The Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company will run extra trains this weekend out of Virginia City to participate in the steam event. Engine #11, The Reno is now at the NSRM in Carson City for the event. Besides running hourly excursions to Gold Hill with 1916 2-8-0 engine #29, we will run extra late trains. On Friday we will head out to American Flat in the open aire cars departing the original 1870 Virginia City depot about 5:30 pm. On Sunday evening we will run a fundraiser for the locomotive Reno departing Virginia City, the same place the Reno departed with the "Lighting Express" train in 1876- departing about 5:30 pm, a quick shop tour will be included- 2-8-2 MCCRR engine 18, 2-8-2 Chas McCormick 100, 0-6-0 SP 1251, 1926 Edwards railbus, the Reno's tender, and numerous 19th century and 20th century passenger cars including diesel locomotives, GE 44 t, GE 80 t, Alco S-4, Alco S-6, EMD SW 1200 are on display. Tickets and info are on the website- virginiatruckee.com. Sorry for the late notice.

I may regret this but I decided not to attend. Paying extra to get in early, no planned photo shoots, and over all lack of communication on what will actually be happening was a big turn off. I’m sure having just ridden behind 3 of the operating engines in Colorado less than a year ago made me less interested as well.

Will be watching for reports from the event.

Thank you, VTTom, for informing everyone of the special events at the V&T Museum. As it happens, my husband and I are going to be riding the 3:00 train and have now bought tickets for the 5:30 special train tomorrow. We are looking forward to it; it will be our first time at your railway.

Elizabeth Guenzler

Any trip reports?

I've been watching photos posted online and it looks like the event was well attended and it looks like everyone had fun.

7,536 tickets were sold (presale and walk-up), out of a maximum available of 8,000 for the weekend. No major mishaps, the public was ecstatic, and despite long hours the crews had fun as well. I'd call that a success.

As for photo angles, I took this on Sunday whilst between assignments.

Nick Hovey

Love that shot, Nick! That's one of the better angles at the museum.....and there are quite a few. Great seeing you this past weekend!

I bought the Early-Entry VIP ticktets for all 4 days and was glad I did. As I remarked on another board, I think the GWSU was probably the closest thing we can get to some of the Railfairs that happened in the latter part of the last century.

I spent my days hanging out with fellow rail photographers Jeff Terry, Dave Crosby and Greg Mathis. With 4 sets of eyes walking around, we were able to keep each other informed on all of the goings-on, so we didn't miss much. On Saturday, the four of us also took a side trip up to Portola, CA to see the Western Pacific 165. I think we all thoroughly enjoyed our time at the event.

The weather was excellent. Three days with pretty much full sun and one day with a deck of altocumulus which filtered the sun just enough to make mid-day photography rather nice. Temperatures were in the 70s and 80s.....so much more bearable than Nevada can be in July. The air was pretty dry however, so folks needed to keep drinking water. Fortunately, the NSRM folks were selling ice-cold water at very modest prices right under the awnings near the restroom buildings.

The array of equipment was pretty incredible. I counted a total of 16 steam locomotives on the property, 9 of which were in steam (shown in bold print below):

-V&T #1 "Lyon" (partially completed replica)
-V&T #11 "Reno"
-V&T #12 "Genoa"
-V&T #18 "Dayton"
-V&T #21 "J.W.Bowker"
-V&T #22 "Inyo"
-V&T #25
-Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Co. #1 "Glenbrook"
-Eureka & Palisade #4 "Eureka"
-Nevada County Narrow Gauge RR #5 "Tahoe"
-Southern Pacific #18
-Bluestone Mining & Smelting #1 (Heisler)
-Santa Cruz Portland Cement #2 "Chiggen"
-Dardanelle & Russelville #8
-Dayton, Sutro & Carson Valley "Joe Douglas"
-Antelope & Western #1

This was the first time I had seen several of these engines and the first time I had seen some of the beautiful V&T engines outside in the daylight. It was hard to pick a favorite, but my vote for "Belle of the Ball" would be V&T #12 "Genoa." Her colors and shiny brass were quite striking in the late afternoon sun.

All of the operational engines ran at one point or another on the loop, most of which actually handled one of the trains. There was a standard gauge train (basically, the NSRM's normal excursion consist) and a narrow gauge train (a pair of flats equipped to carry passengers and the SP Combine/Caboose from Laws). Each train would make perhaps 4 loops, then switch out and allow the other to do the same. The power was swapped out on each train at mid-day. At the end of each day, at around 4 PM, V&T #22 "Inyo" took the loop with V&T Coach 4 and ran some laps for ticket-holders who purchased the fare for this special train. This is the operation depicted in Nick's photo.

