The July 2008 MR article on modeling the Gila Tomahawk wrongfully claims that it “… was the last branchline passenger train on the Southern Pacific when she made her final run on December 31, 1953.”
The passenger train Del Monte, serving the Monterey, California branch ran until the day before, May 1, 1971, the beginning of AMTRAK operations. The Del Monte included the first-class accommodations of a parlor car.
Here is a sample from an employees timetable:
Mixed trains with regular passenger service, such as the Mina (included RPO service) and Fallon trains nos. 605/606 and 607/608, also ran well beyond 1953. Undoubtedly there were more.
You’re absolutely correct about the “Del Monte”. About the Mina Branch, I was heading back toward Texas down US 95 in 1963, and I did see a lone RPO sitting on the tracks at Mina. Whether it was just kind of ‘permanently’ spotted there or was waiting for a return train to be made up heading back toward Fallon I don’t know, but it certainly was there. In fact, I remember that Mina yard as being kind of busy when I drove through. If I hadn’t been on a ‘timetable’ to get back to Texas, I’d have stopped and watched some train action on a really fascinating SP desert branch, that day.
I also understand that for a while, the Mina Branch was the stomping ground for some ‘loaner’ Rio Grande F-units. Now THAT would have been a sight!
The one and only time I went through Mina was about 6-7 years ago. The only evidence of a railroad I noticed was a worn out freight station. The yard tracks and other facilities had been scraped off the face of the earth.
The Mina mixed, my favorite 1950s-era passenger train:
That’s a really SWEET mixed train. I like the setting with those high mountains in the background (Mount Montgomery?).
Guess I’ve been out of the loop about that area for some time. I take it that the Mina Branch has been taken out of service south of Hawthorne? It actually goes through some really VARIED country south of Fallon–I remember some really unexpected greenery in some areas. It wasn’t all desert by a long shot. I remember the trip was kind of fascinating, because US95 paralleled the abandoned roadbeds of the T&G and B&G pretty much into Beatty. Quite a lot of history in that area.
I heard reports that particular parts of west/central Nevada grew SWEEEET melons. I presume they do so today.
That is the Gabbs Valley Range in the background, in March. The train is on its way down grade in Soda Spring Valley and onto Luning, Thorne, and Walker Lake.
In 1941, the total inbound and outbound loads on the Mina branch were 1,749 and 1,041, respectively. During the first nine months of 1943, there were 13,625 inbounds and 9,396 outbounds. I’d chalk that up to increased military traffic.
Gabbs Valley Range is a mountain range in Mineral County in the state of Nevada (NV). Gabbs Valley Range climbs to 7,247 feet (2,208.89 meters) above sea level. Gabbs Valley Range is located at latitude - longitude coordinates (also called lat - long coordinates or GPS coordinates) of N 38.671867 and W -118.185401.
I suppose it all depends on how one defines a branch line. I believe that SP’s NWP was a separate corporate identity, so I’m inclined to believe it wouldn’t be considered a branch line. I’m open to disagreement.