V&T at the Depot

Martin E. Hansen Collection

A Virginia & Truckee train pulled by locomotive #26 is stopped at the depot in Carson City. The train is preparing to depart up Washington Street on its way to Reno. The front of the train is blocking Carson Street since the passenger cars are way at the back. The sliver of building seen on the left is the Safeway at the corner of Carson and Washington.

Date Uploaded: November 29, 2024

Permanent Link: http://wnhpc.com/details/fb9181188128566025

Contributor: Martin Hansen on Facebook

Source: Facebook: Martin Hansen

Source URL: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=9181188128566025&set=gm.405348625877959&idorvanity=188010054278485

Source Caption: We often forget that one of the trains that passed into the history books in the last 50+ years was that of the mixed-freight. Today this time honored railroad train can only be occasionally seen on chartered photo freights. Such was not always the case.

In the days of steam and for a short period after that, railroads on branch lines usually would find the advantage of mixing the few passengers they had with the fright loads so necessary to the lines survival. Thus was the era of the mixed-freight.

We see just such a train paused in the yards of Carson City, Nevada in the 1940's with a mixed freight bound for Reno behind Virginia & Truckee #26. Under the shade of the cottonwoods the crew for #26 is out of the cab possibly helping load the mail in the RPO near the end of the train as they prepare for their departure. We can only guess as to how many passengers are in the coach at the rear.

They have to hurry as they are blocking Virginia Avenue while stopped at the V&T depot to load the mail and passengers. Soon the crew will be back aboard and will whistle off to start the run of what soon would be lost tradition, that of a mixed freight.

Download Photo: JPG (163 KB)