At around 1 PM each day, when the power was being swapped, a locomotive pageant of sorts was held, which most of the operational engines taking the turntable. That event was narrated by Wendell Huffman, the recently-retired Curator of History at NSRM.

The show featured two restoration projects, one of which was the V&T #1 "Lyon" replica project. Stan Gentry, the fellow who founded the project was on hand to discuss it. As most may know, the project has been donated to the NSRM and will be finished by them. Additionally, the folks at the V&T Railroad Company brought the V&T #11 "Reno" to the show and had representatives on hand to discuss their work with it. All weekend long, a young gentleman from the V&T was working with NSRM members to buff off some of the movie paint on Reno, revealing a lot of shiny brass and apparently, some Russia Iron. Thanks to their efforts, the old Reno was looking pretty spiffy by the end of the show. I will leave it to Tom Gray to elaborate on his plans for the locomotive. The project is still in the assessment stage, but it was so nice to see some love being shown to the old girl.

Speaking of the V&T, the railroad offered a couple of special excursions for event attendees, both of which left Virginia City after the NSRM event closed each day. Both were excellent opportunities for people who had never ridden the line to see a substantial part of it. I rode the Sunday evening Reno-benefit train, which was advertised as a shop tour and a trip down to Gold Hill. Tom Gray gave us the "Cook's Tour" of the V&T's shops and yard, then we headed out on the line. Drinks and snacks were served on the train and our tour actually went all the way to American Flat, perhaps half a mile from Tunnel #2, so everyone got a pretty good look at some of the "17 circles" that track makes from Carson to VC. As we turned at American Flat, we all were treated to a surprise sunset run-by of Locomotive #29 and one of the ex-D&L coaches, which was an awesome way to cap off the day. Photos are coming....

And of course, I have to mention all of the really great people I got to see again or meet for the first time.....there were so many of them, from so many museums, groups and just private individuals who have dedicated their lives to preserving these pieces of our history.

Hats off to the NSRM and all of the museums, groups, individuals and volunteers who made this event happen. I am sure there were a lot of sleepless nights spent working through the logistics and arrangements necessary to get all of this hardware and the right people together for 4 incredible days. I certainly hope I speak for most of the attendees in saying that I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this event. All of the hard work that went into putting it on was well worth it.

Photos are coming.....I promise. I'm a bit jet-lagged and my feet are still sore, but I am downloading the raw files now. I gave my new Z9 a real work-out this past weekend.

/Kevin Madore

Thanks for the detailed trip reports!
Glad attendance was good and I’m glad everyone had a good time.

Hello,

The Great Western Steam Up was wonderfully attended. We could have done a bunch of photo opportunities with Pete Lerro but time and staffing precluded us from doing this. Next time we get together like this, we have to plan to have 2 extra days and nights just to do it. We could not have an event with both the public and the photography wing of railfans.

We had a few goals: Be safe, be solvent, and make sure both the public and volunteers leave delighted. We did all of that. We drove our messaging towards families with children and they came out. We made quite a few new railfans. We also got quite a few volunteers.

It was the largest ticketed event in the history of Carson City. We were very concerned on the price point. We seemed to under promise and over deliver.

We learned a lot. We were safe. We only had one ambulance on site. It was a non-injury event.

I am immensely gratified for all the support from the city, the state and all our visiting equipment. What an amazing group of preservationists. It was exhausting and exhilarating in the same moment.

Thank you for coming out to Carson City!

Dan Thielen, NSRM Director

Did you check with Pete about trying to organize something?
Was there a reason you couldn’t add a day before / after the event for photography?

Why does Pete Lerro even have to be involved? His events are expensive, I am not personally friends with a single person who can afford a Lerro photo event. They are also waaay over-posed and over-dramatized (which I say from experience having been a crew photo model for one of these shoots, the photographers really make life hard on us!).

This event was probably the best railroad event I've ever attended. Even without the sacred cow of "hard core" railfans (the ticketed, non-public contrived photo shoot) there were plenty of opportunities for good photography during the museum's open hours. The interactions with the visiting organizations were great and I made many good contacts. It was managed well, the staff and volunteers were excellent, and I heard nary a complaint from anybody except for the overzealous foamer types who prefer to live miserably anyway. The number of ticketed attendees in appropriate period dress was incredible too, you did not even have to pay extra to get good photos with appropriate props!

