Virginia & Truckee Railroad

The Virginia & Truckee Railroad in Nevada operates a scenic steam train excursion through the historic silver mining district of the Comstock Lode, one of the richest silver strikes in American history. The railroad runs between Virginia City — a remarkably preserved 1870s boomtown perched high in the mountains east of Lake Tahoe — and Gold Hill, passing through historic mining terrain with views of the Carson Valley far below. The V&T originally opened in 1869 to serve the booming silver mines and was once the most profitable short-line railroad in the world. Today the restored steam locomotives and vintage cars carry passengers through an evocative landscape of abandoned mine shafts, tailings piles, and sweeping Great Basin panoramas.