Engine Number 5, an 1875 Baldwin steam locomotive that was
part of the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway from 1899-1940.
Photograph taken at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway Museum's Second Sunday Steam-Up on June 9, 2024 by AliA.
This week's theme is Trains...Family on my maternal side has connections to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railway which span around 150 years or so and continue to this day!
Map of Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad
from Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad by Gerald M. Best Howell-North Books-Berkeley California 1965 Page 12.
The Narrow Gauge Railroad ran between Nevada City, California and Colfax, California from 1876 to 1943. It provided service between Nevada City and Grass Valley, as well as service to the station in Colfax which was a stop on the Central and then Southern Pacific railway going east to west across the country. The little railway provided passenger services, as well as freight, lumber and produce shipment services to the communities it served along its 22.64 mile route. It also began providing transportation for Sunday School Picnics and Miners Picnics, where many a Cornish pasty was eaten!
Riding on the Narrow Gauge Railroad began with the Hurd family living in Virginia City, Nevada and the Burrows family living in Grass Valley, California. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, and passed through Reno, Nevada on its way to Sacramento, California. Passenger service of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from Virginia City to Reno began in late 1871. The Hurds were in Virginia City by 1875 and their eldest daughter Elizabeth Jane Hurd Burrows was married to Alexander Burrows and living in Grass Valley. If the families wanted to visit coming from Virginia City, it was just a small matter (!) of taking the V & T to Reno and then transferring to the Central Pacific line which took them over Donner Pass to Colfax. From Colfax, they could then ride the Narrow Gauge line to Grass Valley. The distance traveled was about 100 miles. It must have seemed like a modern revelation to be able to see family so far away in such a short time! Although, I'm sure the trip took the better part of a day or longer. The train trip these days from Reno to Colfax is a short and relaxing three hours. The drive from Reno on I-80 to Grass Valley takes an hour and a half to two hours depending on weather, traffic and never ending road construction. Sometimes riding the train is still the way to go! Plus, it is still an affordable way to travel at around $30 one way.
From The Morning Union October 13, 1881. Mrs. Burrows (my great great grandmother) and her children rode the train to Virginia City to visit her mother, Harriet Hurd as well as her sisters and brother who still lived there. By this date Elizabeth Jane had 4 children; the youngest was just 9 months old. My great grandmother hadn't been born yet.
From The Morning Union, August 23, 1882
Harriet Hurd rode the train over the mountains to visit her daughter, Mrs. Burrows. Trips and visitors were always hot topics in the newspapers of the day.
Also from The Morning Union, September 10, 1893:
"Mrs. A. Burrows left for Virginia City about midnight of Friday, being summoned on account of the serious illness of her mother, Mrs. Hurd." No doubt Elizabeth Jane rode the train. Sadly, Harriet Hurd died that night on the other side of the Sierra Nevada mountains at the age of 59. The train wasn't fast enough.
Engine No. 5 at the Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up July 2, 2022. Photograph taken by PattiA.
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Engine No. 5 was built in 1885 for the Carson Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company in Carson City, Nevada. It was named "The Tahoe". In 1899 it was purchased for the NCNGR and renumbered the No. 5; it began service between Grass Valley and Colfax and was certainly one of the several locomotives that transported family members at one time or another.
This picture was found in the King Album, and may have been taken at a Sunday School Picnic or other function in the woods. I would put the date at around 1900 when the Kings were living in Grass Valley. My great grandmother Emma King is seated on the right, second from the front. There may be George relatives in this picture also. Cornish scones, clotted cream, jam and tea were on the menu!
There were cars just for picnic baskets, which needed to be dropped off the evening before. Was that car packed with ice and straw? I hope so!
No doubt we had relatives attend these picnics, riding the train to Chicago Park. The Kings and Hayes were members of the Methodist Church, and the Burrows and Hansens were members of the Episcopal Church. These picnics were a community tradition and were annual affairs. It must have been exciting to have the train ride and picnic to look forward to every year.
Special picnic trains also took passengers on Fourth of July excursions; moonlight excursions, and special event trains continued for many years. The little train even brought the circus until 1893 when the circus train derailed causing two deaths. The circus played in Colfax or Sacramento from then on. I don't know of any relatives that saw the circus, but it would have been possible!
In my post of January 14, 2021 (Her Patriotism Unbounded) I shared the story of how my great grandmother Vere Burrows took the train to Colfax in 1903 to meet Teddy Roosevelt (and she shook his hand!).
My great grandmother took the President's Special to Colfax where she shook the hand of Teddy Roosevelt. She paid 50 cents for the roundtrip ride.
Vere Burrows is in this picture somewhere! This was a wonderful opportunity for community members to meet the President in person, and the train brought them there.
From Nevada County Narrow Gauge by Gerald M. Best
Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California 1965. Page 84.
Vere Burrows also rode the little train from Grass Valley to Colfax in 1904 very early in the morning. She and her new husband, John Hansen, caught the Southern Pacific main line in Colfax to go the coast for their honeymoon!
Enlargement of the original newspaper article
The Daily Morning Union July 3, 1904
By 1940 No. 5 was relegated to helper service, having survived a fire in which its cab and running boards were burned off. The tender still shows signs of the fire by the notable wavy pattern in its sheet metal. The Nevada County Narrow Gauge ceased operations in 1943. The automobile and better roads made travel to the main line faster and more convenient.
The No. 5 (the "Tahoe") was rebuilt and sold to Hollywood where it starred in the movie "The Spoilers" in 1942, and appeared in over 100 movies and T.V. series. It returned to Nevada County in 2018 where the boiler was restored. It can be found at the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Museum where it now operates. The No. 1 (The "Glenbrook") can now be found at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. Locomotives No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 were all eventually scrapped.
We love to celebrate our Narrow Gauge Railroad history by supporting and visiting our local museums who have done such a wonderful job preserving the historical locomotives and continue to run them for the next generations. What a treat! We also support and ride the steam train in Virginia City, but that's a story for another day.
Our Grandson was invited to sit in the cab of the Tahoe No. 5!
July 2, 2022 Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up
Photograph taken by PattiA.
Our grandson in front of No. 5, a piece of his history!
July 2, 2022 at the Carson City Nevada Great Western Steam Up
Photograph by PattiA.
On October 5, 2023, I had the opportunity to take the train back home from the Colfax Depot. I did not get to ride the train from Grass Valley to Colfax as my ancestors did, (we drove), but riding the train over the Sierra Nevada mountains to Reno was a wonderful experience. I think my ride may have been smoother than theirs!
Photograph by PattiA.
Our daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter in front of the Tahoe No. 5. Photograph taken June 9th, 2024.
Exploring Mill Street, Grass Valley, with Grandma Boothby. Time for some ice cream after all the history lessons!
Photograph taken by AliA. June 9, 2024.
References:
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
https://ncngrrmuseum.org/
Nevada County Narrow Gauge by Gerald M. Best Howell-North Books Berkeley, Ca. 1965 (in our family collection).
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_County_Narrow_Gauge_Railroad
This is so interesting and I loved the articles about the family. Plus the grandchildren visiting. So interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting! My grandchildren love riding the trains both in Grass Valley and in Virginia City. I am so glad they can experience their family history this way and make great memories doing it!
DeleteYour images really accentuate your story about the narrow gauge train, and Grass Valley sounds charming. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for reading and commenting!
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