I want to thank any of the NSRM/Nevada State Parks/visiting organization members who may be reading this thread - well done, and I look forward to attending any future events of this sort you may put on! If the goal was to bring in tourist dollars, it was no doubt successful, as restaurants were packed and spending bled over into nearby communities like Portola and Virginia City as out-of-state visitors attending the steam up took the opportunity to visit other attractions they would not have gone to otherwise. There was a perfect balance between public interest and railfan attraction.

Here are some flickr accounts that are uploading photos from the Great Western Steam-up:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/96380166@N07/albums/72177720300270404

https://www.flickr.com/photos/47911905@N00/albums/72177720300362196/page1

https://www.flickr.com/photos/drgw223/albums/72177720300313107

I’ve attended a number of Lerro events and have felt they were worth every penny. Sorry you don’t feel the same way.

I’m glad the event was a success. Indeed I’ve seen many lovely photos!

Dusting this account off to add a couple opinions Josh and I have shared with each other about photocharters before and with our friends, for the court of public opinion. I feel the Lerro style is too reliant on trying to recreate the O. Winston Link style with very heavily illuminated night shots, people posed in period clothes (primarily 1950's), etc. While I do think a night shoot would have been maybe cool at the NSRM event, I do feel like it would have divided event attendees further on price brackets (more-so than the already pricey tickets to get VIP Early Morning access or the Inyo rides), and furthermore would really only be a replay of "greatest hits" since Lerro has held photocharters there at the NSRM and with many of the visiting engines at other locations before.

Personally from the artistic opinion, I think the British have a better grasp at night photography with steam engines than we do with much more focus on ambient natural lighting and less of that Lerro's imitation O. Winston Link "lighting of a thousand atomic bombs" flash bulb thing going on:

https://flic.kr/p/2ngn5Tx

https://flic.kr/p/2nw2YQe

https://flic.kr/p/2nqA7S8

https://flic.kr/p/2njeX52

The only photocharter I have been on is the Sumpter Valley fall colors one, cheap and not overly forced. I would gladly do that again especially since in the low $100's price range its a bargain compared to the "big names."

As for the event in Carson City itself, it was great. Still nursing my sun burns from it, yes... but the event had great steam action, live music, food, good vendors, and it was awesome to talk to so many members of the hobby. One of my favorite bits of the NSRM's crowd handling was at entry the first day, where they scanned our barcodes on our tickets and began handing out wristbands before the gate opened to prevent long lines. They were super coordinated, and on top of things and highly recommended. Josh has already shared my pictures above, so more is visible there in that folder which I am updating, but a big thumbs up to the NSRM team.

I know several prominent operators of railroad photography charters, but I don't know a single one who makes a living at it. After negotiating with the railroad for an agenda at a price point that they believe their clients will agree to, most of them believe they had a good event if they get all of their expenses paid with the ticket price. They're not money-makers....at least for the operator. Most of these folks have other businesses or day jobs that pay their rent. Railroad charters are very expensive because steam locomotives are expensive to operate and the railroads don't do these events on a break-even basis. The railroads are the only parties making money.....and we're good with that. Without them, those of us who love to photograph steam engines would have no subject matter. Some events may cost more than others, but many times that's because the attendance is limited to ensure the quality of the experience.

I'm sorry to hear that you don't enjoy posing for "contrived" photo shoots. I am curious....why did you do it? Yes, there are a few rail photographers who are obnoxious jerks. That's also true of any segment of society. The folks I hang with don't ever abuse railroad people or attempt to make life hard for them. If someone gave you a hard time at whatever photo shoot you are referring to, I'm sorry to hear that, but if those few minutes "made your life hard", I suspect that most people would trade places with you in a heartbeat.

If you feel that strongly about it, feel free to PM me the name of your railroad and I'll be glad to share it with the charter operators I know. We come to have fun and make nice photos, not cause problems. If your operation doesn't want us, we can certainly go someplace else that does.



It should be noted that the "hard core" rail photography crowd typically are hardly freeloaders. Not only does a big slug of money go to the railroad, but there are air fares, hotel stays, car rentals and day-to-day living expenses. When one of these charters comes to town, there are 30-50 folks dropping a lot of money on the local economies. For the Carson City event(s), I probably spent about $450 on event tickets....which were well worth it, $700 on air fare, $350 on a rental car, and perhaps $800 on hotel stays.....plus living expenses. Figure close to $2,500 when all the bills are paid.

In addition to spending money on trips to other railroads, many of us are members of museums close to our homes....myself included. We also contribute hundreds, if not thousands of dollars to the coffers of those organizations through annual cash contributions and event tickets....yeah, we don't get in free, even at our own events. We help our organizations in any way we can. The goal is to support the preservation of an important part of our history....and perhaps make some nice pictures in the process.

