Tunnels to Virginia City - Part 2. A V&T Passenger Train from Carson City to Virginia City exits the west portal of Tunnel Number 2 on a sunny afternoon in February. Of the 6 tunnels that once existed on the original Virginia & Truckee Virginia City Branch, the longest was the one you see here. Located in the hills west of Silver City, this tunnel had a bore length of 568 feet. In the half century since the original line was dismantled in 1941, this tunnel had deteriorated significantly and there were some sections that had collapsed. After the Nevada State Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T managed to bridge the Overman Pit a few miles to the north, the re-opening of Tunnel #2 proved to be the next major obstacle to reaching Carson City. It took over several years worth of engineering study and some major construction effort to clear, stablize and shore up this tunnel, but when it was completed in 2007, it paved the way for track construction all the way to Mound House, where the line's current southern terminal is located.
