Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was a 197.9 mile railroad built by William A. Clark that ran northwest from a connection with the mainline of the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas, Nevada
to the gold mines at Goldfield. The SPLA&SL railroad later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad
and serves as their mainline between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
In April 1905, Clark made a verbal agreement with Francis Marion Smith
that Smith could build a rail line to his borax
operations at Lila C connecting with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas. After Smith's men had already graded 12 miles for tracks, his workers received a no trespassing order that they were not allowed to connect with Clark's rail. Clark had apparently changed his mind, and subsequently, he laid his own rail on the line graded by Smith's men. In response, Smith started his own competing railroad, the Tonopah and Tidewater
to the Goldfield boomotowns in direct competition with Clark.
The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was incorporated
on September 22, 1905. On March 1, 1906, the track was completed between Las Vegas and Indian Springs
. By June 30, 1906, the line was over 50% completed (100 miles (160.9 km)), reaching Rose's Well. In December 1906 the tracks reached Rhyolite
. Finally, in November 1907 the entire 198 miles (318.6 km) line was in operation between Las Vegas and Goldfield.
The northern end of the line (Beatty
- Goldfield) was only in operation from 1908 - 1914. That 80 miles (128.7 km) of track was removed during World War I
. The Las Vegas & Tonopah continued to serve the Bullfrog Mining District at Beatty until 1917/1918. By 1919, the remaining 110 miles (177 km) of track was abandoned and scrapped.
The railroad had 3 passenger cars. One of them, a Harriman type chair car #30, was built in 1907 by the Pullman Company
, is awaiting restoration at the Nevada State Railroad Museum
.
The LV&T depot at Rhyolite still remains. It was constructed in 1909 at a cost of $130,000.
and Consolidation (2-8-0
) type locomotives, primarily manufactured by Brooks
and Baldwin Locomotive Works
. The railroad's first four locomotives were purchased in used condition. The railroad would later purchase 12 additional new locomotives. Upon abandonment of the railroad in 1917/1918, these locomotives were sold to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad
, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
and the San Diego and Arizona Railway
.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to the gold mines at Goldfield. The SPLA&SL railroad later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
and serves as their mainline between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.
In April 1905, Clark made a verbal agreement with Francis Marion Smith
Francis Marion Smith
Francis Marion Smith was an American miner, business magnate and civic builder in the Mojave Desert, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Oakland, California.Frank Smith created the extensive interurban public transit Key System in Oakland, the East Bay,...
that Smith could build a rail line to his borax
Borax
Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...
operations at Lila C connecting with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas. After Smith's men had already graded 12 miles for tracks, his workers received a no trespassing order that they were not allowed to connect with Clark's rail. Clark had apparently changed his mind, and subsequently, he laid his own rail on the line graded by Smith's men. In response, Smith started his own competing railroad, the Tonopah and Tidewater
Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, the T&T, was a class II railroad extending through remote reaches of the Mojave Desert from the Santa Fe Railway railhead at Ludlow, California, through Death Valley and Amargosa Valley, terminating at the Mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield in the Great Basin...
to the Goldfield boomotowns in direct competition with Clark.
The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
on September 22, 1905. On March 1, 1906, the track was completed between Las Vegas and Indian Springs
Indian Springs, Nevada
Indian Springs is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,302 at the 2000 census.-History:Indian Springs is named for the artesian spring that provides the area with water...
. By June 30, 1906, the line was over 50% completed (100 miles (160.9 km)), reaching Rose's Well. In December 1906 the tracks reached Rhyolite
Rhyolite, Nevada
Rhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Bullfrog Hills, about northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding...
. Finally, in November 1907 the entire 198 miles (318.6 km) line was in operation between Las Vegas and Goldfield.
The northern end of the line (Beatty
Beatty, Nevada
Beatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
- Goldfield) was only in operation from 1908 - 1914. That 80 miles (128.7 km) of track was removed during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The Las Vegas & Tonopah continued to serve the Bullfrog Mining District at Beatty until 1917/1918. By 1919, the remaining 110 miles (177 km) of track was abandoned and scrapped.
Operations
In 1906, the 118 miles (189.9 km) trip from Las Vegas to Beatty took 6 hours. Trains operated daily until February 1, 1917, and then became tri-weekly until abandonement.The railroad had 3 passenger cars. One of them, a Harriman type chair car #30, was built in 1907 by the Pullman Company
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
, is awaiting restoration at the Nevada State Railroad Museum
Nevada State Railroad Museum
Nevada Southern Railway is a railroad museum in Boulder City, Nevada operated by the Nevada State Railroad Museum which is an agency of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs....
.
The LV&T depot at Rhyolite still remains. It was constructed in 1909 at a cost of $130,000.
Locomotives
The railroad primarily used "Ten Wheeler" 4-6-04-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
and Consolidation (2-8-0
2-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
) type locomotives, primarily manufactured by Brooks
Brooks Locomotive Works
The Brooks Locomotive Works manufactured steam railroad locomotives and freight cars from 1869 through its merger into the American Locomotive Company until 1934.-History:...
and Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The 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...
. The railroad's first four locomotives were purchased in used condition. The railroad would later purchase 12 additional new locomotives. Upon abandonment of the railroad in 1917/1918, these locomotives were sold to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad
Northwestern Pacific Railroad
The Northwestern Pacific Railroad is a regional railroad serving California's North Coast. The railroad currently runs on 62 miles of the 462 mile main line, stretching from Schellville, California to Eureka, California...
, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities, via Las Vegas, Nevada. Incorporated in Utah in 1901 as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, the line was largely the brainchild of William Andrews Clark,...
and the San Diego and Arizona Railway
San Diego and Arizona Railway
The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a short line American railroad founded by "sugar heir," developer, and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by many engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved...
.
Route
- Las VegasLas Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
MP 0.0 - Tule
- Corn Creek
- Owens
- Indian SpringsIndian Springs, NevadaIndian Springs is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 1,302 at the 2000 census.-History:Indian Springs is named for the artesian spring that provides the area with water...
MP 43.0 - Charleston, possibly named after nearby Mount Charleston, 4th highest peak in Nevada
- AmargosaAmargosa Valley, NevadaAmargosa Valley is an unincorporated community in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada.-Description:The community is named for the Amargosa River which flows through the valley from its origination in Nevada to its terminus in Death Valley, California...
MP 74.0 - Canon
- Rosewell (Rose's Well) MP 100.0
- Chloride
- BeattyBeatty, NevadaBeatty is a census-designated place along the Amargosa River in Nye County in the U.S. state of Nevada. U.S. Route 95 runs through the CDP, which lies between Tonopah, about to the north, and Las Vegas, about to the southeast. State Route 374 connects Beatty to Death Valley National Park, about ...
MP 118.4 - RhyoliteRhyolite, NevadaRhyolite is a ghost town in Nye County, in the U.S. state of Nevada. It is located in the Bullfrog Hills, about northwest of Las Vegas, near the eastern edge of Death Valley. The town began in early 1905 as one of several mining camps that sprang up after a prospecting discovery in the surrounding...
MP 123.4 with Branch to Montgomery-Shoshone Mine - Original
- Mud Springs
- Midway
- Bonnie Claire
- Wagner
- Stonewall
- Ralston, possibly named after Ralston Valley
- Red Rock
- Milltown
- Columbia
- GoldfieldGoldfield, NevadaGoldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
MP 196.9