/Kevin Madore

Respectfully Kevin, I feel like you are missing some of the forest through the trees.

Yes some railfans are able to drop $2,500 on an event. I probably spent 20%-25% that value total to go to the same event splitting the cost when possible to save money, and while I didn't get the early access VIP tickets or a ride behind the Inyo I still got to see the NSRM, ride the V&T and then trek up north to Portola and ride behind the WP 165 all for the same cost. Using "I spent this much money" as an argument of how much fealty you have for the railfanning/preservation cause is more a case of humble-bragging about the size of one's pocketbook.

When people ask why the preservation movement is struggling to attract young members, that is in my opinion one of the key issues. Much like what is happening in housing, competitive wages, consumer goods, etc. there is a constant threat of the preservation industry pricing out younger enthusiasts in favor of catering to the older ones with bigger wallets. Its not a good long term stability model, and while I am not opposed to high ticket items existing in the hobby there has to be a balance between the cheaper tickets and the expensive ones. High end photo charters often look like that kind of priced out type of venue, and when the poses and lighting is so forced to look like fake O. Winston Link imitations, its understandable that a growing generation of railfans would rather pay for more personal high end ticket items (such as the Nevada Northern's locomotive "Be The Engineer" rental program) than join a bunch of people in a photoline at 11:00 PM at night for $2500 to all take the exact same photo from three feet distances apart.

True, a high end photo charter in this event would not have ruined the day experience for cheaper ticket guests. However, photo charters have a toll on staffing that is often ignored, especially when shoved into part of a larger event. Having talked to Josh his previously mentioned experience posing for a shoot at the Cumbres & Toltec, where the crew for Eureka due to the stressful full hour work day was "off the clock" and desperately had to rush back to their hotels to get the federally mandated rest period before returning to Eureka the next day. Since Josh owns period costume, they pressed him into being a night watch over Eureka and part of the photoshoot to cover while the real crew slept (no need to "talk to the manager" of the C&T either, I think they are fully aware of the kind of staffing and volunteer shortages that happened and have already planned accordingly for future events on how to do it better next time). If I were to suspect a reason for not having a photo event during the Great Western Steam Up, my guess is the NSRM was trying to avoid that very situation for their guest operators allowing them to sleep at the end of the day.

Not saying that it would have been impossible for the NSRM to have organized a photocharter though say on Tuesday before equipment was being shipped out, but people do have jobs to return to, locomotives have boiler hours before they require inspections, trucking had to be paid to haul the engines back to their respective homes, etc. Taking a stab at it the lack of nighttime events was a courtesy to the guest operators, and less a slight towards the guests, even those willing to pay handsomely for it.

Travis....I assume that is your name. Mine is at the bottom of each of my posts. My mention of the cost of this trip was simply to make it clear that serious rail photographers are not freeloaders who drive all night to show up and chase someone else's event without spending a dime. We support the cause. Some of us are able to do this because we've worked for over 40 years and lived frugally, saving our money. Some of us are not lucky enough to have large families to spend our retirements with. We get a little enjoyment from photographing steam engines and are willing to pay to do it. Not sure where the crime is in that, or how we are somehow "hurting" anyone, or the cause with this hobby.



Hey, that's the great thing about America. Everyone can do their own thing. If you don't like the type of lighting that some charter operators may use, feel free to do something else, but don't put me in jail because I like something different than you. As for "Be the Engineer" or something like that, by all means, have at it. To each his own. BTW, the charter operator mentioned earlier in this thread does not use flashes for his night sessions and has not for a number of years. Your friend Josh likely has him confused with someone else.



You'll have to talk to the railroad about how your friend was treated. That event was run totally by them. The photographers had zero input on the construct of the events or the schedule. None of the independent charter operators was involved in the VIH event either, and certainly not the gentleman whose name has been brought up several times.



You may have me confused with someone else. I was not in any way shape or form arguing for a high-end photo charter or asking anyone to hire a particular charter operator. I did express surprise that there were not other events scheduled by other railroads or organizations in the area, given the large number enthusiasts who would be staying in the area. I also floated the idea of lighting a single night scene with 3-4 dead locomotives (the V&T engines), but that is the way photographers think. I didn't complain that it wasn't going to happen or refuse to come to the event.

As I said (several times, I think), I accepted the event for what it was going to be and attended every day. I had a great time. I'm good. Not sure why you and Josh are upset.

/Kevin Madore