The "V" in V&T. A southbound V&T Freight departs the little city on the hill that puts the "V" in V&T. This is the legendary Virginia City, once known as the "Richest Place on Earth" because it was ground zero for gold mining operations in Nevada's famous Comstock Lode. This place made a lot of millionaires and was the primary reason for the existence of the Virginia & Truckee Railway. Ore was mined and processed here and the V&T was how the product made it to market. Not only was this place an industrial center, but a lot of other businesses thrived here as well, including the kinds of places where miners liked to hang out, like saloons and brothels. When the mining business declined in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so did Virginia City. Fortunately, the place lives on as a tourist destination and National Historic Landmark. Many historic buildings and mining structures remain, and there is a lot to see here. Although the railroad left town in 1938, and the rails were lifted, it returned just 35 years later, when Bob Gray made it his passion to restore the V&T. With recent help from the State of Nevada, a significant portion of the V&T Virginia City Branch has been restored, and now operates as a tourist line. The railroad is headquartered on the very site of the old Virginia City Round House, where you see the string of yellow coaches, just to the right of the locomotive plume. Excursions operate out of the original, 1870-vintage V&T Depot, which is located on F-Street, about a block from the center of town.
