Railroad

Gerlach was developed as a watering station for the Western Pacific Railroad (WPRR).

Western Pacific - Feather River Route

Crossings

Union Pacific Crossing Hotline: 1-800-848-8715

• SR447 = 833-409F
• dunes = 833-410A (rumored to have been closed)
• Frog = 833-411A
• Trego = 833-412N

Sidings

Sidings listed West to East.

1. Calneva, California
2. Flanigan
   1. Kepler - Defunct siding listed in the WPRR 1910 Timetable showing "Keppler" and as Kepler in the right|thumb|c. 1914 map of the W.P.R.R.
3. Sand Pass
   1. Bryant - not show in the WPRR 1910 Timetable, nor in the right|thumb|c. 1914 map of the W.P.R.R.
   2. Fresco - Defunct siding listed in the WPRR 1910 Timetable
4. Sano - 1954 Head on collision at Sano kills 1
5. Reynard - Location of a proposed but never built line to the Surprise Valley
6. Bronte
7. Phil
8. Gerlach
9. Ascalon
10. Trego
11. Cholona
12. Ronda
13. Sulphur
14. Floka - Fatal Train accident at Floka," 1970
15. Antelope - Location of boiler explosion that claimed three lives.
16. Jungo
17. Venado - listed in older maps
18. Gaskell
19. Pronto
20. Raglan
21. Krum
22. Marcus
23. Winnemucca

(Source: http://www.notyourdomain.com/oldwest/places/wprr.htm)

c. 1914 map of the W.P.R.R. showing sidings

• See Western Pacific Mile Post Detail (1965 - 1974) for historical mileposts and lengths of sidings.

• Reno, Washoe Cty, Nevada 1920-21 City Directory Page 232 lists "Kepler, A station on W P Ry 2 miles west of Sandpass, the express and telegraph station and 46 miles west of Gerlach.

Hazards

Train Safety Warning at Black Rock Desert

http://ian.kluft.com/blackrock/DeadTruck.jpg

Virginia & Tonopah #13

The Virgina & Tonopah #13 was used between Gerlach and Empire from 1924 until 1931

• V&T Locomotive #13 "Empire" (Nevada State Railroad Museum)

... The locomotive was placed in storage and retired in 1918 because of declining business on the V&T. It was sold in 1924 to the Pacific Portland Cement Company of Gerlach, Nevada where it saw service as PPC Co. switcher No. 501 until 1931. In 1938 the Empire was donated to the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. There it remained until 1966 when it underwent a cosmetic restoration at Bethlehem Steel Corporation's San Francisco shipbuilding yards. ...

• V&T Locomotive #13 (California State Railroad Museum)
• Ocean Shore Steam Locomotive Roster (cable-car-guy.com)

5 2-6-0 18x24 48" 124000 Baldwin 1908 Purchased new. Sold to Pacific Portland Cement Company as No. 2 in 1920; Operated at Pacific Portland Cement (PPC) plant, San Juan Bautista, 1927-1929, as No. 5; Operated at PPC plant Gerlach, Nevada as No. 5.

• 0-6-0 Baldwin cn32607 Jan. 1908, 1946 Sold to Pacific Portland Cement #1, Gerlack NV Scrapped 1951 and 0-6-0 Baldwin cn57209 Sept. 1923 1946 Sold to Pacific Portland Cement #10, Gerlach NV Scrapped 1951
• Roy D. Graves Pictorial Collection, Volume 92: Virginia and Truckee Railroad ":44 The Virginia and Truckee No. 13, the Empire, 2-6-0 type.] [Built by] Baldwin, 1873. 35 tons; 48 16/24; Cost $15,250. No. changed to 15 in 1881. Sold to Pacific Portland Cement Co. Number changed to 501. Taken at Gerlach, Nevada in 1925." (Description only)

