Prototype Tours
The Silver Rails Committee has been hard at work setting up some unusual tours and activities for your enjoyment during the 2010 PCR Convention in Sparks, Nevada.
All tours are self-driven, with carpooling encouraged. If you can drive others, please sign-up using the convenient on-line Carpool Driver Sign-up Form.
Here is this year's line-up of planned Prototype Tours:
Truckee Donner Railroad Museum Tour (Free) - NEW!
Thursday, April 29, the Donner Summit tour was going to be presented by the Truckee Donner Railroad Association in Truckee. They have a small museum in Truckee and some old railroad equipment that you can see on Thursday instead of trudging through the snow at the Donner Summit. Jim Long will have a map to the location available at the Registration Desk.
Donner Summit Tunnel Tour (Free) - SNOWED OUT!
The Summit Tunnel Tour that was to begin at the Donner Lake Overlook on old Highway 40, just below the Rainbow Bridge, has, however, been snowed out!
There is too much snow to get to the area right now and there will be more on Tuesday and Wednesday.
We are truly sorry we had to cancel the Donner Summit Tour. We will be offering it as one of the prototype tours during next year's Extra 2011 West NMRA National Convention. We sure hope we don't have snow in July! We weren't expecting any this time, either, but we cannot control the weather.
Just as a teaser for next year: The importance of Donner Pass to transportation between the Great Basin and California is the primary theme of this hike. A short hike will follow a brief description of the travails of the emigrant parties climbing Donner Summit, along with a discussion of the Native American trading practices that led to the drawing of the petroglyphs, dating from pre-Columbian times.
Directly above, there is the China Wall, still solid after 140 years of Sierra winters. We then hike under the original main line by way of the old Lincoln Highway underpass, and through the Summit Tunnel. The tunnel still shows the drill marks of construction, and the smoke and wear of well over a hundred years of trains passing through it.
Good hiking footwear is a must! The Summit Tunnel area is chilly all year long, so a light jacket or sweater is advised. It is the summit of the former SP line, after all, and the elevation exceeds 7,000 feet. This tour usually takes a couple of hours.
Tahoe Model Works and Aztec Manufacturing Co. (Free)
Thursday, April 29 – These two small companies are located in Carson City, about 30 minutes from Sparks. These are self-guided tours. No advance sign-up required for either location. Both will be open from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.
Tahoe Model Works has been very active in engineering and producing an extensive series of HO-scale RP-25 and semi-scale truck sets for our hobby. Brian Leppert, the owner, is obviously very passionate about researching and adopting the plans of some of the most famous truck designs from the 20s through 50s era because it really shows in his product line.
Over at Aztec Manufacturing, 2701 Conestoga Drive, #113, Carson City, you can watch the process of designing and manufacturing Aztec track cleaning equipment in all different scales. Aztec products, from an innovative line of track cleaners to limited edition micro brew cars, are unique. Aztec was recently featured in the Business Section of the Nevada Appeal. Click here to read the article.
Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola Tour (Free)
Friday, April 30, promises to be a fun-filled time as attendees travel by carpools to Portola, California for a tour of the famous Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola.
This museum is unique in that you can climb into and over most of the equipment on display. In the 16,000 square foot former WP diesel maintenance shop, you might see the venerable 805A EMD diesel undergoing repairs or the famous California Zephyr diner being rebuilt. This shop was an active spot for diesel maintenance from 1954 until it was closed in 1974, when it was donated to the Western Pacific Rail Society.
A unique feature of the museum is the “Rent-A-Locomotive” program. It is possible to make a reservation for an hour of instruction and a chance to drive the locomotive around the balloon track on the museum property. You can also visit the gift shop inside the diesel maintenance building where there are books, DVD’s, HO models and other unique WP items for sale.
Also bring your camera because the museum is located right next to the busy Union Pacific Feather River mainline and is a crew change location. Additional information about the museum is available at the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola website. The trip should take about 4-5 hours including driving time from Sparks.
Carson City and V&T Steam Tour (Extra-Fare: $60.00)
Saturday, May 1, promises to be a great adventure with Nevada Railroading. We will carpool to Carson City to visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Mills Park train ride and Nevada Pacific model railroad, and then onto the V&T Railroad for a memorable steam train ride up to Virginia City on the historic reconstructed V&T right of way.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum is home to a collection of vintage locomotives, railcars and artifacts from the 19th and 20th centuries. The highlight is the Inyo, one of the oldest operating steam locomotives in the United States. Also featured is the McKeen Rail Car #22, in its final restoration stages in the Museum’s extensive shop area. For those who want more information on the railroads of Nevada, there is an impressive book and memorabilia store in the main building.
On the way to the V&T steam train tour, there will be a stop at the Carson City Railroad Association’s layout in Mills Park, along with the Mills Park amusement railroad. Here we will view the 20' x 30’ HO-scale Nevada Pacific Modular layout and have a ride on the park's 24” gauge train.
The afternoon will be capped by a roundtrip ride on the fully restored V&T Railroad from Carson City to Virginia City on the old railroad right of way. This line has been reconstructed over the past 7-8 years through the hard work of numerous volunteers and the unselfish help from several large Nevada-based contractors. The 35-mile round trip will prove to be a great trip, so don’t forget to bring your cameras. We’ll return in time to make it back to Sparks for the social hour and our Saturday Night Banquet.
The cost for this extra-fare all-day Saturday, May 1st, tour is $60.00. This includes admission to the Nevada State Railroad Museum, Mills Park train ride, a round trip ride on the newly-restored Virginia & Truckee Railroad, and lunch at a local restaurant.
Sign Up in Advance
To facilitate planning for the tours, please sign-up using the convenient on-line Prototype Tour Sign-up Form to let us know your preferences. (No sign-up needed for the self-guided manufacturing tours.)
If you sign up for the Carson City and V&T Steam Tour, be sure to go to the "Company Store" page to purchase this extra-fare tour to complete your sign-up and add it to your registration package.
Not registered yet?
Then go to the "Registration" page and get on board!
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