Nevada Central Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Nevada Central Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad, completed in 1880 between Battle Mountain
and Austin
, Nevada
. The railroad was constructed to connect Austin, the center of a rich silver
mining area, with the transcontinental railroad
at Battle Mountain.
However, by the time that the line was finished, the boom was almost over. Major silver production ended by 1887, although there was a slight revival later.
reputedly triggered by a Pony Express
rider, William Talcott whose horse kicked over a rock. By summer 1863, Austin and the surrounding Reese River Mining District had a population of over 10,000, and it became the county seat
of Lander County. In 1871 the Manhattan Silver Mining Company had consolidated most of the claims. The company grew to have a lot of influence in the area and its secretary M..J. Farrell was the state senator for Lander County. Farrell set out to fix the lack of a railroad with a controversial project, approved only after a bitter debate in the 1874 legislature, overriding the Governor’s veto. The legislature authorized Lander County in 1875 to grant a $200,000 of its bonds as a subsidy to build a railroad, a time limit of five years was set to finish the project.
The Nevada Central Railroad wasn’t even started until 4 ½ years later, Anson Phelps Stokes
the grandson of the founder of the Phelps Dodge Corporation and a partner in the mining company came to town. With Stokes involved he brought in General James H. Ledlie
, a former Union officer in the Civil War. The crews went to work desperately, only to bring the line within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the Austin town limits with less than a day left before the deadline. An emergency meeting of the Austin Town Board extended the town limits by two miles and the last rails were laid just minutes before the deadline. The line from Battle Mountain to Austin was 92 miles (148.1 km). Nevada Central was only profitable as long as the mines at Austin were operating at full capacity. By the middle 1930's most of the mines that generated traffic at Battle Mountain were shut down and boarded up and the NCRR had passed into receivership for the last time in 1938.
North Pacific Coast Railroad No. 12 Sonoma (From California Railroad Museum Website)
The Sonoma is one of three locomotives built in 1876 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for the narrow-gauge North Pacific Coast Railroad. Although documentation of its early service-life is scarce (there are no photographs showing the Sonoma in service on the North Pacific Coast, for example), the engine is believed to have initially pulled both passenger and freight trains along NPC's eighty-mile line between Sausalito and Duncans Mills.
The railroad always faced financial difficulties and by the end of 1879, for specific reasons unknown, the Sonoma was sold to the Nevada Central Railroad. The Nevada Central ran a narrow-gauge line connecting Austin, then Nevada's second largest city, with the Central Pacific Railroad at Battle Mountain.
Nevada Central renamed the locomotive General J. H. Ledlie and renumbered it NC No. 5. It performed mixed duty as a yard, construction, and road engine. When the bankrupt company was abandoned in 1938, the engine was still in service. Acquired by Nevada Central General Manager J. M. Hiskey, the 4-4-0 was loaned to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Pacific Coast Chapter.
On December 15, 1938 the Sonoma was taken to the Southern Pacific shops in Berkeley, where it was extensively repaired and restored to an "old-time" appearance. By February 18, 1939, the Sonoma had been outfitted to resemble Central Pacific's No. 60 Jupiter for its appearance in the re-enactment of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, part of the daily performance of Cavalcade of the Golden West at the Golden Gate International Exposition, on San Francisco's Treasure Island. The following year the Sonoma participated in the Exposition's revised presentation "America! Cavalcade of a Nation."
In October 1940 the Sonoma completed its service on Treasure Island and was placed in storage in the San Francisco Bay Area where it remained until moved to the California State Railroad Museum in 1977. The engine was donated to the Museum in 1978 by the J. M. Hiskey family.
The Sonoma has been restored to its as-built appearance, utilizing Baldwin drawings and specifications. It pulls a narrow-gauge passenger train in the Museum's Great Hall.
Battle Mountain, Nevada
Battle Mountain is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lander County, Nevada, United States. The population was 2,871 at the 2000 census. Though it has no legal status as a municipality, it still functions as the county seat of Lander County...
and Austin
Austin, Nevada
Austin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada, in the United States. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of . U.S...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The railroad was constructed to connect Austin, the center of a rich silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining area, with the transcontinental railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
at Battle Mountain.
However, by the time that the line was finished, the boom was almost over. Major silver production ended by 1887, although there was a slight revival later.
History
Austin was founded in 1862, as part of a silver rushSilver rush
A Silver rush is the silver-mining equivalent of a gold rush.Notable silver rushes have taken place in Mexico, Argentina, the United States , and Canada...
reputedly triggered by a Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
rider, William Talcott whose horse kicked over a rock. By summer 1863, Austin and the surrounding Reese River Mining District had a population of over 10,000, and it became the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Lander County. In 1871 the Manhattan Silver Mining Company had consolidated most of the claims. The company grew to have a lot of influence in the area and its secretary M..J. Farrell was the state senator for Lander County. Farrell set out to fix the lack of a railroad with a controversial project, approved only after a bitter debate in the 1874 legislature, overriding the Governor’s veto. The legislature authorized Lander County in 1875 to grant a $200,000 of its bonds as a subsidy to build a railroad, a time limit of five years was set to finish the project.
