Last light at American Flat. On the evening of July 3, 2022, the Virginia & Truckee Railroad ran a special train for about 50 patrons, to help raise money for the restoration of the legendary V&T Locomotive #11 "Reno", which the railroad recently acquired and returned to Nevada. The train ride included a stop at the railroad's shops, where patrons could see the Reno's tender already under restoration, as well as several other projects in progress. The train then ran all the way to American Flat to a point just about half a mile north of Tunnel #2, so the passengers got a tour of much of the line. Observing that this section of the line would still be sunlit for a few more minutes, Railroad President Tom Gray asked if patrons would like to stop and take a photo of the train and of course, we couldn't refuse an offer light that. So, in the last light of day, here's V&T Consolidation #29 charging past the photo line, with the distant town of Gold Hill in the shadows behind it. And yes, this train is indeed heading toward Gold Hill, despite the fact that it appears to be headed in the opposite direction. This line was once referred to as the "Crookedest shortline in America", because there are enough degrees of curve in the run from Carson City to Virginia City to make something like 17 complete circles. That's a lot of curves!
