Steamscape - Crown Point. The scene you are looking at is perhaps one of the least attractive, yet most historic on the V&T's Virginia City Line. It is the location of two structures that were very prominent in the history of the railroad, one of which still exists, and one of which is long gone. The abandoned mine located on the left side of this photo is the Crown Point Mine. It was one of the most prolific mines in all of the Comstock Region and one of the primary reasons for the very existence of the Virginia City Branch. Just to the right of that mine, you'll notice that the vegitation disappears, and the color of the embankment changes markedly. That's because the next 500 or so feet of that embankment are built on mine tailings. Before 1935, this entire filled area was a deep ravine, which was spanned by a spectacular, 85 foot-high, 350 foot-long, wooden trestle, known as Crown Point Trestle. For a photo of this historic structure click here. The Crown Point Trestle was a signature feature of the railway from 1869 until renewed mining activity in the 1930s led to its removal in 1937 and the creation of the fill you see now. No sooner was the fill completed and the tracks re-installed, when the V&T's business again declined and the rails were completely removed in 1941. Tracks for the present-day Virginia & Truckee tourist line were re-laid in as part of Phase 1 of the Nevada State reconstruction effort in 2005.
