Queen of the Short Lines......proclaims the crest on V&T Caboose 25, as her short freight makes its way across the Crown Point Fill, just prior to stopping at Gold Hill Station. The Virginia & Truckee most certainly stands as one of the most storied short line railroads in America. Finished in 1870, the V&T served the industries and the people of Nevada's Comstock Region for 80 years. The railroad became famous for good reasons beyond hauling the gold and silver. The railroad became famous in the published works of legendary rail photographers Beebe & Clegg. The operation also held onto and ran a lot of ancient equipment well into the first half of the 20th century. They held onto it just long enough for elements of our society to see some value in saving much of it. Many key locomotives and cars ended up with second lives in the movie industry and nearly all of those pieces survive today in museum because of that.
It should be noted that the V&T Caboose #25 that appears in this photo is a replica of sorts, refurbished for this charter by the railroad using one of several cabooses in its collection. The original V&T did indeed have a couple of cabooses with cupolas in its latter days, but both were drover-style pieces with cargo doors that could transport people or freight. Although this piece isn't particularly authentic, it is both colorful and eye-catching on the tail end of our photo freight.
