Yesterday we played a golf course near Boulder City, NV (Cascata GC). It is near a place called “Railroad Pass”. I believe this is the line that ran supplies, etc., to the workers’ homes and families in Boulder City and construction materials and equipment to the Boulder (Hoover) Dam site in the 1930s while the dam was under construction.
The rails run on on both sides of the highway from Henderson and Boulder City, but have been paved over by Hwy 95 where they crossed the road. There are still RR signs and signals at that crossing, though. Why have they been left in place? The railroad map on my notebook shows it is abandoned UP from Boulder City to Henderson, and abandoned U.S. Government RR from Boulder City to the dam site.
I ask this because where we drove under the highway to get to the golf course entrance, we passed below a truss bridge that looks like it was built to allow the golf course entrance road to pass beneath in about 2000.
I know I’m not answering your question, but you bring up a bigger general point, which is why do so many modern roads include accomodations for abandoned lines?
In Culver City, CA the 405 Freeway has an extra set of legs and bridge over the SP/PE Inglewood Branch… but that line was abandoned when the 10 Freeway was built over its connection to the Santa Monica Line, about five years before the 405 was built.
There’s also a railroad bridge over the 10 Freeway near downtown LA that has to have been for a spur that must have abanonded at least 30 or 40 years ago by the looks of the building that were later built on the ROW.
Sorry to go on a tangent, but you’ve hit upon a subject that’s always made me curious in general.
This is a complete stab in the dark but could it be that the legal railroad right-of-way status of these lines still exists?? I know in WI that when some lines are abandoned and the rails yanked the rail corridor of land will be preserved- the idea being that once the land the rails ran over is sold it would be virtually impossible to convince everyone to sell it back if a railroad wants to rebuild the line. They call it the rails to trails program, or rail-banking the line. Could it be that a similar program is in place here?
…Some time ago I saw an article or write up of sort, I believe it was on this forum {but maybe not}, re: Some priviate group trying to run a tourist line in the Boulder City area. So perhaps someone really does still have the ROW locked in place.
I looked at this route many years ago…Early 70’s, as I would travel back and forth from Vegas airport and Kingman, Az. At that time the rails were in to the area of the little airport as one entered the Boulder City area and from there down to the dam no rails but I managed to seek out all the ROW on down to the dam. It includes about 5 tunnels and terminated in a big circle right above the canyon there where the big metal towers tilt out towards the canyon.
Anyone wishing to still see this route down to the dam it is visible for the most part on any good satellite image program. Just after leaving Boulder City it swings to the east towards and through a housing project…{I’m projecting how it looked some years ago}, and beyond that area the railroad makes a serious horseshoe curve and then worked its’ way downgrade and over along and above the present water line and through the abovementioned tunnels to the mentioned large turn around circle above the site of the area of the breast of the dam.
If one visits the web site of the present project of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge you can find {on their site}, a nice aerial photo that shows all I’ve mentioned above. The former ROW passes right through the property that used to be power company facilities…{Don’t know what is on that site now since the new road construction has been done to line up with the new canyon spanning bridge under construction.
It is the same reason that cities pave over trolley tracks (or did) The right of ways are legally binding and some contracts are 99 years or longer. the railroads leave that stuff because it was depreciated years ago and would cost them a fortune to replace if needed plus tearing up the road and all that goes with it. I will stand corrected if someone else has definitive proof of their take.
First) Cascada is a nice golfcoarse that I hope to play someday. Lucky you.
Second) Solzrules: I think that you got it
Third) Those track are still this because I know that every once I a while UP will run a special train with Passenger cars on that route. I was my understanding that their was talks of using the tracks again. I know that a station was built but I can’t remember where. I’ll try to find the website that I found the info and get back to you.
Now I’m mad I was so close to a rail museum and didn’t visit. But we never saw signs anywhere indicating such an attraction – but there were hundreds of billboards along the entire route from “The Strip” that were advertising just about everything else you can see and get in Las Vegas … “EVERYTHING!” [:D]
You’ll like the course at Cascata – it is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, impeccable conditioning with a 400-foot waterfall in the desert and great elevated views of the El Dorado Valley.
BTW: The green fee is steep – for each player $500 and another $50 for the forecaddie.
