Rebirth of the Virginia & Truckee R.R.: Amazing Revival of a Steam Railroad

Born in 1869 and destined to become a vital cog in the Winning of the West, the Virginia & Truckee railroad was built, owned and operated by some of the most powerful men in America. D. O. Mills, William Ralston and William Sharon, through the Bank of California, controlled the major mines and mills of the Comstock Lode. This great western short line, outfitted with the finest locomotives and passenger cars transporting potentates of the financial world, operated with a degree of style and grace worthy of being called The Richest Railroad in the World. By the 1930s the once-richest railroad was barely hanging on. In 1938 the line from Virginia to Carson was abandoned. Twelve years later the rest of the tracks were ripped up. But the glamour of oldtime railroading cannot be driven out of the heart and soul of the west. Railroad enthusiast Bob Gray understood this and knew that the Virginia & Truckee had the history, location and the unchanged scenery to fulfill a longing for oldtime atmosphere as no other rail line could. Starting in 1968 Bob Gray brought about the amazing resurrection of the old V&T Railroad, and the fascinating story of how he accomplished that is told in word and picture in this book.