Feather River Shortline #8...and the new V&T...it's all a bit complicated. The operation of the new V&T is more complex than most tourist railroads these days. The Gray family has owned the trackage from Virginia City to Gold Hill since it was relaid in the 1970s. They also own locomotive #29 and all of the rolling stock. The State of Nevada is rebuilding the rest of the line and owns that ROW. They also own Locomotive #18 (former McCloud River Railroad). By agreement, the Gray Family operates the trains and maintains the equipment. Got all of that? So how does that relate to this little Prairie-type that greets train passengers as they pass Gold Hill Depot? This 1907 Baldwin made its living at a couple of lumber operations in California before it was retired in 1956. For the next 30+ years, it bounced around several small tourist operations in the region until a friendship between one of its operators and the Gray Family brought it to Nevada under a lease agreement. This locomotive then operated intermittently on the new V&T between Gold Hill and Virginia City, subbing for and sometimes doubleheading with the Gray's Locomotive #29. Eventually, key personnel associated with this engine passed on and the operating agreements dissolved. Although theoretically operable, the locomotive has not run on the V&T in several years. She is controlled by a group that is neither affiliated with the Grays or the State Commission that owns the rest of the line. For now, she sits in limbo, painted in charcoal primer and parked on an unballasted siding at Gold Hill, awaiting the next chapter in her saga.
