The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad was a railroad in the state of Nevada connecting Nevada-Douglas Copper Company mining facilities to the Southern Pacific's former Carson and Colorado Railway subsidiary at Wabuska, Nevada. The railroad was built south from Wabuska to the Walker River at Mason, Nevada in 1910, and began operations on 1 March. Railroad construction then proceeded up the West Walker River canyon from Mason to leave the river at Hudson reaching the Nevada-Douglas Copper Company mine at Ludwig on 1 November 1911. Rails also extended 2.54 miles (4.09 km) north from Wabuska to a smelter at Thompson. Agricultural products from irrigated ranches along the Walker River provided revenues in addition to the ore traffic.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Lyon County, Nevada |
| Dates of operation | 1910–1947 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Decline
editThe railroad went into receivership in 1925, but traffic volume remained high until the Thompson smelter closed in 1929. The line from Hudson to Ludwig was abandoned when the Standard Gypsum Plaster plant closed in 1932. As trucks began hauling agricultural products, the railroad ceased passenger operations in 1945 and abandoned all operations in 1947.[1]
Motive power roster
edit| Number | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes[2] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 4-6-0 | 1891 | 12204 | built as Los Angeles Terminal Railway #7; purchased 1909; scrapped 1916 |
| 2 | Lima Locomotive Works | 2-8-0 | 1911 | 1091 | purchased new |
| 3 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 2-8-0 | 1912 | 37577 | purchased new; sold in 1921 as Sierra Railroad #24. Scrapped 1955. |
| 4 | Baldwin Locomotive Works | 2-8-0 | purchased for parts; tender used on locomotive #2 | ||
| 5 | ALCO Richmond Locomotive Works | 2-8-0 | 1925 | 66302 | purchased new; sold in 1947 as Virginia and Truckee Railroad 2nd #5. Retired 1950. Used in the films Thundering Rails and Train to Tombstone. Scrapped 1951.[3] |
| 6 | Plymouth Locomotive Works | 6-wheel Gas-mechanical | purchased used in 1945 | ||
| 20 | Fairbanks-Morse | passenger motor | destroyed by accidental fire | ||
| 21 | Hall-Scott | passenger motor | 1910 | 5 | wooden 32-passenger body built by W. L. Holman Car Company; preserved at the California State Railroad Museum[4] |
| 22 | Hall-Scott | passenger motor | 1914 | 13 | steel 25-passenger body built for Salt Lake and Utah Railroad; scrapped in 1947 |
References
edit- ^ a b Lloyd, Arthur Jr.; Lucy, Eldon (1954). "Nevada Copper Belt Railroad". The Western Railroader. 18 (182). Francis A. Guido: 3&5.
- ^ Best, Gerald M.; Lloyd, Arthur Jr. (1954). "Roster of Motive Power Nevada Copper Belt Railroad". The Western Railroader. 18 (182). Francis A. Guido: 5&8.
- ^ "Virginia & Truckee, Locomotive #5-2".
- ^ "California State Railroad Museum Railroad Equipment Roster" (PDF). California Department of Parks and Recreation. California State Railroad Museum. Retrieved 4 January 2018.