LAS VEGAS AND TONOPAH RAILROAD

The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was a 197.9-mile (318.5 km) railroad built by William A. Clark that ran northwest from a connection with the mainline of the San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas, Nevada to the gold mines at Goldfield. The SPLA&SL railroad later became part of the Union Pacific Railroad and serves as their mainline between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Rhyolite railroad station (July 2006).

(Imdx80 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons)

History

In April 1905, Clark made a verbal agreement with Francis Marion Smith that Smith could build a rail line to his borax operations at Lila C connecting with the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad at Las Vegas. After Smith's men had already graded 12 miles (19 km) for tracks, his workers received a no-trespassing order that they were not allowed to connect with Clark's rail. Clark had apparently changed his mind, and subsequently, he laid his own rail on the line graded by Smith's men. In response, Smith started his own competing railroad, the Tonopah and Tidewater to the Goldfield boomtowns in direct competition with Clark.

The Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad was incorporated on September 22, 1905. On March 1, 1906, the track was completed between Las Vegas and Indian Springs. By June 30, 1906, the line was over 50% completed (100 miles or 160 km), reaching Rose's Well. In December 1906 the tracks reached Rhyolite. Finally, in November 1907 the entire 198-mile (319 km) line was in operation between Las Vegas and Goldfield.

The northern end of the line (Beatty - Goldfield) was only in operation from 1908 - 1914. That 80 miles (130 km) of track was removed during World War I. The Las Vegas & Tonopah continued to serve the Bullfrog Mining District at Beatty until 1917/1918. By 1919, the remaining 110 miles (180 km) of track was abandoned and scrapped.

Map of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad.

(Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, Library of Congress, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Operations

In 1906 the 118-mile (190 km) trip from Las Vegas to Beatty took 6 hours. Trains operated daily until February 1, 1917, and then became tri-weekly until abandonment.

The LV&T depot at Rhyolite still remains. It was constructed in 1909 at a cost of $130,000 (equivalent to $1,017,333 in 2023).

1910 train schedule.

(Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Las Vegas and Tonopah 1910 timetable.

(Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Locomotives

The railroad primarily used "Ten Wheeler" 4-6-0 and Consolidation (2-8-0) type locomotives, primarily manufactured by Brooks and Baldwin Locomotive Works. The railroad's first four locomotives were purchased in used condition. The railroad would later purchase 12 additional new locomotives. Upon abandonment of the railroad in 1917/1918, these locomotives were sold to the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, and the San Diego and Arizona Railway.

When the LV&T merged with the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad in 1914, it also acquired its 6 steam locomotives, involving two 0-6-0 switcher locomotives, two 4-6-0 passenger locomotives, and two 2-8-0 freight locomotives.

No.	Type	Builder	SN	Built	Disposition	Notes
1	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	11867	5/1891	Sold in 1920 to Outer Harbor Terminal Railway No. 2	Purchased from Los Angeles & Salt Lake No. 50 in 1906.
2	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	12204	9/1891	Sold in 1909 to Nevada Copper Belt No. 1	Purchased from Los Angeles & Salt Lake No. 51 in 1906.
3	0-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	29712	11/1906	Sold in 1910 to Ludlow & Southern No. 3	Purchased from Bullfrog Goldfield No. 3 in 1907.
4	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	30105	2/1907	Sold in 1918 to Northwestern Pacific No. 170
5	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	30106	2/1907	Sold in 1918 to Northwestern Pacific No. 171
6	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	30107	2/1907	Stored after abandonment, sold in 1931 to Six Companies No. 7107
7	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	31093	6/1907	Sold in 1917 to San Diego & Arizona No. 24
8	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	31094	6/1907	Sold in 1918 to Northwestern Pacific No. 172
9	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	32250	11/1907	Sold in 1917 to San Diego & Arizona No. 25
10	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	32251	11/1907	Sold in 1917 to San Diego & Arizona No. 26
11	4-6-0	Baldwin Locomotive Works	32260	12/1907	Sold in 1917 to San Diego & Arizona No. 27
12	4-6-0	Alco Schenectady	44753	1907	Sold in 1918 to Northwestern Pacific No. 179
30	2-8-0	Alco Brooks	44750	1907	Sold in 1918 to Los Angeles & Salt Lake No. 3675
31	2-8-0	Alco Brooks	44751	1907	Sold in 1918 to Los Angeles & Salt Lake No. 3676
32	2-8-0	Alco Brooks	44752	1907	Sold in 1918 to Los Angeles & Salt Lake No. 3677

Preservation

The Los Angeles Live Steamers group owned an old wooden passenger car which they had named "Tonopah" and labeled it as an ex-Las Vegas & Tonopah car. However, it has been confirmed it was actually from the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad, and never actually worked on the LV&T.

Route

Las Vegas (MP 0.0)
Tule
Corn Creek
Owens
Indian Springs (MP 43.0)
Charleston, possibly named after nearby Mount Charleston, 4th highest peak in Nevada.
Amargosa (MP 74.0)
Cañon
Rosewell (Rose's Well) (MP 100.0)
Chloride
Beatty MP (118.4)
Rhyolite (MP 123.4), with spur to Montgomery-Shoshone Mine.
Original
Mud Springs
Midway
Bonnie Claire
Wagner
Stonewall
Ralston, possibly named after Ralston Valley.
Red Rock
Milltown
Columbia
Goldfield (MP 196.9)