Narrow Gauge Railroads of Nevada
Common Carrier Railroads
No Listings.
Logging Railroads.
Lake Tahoe Narrow Gauge Railroad.
36in Gauge. Built by the Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. to supply lumber to the booming Comstock Lode. Timber was hauled down to the mill at Glenbrook and finished hauled lumber back up the ridge to Spooner Summit where it traveled by flume to their wood yard in Carson City. When the timber lands began to diminish, D. L. Bliss moved the operation to Tahoe City to construct the Lake Tahoe Railway & Transportation Co.
Glenbrook to Spooner Summit, Ormsby County. 1875 - 1899
Sierra Nevada Wood & Lumber Company: Crystal Bay.
36in Gauge. Started by Walter Hobart and Seneca "Sam" Marlette to supply timber for the Comstock Lode. In 1875 a larger mill and incline was constructed to make use of the flume system and ship lumber to Lakeview on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. The company constructed a railroad in 1879 connecting the new mill with the woods and later Sand Harbor. When the timber supply began to dwindle in the 1890s, the operation moved to Hobart Mills north of Truckee.
Incline (Village) to Woods, later to Sand Harbor, Washoe County. 1878 - 1896
Mining Railroads.
Cortez Mining Company.
30in Gauge.
Near Tenabo Eureka County. 1890 - ca. 1930
Dayton Sutro & Carson Valley Railroad.
36in Gauge. Initially constructed as the Lyon Mill & Mining Company, J.M. Douglas purchased the line from Fred Birdsall who had become interested in the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada in California. The line operated a single locomotive, a Porter 0-4-2 named "Joe Douglas" until some time in the 1890's when operations ended, the exact date currently unknown.
Dayton, Lyon County. 1881 - ca. 1900
Eureka Mill Railroad.
30in Gauge. Short by even shortline standards, this line was built by the Union Mill Compnay in 1872 due their Eureka Mill being in a location unreachable by the Virginia & Truckee along the Carson River. Initially horse drawn, a Porter 0-4-0T was purchased later. The mill burned down in 1892, leaving the railroad abandoned. Sometime after 1906 the equipment was sold.
Santiago Canyon (V&T) to Eureka Mill. 1872 - 1906
Eureka & Ruby Hill Railroad.
36in Gauge. Constructed to connect the Eureka Consolidated Mines with their smelter operations in Eureka, in 1875 the line was purchased by the Eureka & Palisade Railroad. Under E&P control, trackage was expanded to the Richmond Consolidated Mine and associated Smelter. In 1893 operations were abandoned after the mines shut down. In 1902 operations resumed on a smaller scale until the flood which wiped out much of the E&P in 1910.
Eureka to Ruby Hill, Eureka County. 1874 - 1893 and 1902 - 1910
Lyon Mining & Milling Company.
36in Gauge. Initially constructed as the Lyon Mill & Mining Company, J.M. Douglas purchased the line from Fred Birdsall who had become interested in the San Joaquin & Sierra Nevada in California. The line operated a single locomotive, a Porter 0-4-2 named "Joe Douglas" until some time in the 1890's when operations ended, the exact date currently unknown.
Dayton (C&C) to Rock Point Mill (Dayton, NV). 1881 - ca. 1900
Pacific Tungsten Company.
24in Gauge.
Mill City, Pershing County. 1918 - 1947
Quartette Mining Company.
36in Gauge.Hauled gold ore from the Quartette mine near Searchlight to their stamp mill 16 miles away on the Colorado river. Discovery of a water source close to the mine lead to the construction of a new mill near the mine in 1906. Operations ceased on the railroad shortly thereafter, the remaining equipment and rails were sold between 1910 and 1915.
Searchlight, Clark County. 1902 - 1908
United Clay Products
36in Gauge.
Near Death Valley Jct Nye County. 1927 - ca. 1931, Standard gauge 1931-1940
Yellow Pine Mining Company.
36in Gauge.Constructed to tap lead and manganese deposits west of Jean. The railroad hauled ore from the mines down steep grades to the smelter in Goodsprings for processing. The final product was then shipped down to Jean for transloading on the Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad (now Union Pacific). Ore shipments ceased by 1930 and the railroad was scrapped in 1934.
Jean to Goodsprings, Clark County. 1911 - 1934
Industrial Railroads.
Sutro Tunnel Company.
18in Gauge.
Near Dayton, Lyon County. 1865 - ca. 1890