A Look Back, Three Railfan Trips 2019: Part 3: Western Nevada and Sumpter, Oregon.

Part 1: Las Vegas and Kingman, Arizona
Part 2: Solo adventure to Ely, Nevada
Part 3: Western Nevada and Sumpter, Oregon

On October 10, we took a stop in Elko, Nevada to check out WP 727 on display in a downtown park.

Fall Break would be the grandest trip of them all… a five-state tour across the west to several of the most prominent steam railroads in the region. October marked Big Boy’s second return to Utah, and again after another few days of swimming through crowds I was able to convince a few friends that the best form of post-Big Boy therapy was a trip to a much quieter steam railroad out of state. Josh joined me again on the adventure, and another one of our friends Jacob Morgan joined as our third-party member. Schon decided to sit this one out since he was adjusting to a new apartment at that time. On Wednesday night, Jacob and Josh brought their cars to Tooele to leave at my house. On Thursday, October 10^th we all hopped in my car early morning and began our westward trek across I-80.

I prepared for this trip, I borrowed a DSLR camera from extended family so I would be able to best capture all the destinations we had in mind. First in Nevada we’d visit the primary branch of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, making it so Josh and I had seen both branches of that museum on opposite ends of the state in the same year. On Friday, it was time to visit the famed Virginia and Truckee, then swing up north to Oregon so by Saturday morning we would be on the Sumpter Valley Railroad’s fall photo charter! It was ambitious, full of historic railroading and the capstone trip for the year.

The preserved Southern Pacific depot in Lovelock, Nevada was built by the Central Pacific in 1880.

On our first day we stopped in Elko, Nevada for both breakfast and a quick shot of the WP GP locomotive displayed downtown. It gave me a chance to get used to my rented camera’s settings. We followed along I-80, stopping for a few of the old curiosities along the former Southern Pacific railroad route until we finally got into Reno. One of the highlights was an SP depot dating back to the Central Pacific era, that has been preserved near the tracks in Lovelock, Nevada. This beautiful two-story depot definitely caught our eye in this small town.

In Reno a former SP narrow gauge locomotive is on display off I-80. SP 8 was prior to that a part of the Nevada California & Oregon railroad. My grandmother who passed away after my first trip had ancestry who worked for the NCO, so I was proud to see a bit of family heritage in that engine. Sadly, the fence around it makes it impossible to get a good photograph of; so, I was just glad to be able to see it in person. Another one of the surviving NCO engines, SP 18 has returned to steam recently; and spent most of 2019 on loan to the Durango and Silverton Railroad in Colorado.

We were soon back on the highway soon and pulling into the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. 

The Virginia and Truckee McKeen motorcar was running for training purposes when we arrived at the museum.

V&T Inyo and Dayton starting in 1969 up through the 1970's were used as "stand in" locomotives at the Promontory Summit site for the Golden Spike Historic Site display. They were replaced with the two O'Conner Engineering replicas, and returned to Nevada in 1978. For the Golden Spike 150th, the two engines were pilot to pilot inside the museum to honor their previous roles masquerading as UP 119 and Jupiter back in the 1970's.

Arriving at the museum we were greeted to the surprise sight of the museum’s McKeen Motorcar roaming about the tracks along the museum property. The only preserved McKeen Motorcar that is operational in the world, it was an instant win for us; Josh, Jacob and I made sure to take plenty of photos! We made it inside and walked around the gorgeous locomotives on display in the museum, admiring their own Golden Spike 150^th exhibits. Outside in the roundhouse we got to meet Oscar The Dog who was there with his owner. I think Oscar might give Dirt back in Ely a run for his money for cutest railroad animal. Jacob asked the museum staff, and was able to get us back into the storage area to see Nevada’s Merci Car up close.

The McKeen motor car just fits barely onto the turntable. The car is powered by axle in the lead pilot truck, leading to its weight being off center while on the turntable.

After we left the roundhouse we got a few photos of the McKeen as it approached the turntable. The “strong arm” turntable is pushed manually to align it to the right whisker track, and to our surprise the museum staff asked us if we would be willing to help push the turntable to align the McKeen back to its stall! With Oscar the dog supervising we pushed the turntable around to line it up. Turns out, the McKeen is an off-balance railcar due to its drive mechanisms all in one forward axle… Jacob and I were on an end where the turntable felt light as a feather to push… while Josh on the opposite end felt the weight of pushing the full railcar. Once lined up the McKeen pulled into its stall, where Oscar promptly plopped down in front of it to take a snooze.