Gerlach Train Station

• Fire destroys Gerlach shops WPRR Humb. Star, Oct 30, 1914
• "The Iron Age, Volume 94, Issues 14-27," p. 1162, "The Western Pacific Railway Company' shop and roundhouse were destroyed by fire on October 30. W.T. Jacobs, Mills Building, San Francisco, is purchasing agent."
• wprr to put up new roundhouse in Gerlach to replace the one that burned Reno Evening Gazette July 14, 1915
• Two story tall station in Nevada Historical Society wa06250 from the 1920s, see Christopher Brooks, "Black Rock Desert, p. 68, 2013.
• Nevada Historical Society WA0904 Gerlach Depot, 1940's. Blurry. Christopher Brooks has a copy.
• The California Zephyr stopped on its last run photo 1973?
• WP & US Gypsum at Gerlach, Nevada Spring 1974. Pictures of the station and the USG 101 engine.
• National Geographic Special says that trains no longer stop.
• photo of historical marker with station
• 2010 Photo
• Roy D. Graves Pictorial Collection, Volume 94: Western Pacific Railroad -- Stations and Scenes -- Sacramento Northern Description of other WPRR images.
  • :168 Gerlach station. Western Pacific Railroad. (Description only)

GE 70 Ton #101 and #501

The US Gypsum plant at Empire used two GE 70 Ton switchers (Holmes).

• #501 was built in 1954
• Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Volume 1, p 337 By David F. Myrick
• WP & US Gypsum at Gerlach, Nevada, Spring 1974 #101
• Discussion about #101 and #501
• #501 from 1999
• "US Gypsum GE 70T III-B3 #501, Gerlach NV 2004, blt 1954 cn32204, John A McCulloch
• Norman W. Holmes, "United States Gypsum Railroad at Gerlach, Nevada," Western Pacific Headlight, Issue #26, Spring 2005. Excellent information and photos of USG engines at Empire.

California Zephyr

The California Zephyr passed through Gerlach.

• Photos of the 1955 Derailment of the California Zephyr near Sulphur.
• Photo of the Last California Zephyr thru Gerlach, 1973?
• Photo of the last California Zephyr: Early morning in Gerlach NV. Left to right is the WP station agent, waitress from the local restaurant, and the engineer and fireman for the last westbound Zephyr.

Derailments

• One derailment resulted in Folger's Coffee and Pendelton Shirts being distributed far and wide amongst the locals.
• In 1968, fourteen cars derailed in the Gerlach freight yard.

Original Resources

• First public timetable of the Western Pacific Railway, 1910. "Through passenger service between San Francisco and Salt Lake City began August 22, 1910. This timetable includes schedules, a map, travel information, Pullman sleeping car rates, and a list of WP officers and agents. The California State Railroad Museum Library has an extensive collection of public timetables. Please inquire as to specific holdings."
  • Full text at archive.org, including a map with "Keppler"
• Library of Congress. Copyright Office, "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. B Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series," p 105, 1912. "Map of the Denver and Rio Grande system and the Western Pacific railway and connections Size 22 by 27i inches 2501 July 7 1911 2 c Jan 15 1912 F 22219 FA Wadleigh Denver"
  • This is almost certainly ca. 1914 Map of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad and Western Pacific Railroad. It has the same title "Map of the Denver and Rio Grande system and the Western Pacific railway and connections" The map has 6-12'14 in the lower corner, and "Poole Bros. Chicago" near the title block.
  • "Poor's Directory of Railway Officials and Manual of American Street Railways," 1890 lists a "Asst. Gen. P. & Tkt. Agt. F. A. Wadleigh Denver Col" for the "Denver and Rio Grande RR"
  • "Report Colorado. State Railroad Commission," 1913 lists "FA Wadleigh General Passenger Agent Denver"
• Library of Congress. Copyright Office, "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. B Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series," p. 56, 1913. "Western Pacific railway San Francisco Steel rails on the old trails 31 p front map Svo 1384 Jan 3 1913 2 c Jan 9 1913 A 331802"
  • Full Text at the Hathi Trust
• Library of Congress. Copyright Office, "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. B Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series," p. 153, 1913. "Western Pacific railway San Francisco Riviera of the golden west 43 p 12mo 3832 Jan 27 1913 2 c Feb 8 1913 A 334237"
  • The Lodi Sentinel, "State's Beauties Told in Booklet," Feb 22, 1913. Description of the pamphlet that states it is about California.
• Library of Congress. Copyright Office, "Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. B Group 2. Pamphlets, Etc. New Series," p. 11191, 1913. "Western Pacific railway co San Francisco Finned furred and feathered game Season 1913 120 p illus map Svo folded to imr 8vo 111191 May 16 1913 2 c May 19 1013 A 348147"
  • Full text at archive.org
• Homes and Investments for the Homeseeker along the Western Pacific," Original measurements: 1 brochure (4 p.); 9 x 24-1/2 in. sheet; 9 x 4 in. folded, 1915.
  • Full Text at Archive.org
• An Inventory of the Records of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad
• Julian Street, "Abroad at Home: American Ramblings, Observations and Adventures of Julian Street," p. 470, 1915. "One thing the Western Pacific Railroad does that every railroad should do It publishes a pamphlet containing a relief map of its system and a paragraph or two about every station on the line giving the history of the place if it has any telling the altitude the distance from terminal points and how the town got its name. ... Bronte in the same State for Charlotte Bronte;..."
  • See Western Pacific Time Tables 1914-1915 Winter Hard to read
  • Descriptive Time Tables, Denver and Rio Grande - Western Pacific, Winter 1914-1915 (local page for this reference)
• As Seen from the Train," 16p., 1920's?
  • Full Text at wplives.

