Date of photo:
1948
Photographer:
Unknown
Source :
Virginia and Truckee Railroad 2010 Calendar
By the 1940s, the once-great "old Stone Fort" of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad was in rough shape. For over 70 years these shops housed the engines of the V&T. Built with 11 stalls, when it was new it was a hub of activity. But as the years went on the V&T took many of its engines out of services, either selling them off or keeping them in storage behind these doors. By the time of this photo, there were only 3 engines left on the roster. One of the, #26, peeks out of an open door in this picture. The yards are overgrown with weeds, some of the tracks probably haven't been used in decades, the bricks are stained with soot, and some of the chimneys have collapsed.
The railroad stopped operations in 1950, and the building was used for a while as an automotive shop. Then it sat empty and crumbled even further. Against the wishes of preservationists, it was torn down in 1991. Now only one of the giant stone blocks that made up its walls remains on the site.
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