Oscar supervising the McKeen car after it returned to its stall.

Leaving Carson City, we drove past scenic Lake Tahoe to Truckee California. The rail traffic in Truckee was a bust, but I got a kick of seeing all the snow fighting equipment stored in town used for winter use on Donner Pass. After eating dinner in a diner, we traveled back alongside Tahoe blanketed in sunset and returned to a hotel in Carson City.

A retired SP rotary snowplow on display in Truckee, California.

Stored snow fighting locomotives in Truckee waiting for the winter season.

Nevada Neon in downtown Carson City.

October 11^th, we woke up early to arrive to Virginia City. This spectacularly preserved western town caters to tourists now, but the resurrected Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a spectacular treat. I had been to the V&T as a teenager once, and being back there again seeing V&T 29 the line’s 2-8-0 in action was awesome. 29 works hard for a steam locomotive, and its barks and hisses could be heard all throughout the surrounding hills as it climbed the treacherous grades along the route. After chasing 29 we rode a quick 30-minute diesel excursion from Virginia City to Gold Hill. Our train’s conductor made a great narrator for the route, and I got to add another ‘railroad dog’ to my list when the train’s engineer brought his dog along for the ride.

V&T 29 leading an excursion train with three passenger cars between Mound House and Gold Hill on October 11. This little 2-8-0 was barking and working hard to get up the grade.

Having cut of its third car, the now two car train being pulled by V&T 29 rolls past an abandoned headframe at Gold Hill, Nevada. Originally built for the Louisiana & Pacific Railway in 1916, this small Baldwin feels at home on the sharp grades and twisting track of the V&T.

The spectacular mining headframes and tailings piles give the area an otherworldly feel with strong yellow’s and oranges in the hillsides. After our train ride we took a moment to tour the St Mary in the Mountains museum, the train used to pass through a cut/tunnel right in front of the church’s basement! The museum guides had plenty of local history photos of the Comstock district and the railroad. We visited the original V&T locomotive preserved up the road, then began the long drive from Nevada to Oregon.

Jacob Morgan observes the 29 departing Gold Hill.

The West Coast Railroaders Group provides fire protection service on the V&T; their orange speeder is seen here trailing behind 29's returning train in Virginia City.

The conductor on-board the V&T's diesel train from Virginia City to Gold Hill narrating the journey.

Like the spring break trip, staying awake relied on the most absurd of railfan discussions. This time, Jacob kept us awake by reading bits of Railway Series lore from the Thomas the Tank Engine wiki… and about the time we were passing near Boise, Idaho we may have felt we knew more about British Railway history than we ever needed to know. It eventually evolved into discussing just how awful Thomas and the Magic Railway was (sparkle sparkle sparkle). Finally stumbling into our lodging in Baker City, Oregon; we got ready for our next grand adventure on the Sumpter Valley’s photo charter.

W.H. Eccles Lumber #3 illuminates the 3' gauge rails in McEwan, Oregon on the morning of October 12.

Like the Virginia and Truckee, the Sumpter Valley is also a modern-day reconstruction; re-laid over the original rail route. The modern Sumpter Valley runs between two stations in McEwan and Sumpter. The entire surrounding valley is covered in loose rock and pebbles due to gold dredging activity many years ago. This loose talus surrounds the entire railroad, with lots of ponds along the route. Once outside of the rocky dredging piles, the scenery turns to a brilliant pine forest.

Sumpter Valley #19 and and W.H. Eccles #3 great the morning sunrise in McEwan, Oregon.

For the photo charter the railroad had both its operational steam locomotive under steam. In the crisp fall air, we could feel a chill when we arrived at the depot in the morning prior to sunrise. We huddled around inside the McEwan station, eating breakfast and trying to stay warm in the chilly air. Outside, the gradual hisses of steam could be heard. Right as the sun crested the horizon the two steam engines had arrived side by side in front of the depot; Sumpter Valley 19 a logging Mikado, and W.H. Eccles 3 a geared Heisler. With the air slowly warming up, we hoped onboard the passenger cars part of 19’s mixed train and began riding along for the photo charter.

