Nevada Short Line Railway
Encyclopedia
The Nevada Short Line Railway (Silver Belt Railroad) was a 12.6 mi (20.3 km) railroad that ran east from Oreana (also known as Nenzel) to the silver mining area of Rochester, Nevada
. The railway terminated near, but did not connect with, the Southern Pacfiic Railroad (SP) in Oreana due to the Nevada Short Line being narrow gauge and the SP being a standard gauge mainline. The railway intended to eventually transition to standard gauge but this never happened.
The railroad started in 1913 as a sole proprietorship
in 1913 and was incorporated
on April 24, 1914.
The line only operated for four years. In June 1918, the line was damaged by flooding and the line was abandoned on December 31, 1920.
at an elevation of 4158 ft (1,267.4 m) above sea level. The railroad continued east through the desert where it had to cross the western edge of the Humboldt Range
near Limerick Canyon. The railway had to climb to an altitude of 7200 ft (2,194.6 m) at Rochester. The steep terrain the necessitated the need for a switchback and a 6% grade.
Nevada Short Line No. 1 - Baldwin
-built narrow gauge
2-6-0
(Mogul Type) built in 1879 is on static display with a few cars and rests above all other trains on an elevated track at the California State Railroad Museum
in Sacramento
. The last time the locomotive was run was in 1939-40 for the Golden Gate International Exposition on daily re-enactments of the 1869 Golden Spike
ceremony. The locomotive was originally built for the Hobart Mills Company and was sold to the Nevada Short Line in August 1913.
The second engine "Francis," was a 2-truck Heisler locomotive built in 1899 for the Borate and Daggett Railroad
and was acquired by the NSL in 1916. It was sold to the Terry Lumber Company. It is not known if the engine has survived into preservation.
Rochester, Nevada
Rochester, Nevada, was a silver-mining town in Pershing County, Nevada, approximately east of Reno. It is now a ghost town. Lower Rochester is still available to visitors; Upper Rochester has been buried under mine tailings of the more recent Coeur Rochester open pit mine.-History:Rochester is...
. The railway terminated near, but did not connect with, the Southern Pacfiic Railroad (SP) in Oreana due to the Nevada Short Line being narrow gauge and the SP being a standard gauge mainline. The railway intended to eventually transition to standard gauge but this never happened.
The railroad started in 1913 as a sole proprietorship
Sole proprietorship
A sole proprietorship, also known as the sole trader or simply a proprietorship, is a type of business entity that is owned and run by one individual and in which there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. The owner receives all profits and has unlimited responsibility for...
in 1913 and was incorporated
Incorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
on April 24, 1914.
The line only operated for four years. In June 1918, the line was damaged by flooding and the line was abandoned on December 31, 1920.
Terrain and Route
The railway operated from Oreana (Nenzel) which was located along the east bank of the Humboldt RiverHumboldt River
The Humboldt River runs through northern Nevada in the western United States. At approximately long it is the second longest river in the Great Basin, after the Bear River. It has no outlet to the ocean, but instead empties into the Humboldt Sink...
at an elevation of 4158 ft (1,267.4 m) above sea level. The railroad continued east through the desert where it had to cross the western edge of the Humboldt Range
Humboldt Range
The Humboldt Range is a largely north-south running range of mountains in northwest Nevada, USA, that extend from the town of Imlay in the north to the junction with the West Humboldt Range in the south...
near Limerick Canyon. The railway had to climb to an altitude of 7200 ft (2,194.6 m) at Rochester. The steep terrain the necessitated the need for a switchback and a 6% grade.
Locomotives
The Nevada Short Line had two locomotives.Nevada Short Line No. 1 - Baldwin
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
-built narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
2-6-0
2-6-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle, usually in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This arrangement is commonly called a Mogul...
(Mogul Type) built in 1879 is on static display with a few cars and rests above all other trains on an elevated track at the California State Railroad Museum
California State Railroad Museum
The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, USA, interpreting the role of the "iron horse" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento at 111 I Street....
in Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
. The last time the locomotive was run was in 1939-40 for the Golden Gate International Exposition on daily re-enactments of the 1869 Golden Spike
Golden spike
The "Golden Spike" is the ceremonial final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the First Transcontinental Railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads on May 10, 1869, at Promontory Summit, Utah Territory...
ceremony. The locomotive was originally built for the Hobart Mills Company and was sold to the Nevada Short Line in August 1913.
The second engine "Francis," was a 2-truck Heisler locomotive built in 1899 for the Borate and Daggett Railroad
Borate and Daggett Railroad
The Borate and Daggett Railroad was a narrow gauge railroad built to carry borax in the Mojave Desert. The railroad ran about 11 miles from Daggett, California, USA to Borate, California, USA.-History:...
and was acquired by the NSL in 1916. It was sold to the Terry Lumber Company. It is not known if the engine has survived into preservation.