville, Tonopah, and Goldfield. Even with the struggles of Nevada Central there were visions of expanding to south to connect Nevada to southern California as well as to the north into Oregon. There was even the idea connecting the short lines into a 1000 mile Y-shaped middle Nevada railroad. Now there is an idea; Bring Back the Mid-Pacific Railroad (as a route, on a T-shirt).
Now I was looking for faint dashed lines on USGS topo maps labeled Old Railroad Grade as well as trapezoid shaped paths along popular driving routes. The grandest of them all was the Carson & Colorado Railway, “The Slim Princess”. At Wabuska there was a minor line that served Mason Valley, Yerington, Wilson Canyon, West Walker River and Smith Valley. This was the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad, 42 miles (1911-1947), connecting the copper mines of the area as well as some of Nevada’s richest agricultural lands to the Carson Colorado Railway and eventually the transcontinental railroad. The right of way is fragmented through Mason Valley but is mostly intact through Wilson Canyon to Ludwig.
Speaking of railroads trying to connect to the Carson & Colorado the Rawhide Mine tried to do just that. Unfortunately the area lost its profitability to operate the railway and was able to claim bankruptcy after a fire and before the railroad was ever completed.
I do have plans to ride the Carson & Colorado as completely as I can. Locally, the section from Mound House through Churchill Canyon to Wabuska is mostly accessible. Then it is an active line between Wabuska and Hawthorne, through the Walker River Indian Reservation and Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot. South of Hawthorne the ROW is mostly intact to Coaldale, then fragmented over Montgomery Pass to Keeler.
There is an unconventional hiking guidebook to the abandoned railroads of Death Valley, The Death Q; An unusual guide to an 811 mile thru hike circling Death Valley on abandoned railroads, by Steven “Blast” Halteman (Catania Group Pubs, 2017). Halteman wrote his guidebook without an emphasis on maps but on descriptions and stories, “for your evening’s entertainment…” is followed by a wonderful bit of folklore. If I were to focus on only Days 10-21, Death Valley Junction to Benton, 265 miles, this covers the portion within Nevada. This is covered in 100 pages of Halteman’s 443 pp book. This takes you along the Tonopah & Tidewater, Bullfrog & Goldfield, Las Vegas & Tonopah, Tonopah & Goldfield, and the Carson & Colorado Railroads. I found myself nodding in agreement with his descriptions and ooh-ahh moments as he clarified some questions I had south of Goldfield. For additional history and images check out Images of Rail, Railroads of Death Valley, by Robert P Palazzo (Arcadia Pubs, 2011).
Nevada is a bazaar of national, state and local history. Mining, agriculture, exploration and transportation came together under ambitious railroad projects. These abandoned grades can be traveled by foot, bicycle, and off-highway vehicles taking you to places of incredible history. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the railroad buffs who work to preserve this history. Please visit and support your local railroad museum. I listed a few of my favorites below. Thank you for supporting my story telling.
In Palazzo’s book I came across a schedule for stage connections along the Carson & Colorado Railway. This will be the topic of next month’s newsletter.
Select References
Criticism of Paul Theroux
The Story of Austin Nevada & Nevada Central Railroad, by Michael Brown (2013)
Images of Rail, Nevada Northern Railway, by Mark S. Bassett and J. Joan Bassett (Arcadia Pubs, 2011)
Museums
Month in Review
October was a busy month! I led my last tour for Friends of Black Rock High Rock’s 2023 season. This was Rides with Friends #7 Hot Springs and Black Rock Point Micro-Playa Overnight. I had 12 participants, local, San Francisco Bay Area, and Alaska. It was a great mixed group. We met up with a couple of Overlanders from Wildwood Open Lands Foundation and ZeroDeclination. Immediately after I switched bikes and took off with Doug Artman to tour central Nevada, the Sagebrush Ripple, covering 325 miles looping over 5 mountain ranges over 9 days. I had a couple of great day rides and days fly fishing on Silver Creek, a tributary of the Carson River.
Upcoming Rides and Events
Looking at the next three months I don’t have anything on the calendar. As we transition into winter riding conditions I want to get a couple of winter overnights under my belt to make sure I have my winter kit dialed. From my tour with Doug on the Sagebrush Ripple I was inspired to loop the Toquima Range and spend more time on the cherry stem roads that explore the canyons we passed. I would like to ride through Paymaster Canyon to the southwest of Tonopah. Last year I went to the Fire and Ice Festival in Ely. This year I would like to ride between Eureka and Ely, going into the festival. There is plenty on my mind without anything on the calendar.