The Nevada Central Railroad wasn’t even started until 4 ½ years later, Anson Phelps Stokes
Anson Phelps Stokes
For other men with the same name, see Anson Phelps Stokes Anson Phelps Stokes was a merchant, banker, publicist, philanthropist, and became a multimillionaire. Born in New York City, he was the son of James Boulter and Caroline Stokes; brother of William Earl Dodge Stokes and Olivia Eggleston...
the grandson of the founder of the Phelps Dodge Corporation and a partner in the mining company came to town. With Stokes involved he brought in General James H. Ledlie
James H. Ledlie
James Hewett Ledlie was a civil engineer for American railroads and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known for his dereliction of duty at the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg.-Early life:Ledlie was born in Utica, New York...
, a former Union officer in the Civil War. The crews went to work desperately, only to bring the line within 2 miles (3.2 km) of the Austin town limits with less than a day left before the deadline. An emergency meeting of the Austin Town Board extended the town limits by two miles and the last rails were laid just minutes before the deadline. The line from Battle Mountain to Austin was 92 miles (148.1 km). Nevada Central was only profitable as long as the mines at Austin were operating at full capacity. By the middle 1930's most of the mines that generated traffic at Battle Mountain were shut down and boarded up and the NCRR had passed into receivership for the last time in 1938.
Remaining Equipment
- The Emma Nevada once named "Sidney Dillon" numbered 2 is an 1881 Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
2-6-0 "Mogul" narrow gauge steam locomotive purchased by DisneyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
animator Ward KimballWard KimballWard Walrath Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as Disney's Nine Old Men.-Career:...
and his wife Betty for their backyard "Grizzly Flats RailroadGrizzly Flats RailroadThe Grizzly Flats Railroad was a long narrow gauge railroad in San Gabriel, California, owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball. It was the first full-sized backyard railroad in the United States and was operated from 1942 to 2006.-History:...
" in 1938. Originally built for the short-line Nevada Central Railway connecting Battle MountainBattle Mountain, NevadaBattle Mountain is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lander County, Nevada, United States. The population was 2,871 at the 2000 census. Though it has no legal status as a municipality, it still functions as the county seat of Lander County...
with AustinAustin, NevadaAustin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada, in the United States. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of . U.S...
, the beautifully restored locomotive features Kimball's own artwork on the cab and headlight and was finally fired up in 1942. Complaints of Kimball's neighbors because of the coal smoke forced Kimball to sideline the locomotive in 1951 and operated his railroad with a small 0-4-2T locomotive. Kimball, one of the Orange Empire Railway MuseumOrange Empire Railway MuseumThe Orange Empire Railway Museum , 2201 South "A" Street, Perris, California, is a railroad museum founded in 1956 at the Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum." The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds.-Background:The collection focuses on Southern...
's founders, donated the locomotive to the museum and it can be seen today in the museum's "Grizzly Flats" car barn.
North Pacific Coast Railroad No. 12 Sonoma (From California Railroad Museum Website)
The Sonoma is one of three locomotives built in 1876 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Philadelphia for the narrow-gauge North Pacific Coast Railroad. Although documentation of its early service-life is scarce (there are no photographs showing the Sonoma in service on the North Pacific Coast, for example), the engine is believed to have initially pulled both passenger and freight trains along NPC's eighty-mile line between Sausalito and Duncans Mills.
The railroad always faced financial difficulties and by the end of 1879, for specific reasons unknown, the Sonoma was sold to the Nevada Central Railroad. The Nevada Central ran a narrow-gauge line connecting Austin, then Nevada's second largest city, with the Central Pacific Railroad at Battle Mountain.
Nevada Central renamed the locomotive General J. H. Ledlie and renumbered it NC No. 5. It performed mixed duty as a yard, construction, and road engine. When the bankrupt company was abandoned in 1938, the engine was still in service. Acquired by Nevada Central General Manager J. M. Hiskey, the 4-4-0 was loaned to the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society's Pacific Coast Chapter.
On December 15, 1938 the Sonoma was taken to the Southern Pacific shops in Berkeley, where it was extensively repaired and restored to an "old-time" appearance. By February 18, 1939, the Sonoma had been outfitted to resemble Central Pacific's No. 60 Jupiter for its appearance in the re-enactment of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, part of the daily performance of Cavalcade of the Golden West at the Golden Gate International Exposition, on San Francisco's Treasure Island. The following year the Sonoma participated in the Exposition's revised presentation "America! Cavalcade of a Nation."
In October 1940 the Sonoma completed its service on Treasure Island and was placed in storage in the San Francisco Bay Area where it remained until moved to the California State Railroad Museum in 1977. The engine was donated to the Museum in 1978 by the J. M. Hiskey family.
The Sonoma has been restored to its as-built appearance, utilizing Baldwin drawings and specifications. It pulls a narrow-gauge passenger train in the Museum's Great Hall.