For this series we will follow Southern Pacific trackage from east of Reno, NV at Thisby to Winnemuca and then follow the paired trackage with the Western Pacific to Wells. We will chase a train across the salt flats near the Great Salt Lake and finally catch a couple double stack trains at a little outpost called Modena.

The Central Pacific (later SP) reached Reno in June 1868 and in just eleven months reached the Union Pacific line at Promontory. The site of the golden spike was bypassed when the SP completed the Lucin cutoff in 1904. From 1906 through the 20s, the SP added a second mainline over Donner Pass and to portions of the railroad in Nevada and Utah that had long grades. To further improve operations across Nevada, the SP and WP agreed to use their parallel trackage between Wells and Winnemucca as directional (WP eastbound - SP westbound) double track in August 1924. See the map below the links to get a better idea where we are going on the former Western Pacific.

All pictures in this series are on disks 28, 29 and 30. You can purchase a disk and printout any of the pictures for your own use to dress up your train room or add color to a house that just cries out for more train pictures.

Thisbe

Fernley

Hazen

Toy Siding

Lovelock

Rye Patch

Palisade Canyon

Carlin

Elko

Osino

Deeth

Wells

Wendover

Lake Point

Modena, Utah