Long shadows at Donovan. The alpine sunset is fast-approaching and the afternoon shadows are getting very long as V&T Locomotive #29 takes a freight north past Donovan, en route to Gold Hill, just a mile or so ahead.
The route of the reconstructed V&T Virginia City line pretty much follows the original alignment, with just a couple of notable exceptions. The trackage in Moundhouse, roughly 9 miles south of here, has been rerouted considerably, due to a large amount of construction since the original line was removed. That area is now crowded with all manner of businesses and industrial parks....with a few legal brothels thrown in. From there on north, the trackage is pretty faithful to the original routing, until you get to the Overman Pit, less than half a mile ahead of this location. There, the tracks again had to be re-routed, in this case, due to the large open pit mine that wasn't there back in the day. After that, the run to Virginia City is once again pretty much on the old grade. The present-day tracks terminate at the old depot on F-street, which is where tourists disembark, to enjoy the unique scenery and ambience of Virginia City.
