GOLD HILL - Some 18 hours after the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Engine No. 29 derailed at the Gold Hill crossing blocking the road to Virginia City, crews got the train back on track and reopened State Route 342 just after noon today.
A burst of rain and hail washed sand and rocks into the flange way at the Gold Hill crossing, derailing the engine after its last run Sunday, said Kevin Ray, project manager of the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V & T Railway.
Ray said the train carried about seven passengers at the time. No injuries were reported.
Dale Diessner lives just feet away from the Gold Hill crossing and has grown accustomed to the train whistle sounding as it crosses the road. But Sunday's final run into the depot was different, he said.
"When I didn't hear a horn go off, I knew something happened," he said.
The engine slipped off the track about 6:30 p.m., and slid another 10 feet before stopping.
