Antelope

Antelope is a siding between Floka and Jungo. On April 29, 1912, the boiler of WPRR Engine 49 exploded and claimed three lives. It was determined that the quality of the water at Trego was the cause.

Resources

• 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 Cholana 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. ...

• "Water was the cause of the explosion," Reno Evening Gazette, Monday, April 29, 1912, Page 2 "Company Will Probably Have to Stop Using Water from Tank at Trego."
• Nevada State Journal, "[1]," April 24, 1912. Description of the wreck.
• "Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen's Magazine, Volume 53," Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, 1912 - Locomotive firemen. "Lodge 792 FL Rouse Winnemucca Nev. Out here in Nevada we are fully alive to the great good being accomplished by our Brotherhood. Our members are working earnestly to advance the interests of our lodge and keep the men of our craft within its jurisdiction organized up to the one hundred per cent standard. We had a bad wreck between Winnemucca and Gerlach Nev on the Eastern Division of the Western Pacific RR on April 22d last. The boiler of engine No 49 exploded completely wrecking the engine and causing the death of Bro. Fred A Reader engineer, James Casey and head brakeman Cosby. Brother Reader was one of our best members on whom the firemen could count to show by example to the company for whom he worked the fruits of the Brotherhood's teachings. Brother Reader's seniority entitled him to a passenger run but he believing that the best school for an engineer was on a freight engine did not take his rights on the easier run. The pictures appearing with this letter were taken by myself while on wrecking train." Image caption: "LOCOMOTIVE BOILER EXPLOSION ON WPRR NEAR ANTELOPE STATION APRIL 22 1912 Showing position of firebox 622 feet from track "