Carson & Colorado Railroad -
The Carson and Colorado Railway was a U.S. 3 ft narrow gauge railroad that ran from Mound House, Nevada, to Keeler, California below the Cerro Gordo Mines. It was incorporated on May 10, 1880 as the Carson and Colorado Railroad, and construction on the railroad began on May 31, 1880. The 3 ft narrow gauge track was chosen to reduce cost. Much of the route now parallels U.S. Route 95 Alternate, U.S. Route 95, Nevada State Route 360, U.S. Route 6, and U.S. Route 395.
The Carson and Colorado began operations with a single Baldwin 4-4-0, the Candelaria. The first train arrived at Keeler on August 1, 1883. The 300-mile route reached an altitude of 7,100 feet in Montgomery Pass. The railroad served an arid area heavily dependent on mineral resources for economic activity. The line was reorganized as the Carson and Colorado Railway in 1892 to reduce accumulated debt.
From its inception, the Carson and Colorado was a hindrance to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, the parent company of the C&C, who sold the line to the Southern Pacific Company in 1900. Darius Ogden Mills (part owner) was once quoted saying "Either we built the line 300 miles too long, or 300 years too early!" Silver and gold discoveries at Tonopah, Nevada and Goldfield, Nevada provided a major boost of revenues shortly after the Southern Pacific purchase. From the time of the purchase until 1905, all of the C&C’s freight traveled over the V&T's trackage from Mound House to Reno, and vice versa. Because of the changeover from 3-foot narrow gauge to standard gauge cars, all the freight had to be handled by hand at Mound House, which caused a great bottleneck, especially after the mining booms of Tonopah and Goldfield. Southern Pacific proffered an offer to purchase the V&T, but the price was placed too high. As a result, the SP began constructing the Hazen cutoff, which circumvented the V&T entirely after it opened. The northern 140 miles from Mound House to Mina, Nevada was converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in standard gauge in 1905; and the remaining C&C was merged into the Southern Pacific's 3 ft narrow gauge subsidiary, the Nevada and California Railroad. The Nevada and California Railroad was reorganized into the Central Pacific Railroad in 1912. In the early 20th century, it operated under the name "Southern Pacific Keeler Branch". Portions of the line were abandoned in the 1930s and the 1940s, and the last narrow gauge common carrier made its final run on April 29, 1960. The rails were removed in January, 1961.
The former parent company, Virginia and Truckee Railroad, has been reconstructed from Virginia City to a station near Mound House. Passenger (tourist) service has been restored along much of the original V&T right of way, with investigations into returning service to Carson City again in the future.
Towns and railroad stations served by the C&C:
Mound House, Nevada (V&T Railroad to Carson City and Virginia City)
Dayton, Nevada
Fort Churchill, Nevada
Wabuska, Nevada (Copper Belt Railway to Yerington)
Lux, Nevada
Moquist, Nevada
Rio Vista, Nevada
Schurz, Nevada
Stuckey, Nevada
Copperhill, Nevada
Gillis, Nevada
Rand, Nevada
Magnus, Nevada
Walker, Nevada
Thorne, Nevada
Hawthorne, Nevada (branch to Cottonwood)
Cottonwood, Nevada (branch only)
Kinkead, Nevada
Luning, Nevada
New Boston, Nevada
Mina, Nevada
Sodaville, Nevada (Soda Springs)
Rhodes, Nevada
Tonopah Junction, Nevada
Belleville, Nevada
Filben, Nevada (spur to Candelaria)
Candelaria, Nevada (spur only)
Basalt, Nevada
Summit, Nevada (Mt. Montgomery)
Queen, Nevada
Benton, California
Hammill, California
Laws, California, Owensville
Zurich, California
Monola, California (formerly Alvord)
Kearsarge, California
Manzanar, California
Owenyo, California
Alico, California
Dolomite, California
Mock, California
Swansea, California
Keeler, California