#19's apperance is captured in the reflection from one of the many ponds alongside the Sumpter Valley Railway.

The three-foot gauge railroad has a rough-hewn appearance, and our trains gently rocked back and forth as we rode. For Josh, Jacob and I we this was our first paid photo charter experience; and we were curious how things would operate. The Sumpter Valley operated the charter with an employee who had a handheld radio, we could talk to him and he would radio the train crews telling them we wanted a run by and direct how to stage the locomotives. It was surprising how responsive the railroad crew was and welcoming of the photo requests, it sure made the experience very easy going and fun.

One of the most interesting tidbits of dialogue I overheard from another passenger though was them commenting on the crowds at the charter, and how other participants had accidentally wandered into their shot once or twice. It gave me a chuckle having seen the Big Boy a week prior back home in Utah; for me the crowds at Sumpter Valley seemed light and a breeze to navigate compared to the posse the 4014 draws! 

#3 taking on fuel back at the wood rack in McEwan.

#19 leads its mixed train near Sumpter, Oregon.

After a few runs up and down the railroad, we stopped at the Sumpter Depot for a grilled hamburger lunch. The classic American potluck food was highly appreciated after a long day on the train! As the day stretched on, we returned back down the line, eventually stopping at the Hawley siding again. The crew was very welcoming to our requests, we asked if we could ride in one of the cabooses and we got the chance a few times to ride from the cupola seats. At that final stop at Hawley, Jacob mentioned he wanted to ask if he could ride in the cab of 19. The crew welcomed him on board, and for the final leg between Hawley and McEwan, Jacob got the cab ride of a lifetime inside the vintage narrow-gauge steam locomotive. Once at McEwan, we got a few parting shots of the Sumpter Valley’s crew posing in front of their locomotives.

The crew of the Sumpter Valley pose with their locomotives back at McEwan.

Again, I can’t stress enough how impressed I was by the Sumpter Valley and their crew. Truth be told all the heritage railroads and museums I had the chance to visit this year had excellent crews and hospitality. From Randy Hees giving us a tour at the Nevada Southern back in March, helping operate the turntable for the McKeen car back in Carson City, and finally the chance to explore inside the cabooses and cabs of narrow-gauge steam trains on the Sumpter; it was a series of spectacular experiences all around. A tip of the hat to all these operations and the great experiences they gave us on our trips!

A collection of diesel locomotives sitting outside of MPI in Boise, Idaho on October 13.

A UP freight train heads north along the former OSL mainline in Bliss, Idaho with three Canadian Pacific locomotives in tow.

October 13^th marked the end of our trip; with the long drive from Baker City, Oregon back home to Tooele, Utah left ahead. Of course, we had a few final stops to see in the Gem State. In Boise we took time to admire the preserved Boise Depot downtown. We then payed a visit to the outside gates of Motive Power Industries. With the merger between MPI’s parent company Wabtec and GE Transportation, the MPI plant in Boise is scheduled to shutter locomotive production and move its series to the former GE plant in Erie, Pennsylvania. Even with shutdown looming, looking in from the fence surrounding MPI we could see countless locomotives scattered about the shops, in various states of repair and disassembly. Finally, as the Gem State came to an end, we happily crossed the northern Utah border on our final leg home, arriving back in Tooele shortly after evening fall.

What can I summarize from my three multi state trips this year? The west is truly still wild country in its open expanse, and the long drives and Mt. Dew fueled journeys are a testament to the sheer scope of the country. Our Nevada-Oregon trip in October was proof of that, with nearly each day taking up eight hours in the car to travel from location to location. Go off road, and in poor weather the journey can become threatening as our March escapades near Lund, Utah proved.

However, in the wide-open expanses of the west is stunning scenery, and spectacular railroading. From the round the clock action in Kingman, Arizona; to the restored vintage steam railroads in Nevada and Oregon there is plenty of reward for the railfan willing to make the trip. Bring a few friends, pack a few good tunes and grab a few tickets for some of America’s most stunning historic railroads and museums; and the wild west spirit that fueled the original Transcontinental Railroad is not hard to still find.