Date night meant something new last week: a train ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. I suggested riding the Queen of the Short Lines to Nick, my partner in crime. He agreed it would be a great way to start an evening. Since we both worked a full day, we couldn’t make the Carson City to Virginia City roundtrip and opted for the Toast of the Canyon ride – an hour roundtrip steam train ride from Carson City to the Canyon.

Nick & I

In addition to the views on the train we enjoyed a glass of wine from Tahoe Ridge Winery and noshed on ribs from Red’s 395. Each week they feature appetizers from a different local restaurant and wine from Tahoe Ridge Winery.

We arrived at the Carson City Depot around 4:45 p.m. picked up our tickets, which we reserved online, and snapped some photos before boarding the train. As we were boarding I made sure to ask the conductor which side had the best views.

View of the Canyon from the train

Wine was poured as we enjoyed the leisurely ride to the canyon. Just 30 minutes into our train ride we had reached the half-way point. Here we could see the canyon stretch in either direction of the train. Not too far the Carson River flowed parallel to the train. Too busy enjoying scenic desert views, wine and taking pictures I almost missed the appetizers. They were brought to our seats while we were stopped.The McCloud No. 18 (steam locomotive) unhooked, then rolled by a few times and riders listened for whistles. Before we knew it we were heading back to the depot full steam ahead. The train was moving fast and had us back to the depot within minutes. Not only was our Saturdate unique but we traveled back in time and caught a glimpse of how people traveled by railroad.

McCloud No.18

Next time we’ll have to make a day of it and take the Sisters in History Route, Carson City to Virginia City and back.

What’s your most unique and/or adventurous date night?

V&T Fun Facts:

• Originally built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada.
• The V&T ran up to 40 trains per day at the height of the Big Bonanza.
• After abandonment in 1950, the old lines were rebuilt by private investors in the 1970s and reopened to the public August 2009.
• Known as Queen of the Short Lines
• McCloud No. 18 went to Hollywood to film Water For Elephants

More Info:

Cost: $15 per person – purchase in advance or on site

Time: Train departs at 5p.m. every Saturday through September 10

Location: Carson City Depot 4650 Eastgate Siding Road Carson City, Nevada 89701(775) 686-9037

Duration: 1 hour

Next Time: Make it a couple’s group excursion.

Handy Tip: Dress lightly as it can get a bit warm on the train.

Happy Dating – Tiara

Tags: Saturdate, Tahoe Ridge Winery, Toast of the Canyon, Train, Train Rides, V&T, Virginia and Truckee Railroad

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 11th, 2011 at 11:00 am and is filed under Carson City Events, Summer, V and T Railroad. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.