…In an above post {link}, re the railroad to Boulder City and beyond to the Dam…It indicates of the “Government Railroad” part of it being under water…
The portion from Boulder City is not under water and can be found, at least parts of it still…It terminated right above the Dam in a large circle that enabled the rail traffic to make the loop and return again back to Boulder City and beyond. Look at the satellite images. 5 or so tunnels on the route.
Hope you got your money’s worth at that golf course, PZ!
May have to take a side trip toward the dam when we return through there next week. Beyond being a possible place to find trains, Vegas itself holds nothing special for us.
Posting from Carpinteria (considerably west of Chicago),
…Carl, you may care to take a peek at the construction of the new Hoover Dam Bypass bridge under construction…2000’ long and it will be about 900’ above the Colorado River.
It is located right next to rt. 93 as you reach the canyon.
an interesting subject… i have visited the region a number of times and spent an afternoon looking at the old right of way… i walked a few miles along the track bed until i came across a fence line and it looked like it was private property… cant remember seeing any sign of recent running… same thing here in australia… the rails are left in place because it costs too much to lift them… i rode quite a bit of disused line on a trail bike and rearly enjoy looking for signs of the past… peter
…Peter: Interesting of your venture along the old ROW…I’m wondering which way from Boulder City you did your exploring…?
As I understand it the rails are still in from the Vegas area out to Boulder City and then from there only the ROW {or parts of it}, remain from the “Government Railroad” part of it to take supplies down to the dam.
That is the part I have mentioned in above posts of the tunnels and wondering if you got to explore any of those…
Henderson to RR Pass - UP track, abandoned but still in place. The grade crossing was paved over in '02 or '03.
RR Pass Casino to Boulder City - occasionally operated as a tourist route - seasonal.
U.S. Government Railway, Boulder City to far end of Tunnel #5, rails removed 1963. Open as a walking/bike trail. There is parking and a trailhead at Lawler, just down the hill from the Lake Mead Visitors’ Center off Hy 93.
U.S. Government Railway, Tunnel #5 to former site of Himix (concrete plant used to mix concrete for the arched monster in the canyon.) Right of way is visible, but inaccessible. The track that used to run along the road to just below the last remaining high line is gone, and the road itself has been partially rerouted to clear the site for the new bridge.
Six Companies Railway, Lawler to construction sites now submerged. Roadbed runs past the trailhead, then takes off more or less parallel to, and inland from, the road along the lake. Just past the dry storage area of the Marina it horseshoes back, then runs parallel to the Marina access road and vanishes into the lake. This stretch was abandoned in 1936, has not been maintained in any way and is difficult to follow, even on satellite views.
There is some coverage of the rail operations, including the map I used to follow the satellite images, in the book, The Story of the Hoover Dam, which I purchased at the Visitors’ Center.
…Chuck…Appreciate all the updated facts of the old RR operations in the Boulder City / Dam area you have provided.
It’s been years since I’ve been in the area but did spend quite a bit of time passing through there on rt. 93 years ago to get down to Kingman to a project we were working with…I did get to look around quite a bit back then.
I guess I don’t know where the “Six Companies Railway” was located…I do see what looks like a ROW working it’s way from the B C area {past the other RR horseshoe curve}, towards the present marina to waters edge {north} from B C. and no doubt disapears into the water there…If I am correct I suppose that would have been a construction RR that worked it’s way down into the Canyon work site.
The ROW I mention and believe to be the Government Railway passes out northeast from B C and through that addition and on {north}, to a horseshoe curve and turns 180 degrees and works it’s way down grade and towards the water but high up above it and through all those tunnels and past {actually}, through what used to be a Power Co. location and buildings area…and on over to above the Boulder Dam area but up on top of the Canyon walls…and terminating in a big circle.
I did take a peek at some of those tunnels many years ago.
The railroad equipment must be locked in place there in Boulder City since they paved over the rails at Railroad Pass…
For that area I’m anxiously waiting to see how they install that prestressed concrete arch {in pieces}, for the new Dam bypass…Can’t imagine how that will be done. Have been following it’s progress on their web cams now for a year or so…
Again, thanks for all the update info of the railroad areas we’ve been talk
…Brian, it’s probably easier for me to direct you to: Simply Google “Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge” and you will bring up the site…Once you are on site, look over to left top of screen for finding web cams.
I highly recommend it…There are multiple views one can choose…it’s an awesome build…!