Links

• Nevada Heritage -- May 1907: Construction began on the Western Pacific Railroad, third and last transcontinental rail line to cross Nevada. The Western Pacific Railroad Company, incorporated in 1903, planned to link Salt Lake City and Oakland, California, along the route of the National Wagon Road of 1856. The railroad was completed in 1909; crossed Sierra Nevada Mountains at Beckwourth Pass.
• www.wplives.com/operations/divisions Western Pacific divisions
• http://www.scripophily.net/weparaco19.html
• Western Pacific Railroad Historical Society
  • Links
• Roy D. Graves Pictorial Collection, Volume 94: Western Pacific Railroad -- Stations and Scenes -- Sacramento Northern
  • :169 Trego station. Western Pacific Railroad. (Description only) Description of other WPRR images.
  • :168 Gerlach station. Western Pacific Railroad. (Description only)
• http://www.trainweb.org/chris/Trip_PacificLimited.html -- (w/ pictures, July 1992) ... Following a great show by the 3985 we continued west snaking our way to Antelope. We turned northwest across the barren desert to Floka were we made a curve by Pulpit Rock to Sulphur. We passed there siding at Ronda before we got stopped by a red signal just east of Cholona with the Pahsupp Mountains to the south. A call went out to the dispatcher who was having trouble clearing the signal. Telling the crew it might be ten minutes or more, they asked if they could do a photo runby while they waited. ... A positive answer was given, we all detrained, the 3985 backed before charging by us staying in the red block. As soon as we were all back on the train, the signal turned green and off we went west. We passed the Trejo Hot Spring prior to Trejo then ran along the edge of the Black Rock Desert before we arrived at our servicing stop at Gerlach. We Granite Point to the north we left Gerlach heading across the valley before we turned to the northwest to Phil where we rounded the north end of the Fox Range. Here we entered the Smoke Creek Desert as we ran southwest to Reynard before turning south to Sano. From here we climbed the grade to Sand Pass. we pulled down to the curve to turn west where we stopped for our third runby of the day. It was well over the hundred degree mark as we detrained and all climbed up a steep slope to stand for the runby which just also happened to be the location of one of the largest rattlesnake dens in the world. There were holes everywhere but with the heat we hoped that we would not meet any of those creatures. ... The train backed far around the curve and with the Smoke Creek Desert in the background came charging and smoking around the curve below. It was one of the most impressive locations for a runby ever and as we all walked back down to the train everyone was talking about how great that runby was. ...