Virginia and Truckee Railroad in its Heyday
Stephen Drew is passionate about railroads and about the Virginia & Truckee short line railroad in particular, which is only natural since he recently retired after 35 years as Chief Curator of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.
On Wednesday, July 18 at 3 p.m. the Lafayette Historical Society Speaker’s Series offers the chance to hear Mr. Drew trace the history of what he calls “one of America’s richest short line railroads.” “A short line,” he explains is “not a main line railroad and runs 100 miles or less.”
The V&T operated between Reno, Carson City and the Nevada Comstock Lode at Virginia Cityfor more than 80 years. Incorporated on March 5, 1868, the first train ran in 1869. Drew says, “The V&T literally pulled the weight of all its tracks and cars in gold and silver bullion.” He promises one thing his speech will not include “are a lot of technical, uninteresting specifications” but instead will be something everyone in the family can enjoy, highlighted with a photo display.
In 1976 the V&T was reborn. Drew credits Orinda residents Robert and Ardelle Gray for their “perseverance and energy. Before then, many organizations were interested in getting the V&Trunning again, but the Grays were the only ones who succeeded.”
Bob Gray has a life-long love of railroads, beginning when he worked on a section gang for theSouthern Pacific Railroad as a young man in Oregon. He was in Carson City, Nevada on business in 1971 when a friend told him about a group that wanted to rebuild the V&T. At that time there was nothing left of the line but an abandoned right of way. Bob got interested, and after the group’s efforts failed he set about restoring the line on his own, acquiring 61 parcels of land then finding the historic rail cars.
In 1976 the line made its inaugural run and by 1991 the track was extended to Gold Hill. Over time Bob acquired three locomotives, two steam and one diesel. Today the line encompasses approximately 12.5 miles from Virginia City to Carson City.
Bob’s son, Tom Gray, manages the railroad. At its height, 70,000 people rode the V&T each year. Today’s ridership is around 40,000.
Stephen Drew, who researched the V&T for the last 45 years, also has railroads in his blood. “It must have started with that Lionel train I found under the Christmas tree when I was a kid,” he says with a chuckle. After graduating from UC Berkeley where he majored in music and history,Drew was on the staff of the Bancroft Library for five years, where he handled Nevadatransportation and first discovered the then-defunct V&T.
He served as a consultant to the Nevada State Railroad Museum, and when the newly organized California State Railroad Museum was ready to hire its first curator, they contacted him. Drew, who retired as Chief Curator in 2009, has written three books on railroads, including “Virginia & Truckee Inyo: Nevada’s Brass Betsy” and the “Official Guidebook of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.”
-Julie Sullivan
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