This new book tells the story of the narrow gauge Eureka & Palisade and its successor, the Eureka Nevada. Persevering through floods, fires, and the ebb and flow of the mining industry it served, the E&P was born in the bonanza era of Nevada mining and ran until the Great Depression and declining metal prices shut it down. Before that end, it hauled millions in gold, silver, and lead through the sagebrush covered hills of Nevada, cementing its place in the annals of great narrow gauge railroads.

The E&P used everything from brand new, ornately-painted Victorian era locomotives and cars, to a motley collection of secondhand, thirdhand, and homebuilt equipment to soldier on in the 1920s and ’30s. The saga of the E&P is told in exquisite detail in 10 chapters of comprehensive text, 450 photos and illustrations, 41 maps, and 18 equipment drawings. Also included is a complete and detailed equipment roster, extensively illustrated.

Contents

Part One: The Eureka & Palisade

Chapter One: Pittsburgh of the West, 1864-1873

Chapter Two: A Magnificent Enterprise, 1873-1876

Chapter Three: The “Three By Three,” 1876-1881

Chapter Four: Hard Times and Mixed Trains, 1882-1902

Chapter Five: High Water, 1902-1910

Part Two: The Eureka Nevada Railway

Chapter Six: The John Sexton Years, 1912-1925

Chapter Seven: As Rich as Old Croesus, The Rise and Fall of the Eureka Smelting Company, 1917-1927

Chapter Eight: The Last Go–Around, 1927-1938

Chapter Nine: Timetables, Operations on the Narrow Gauge, 1874-1938

Chapter Ten: Mileposts, a Gazetteer of the Eureka & Palisade

Appendices

I: Locomotives

II: Motorcars

III: Passenger Cars

IV: Freight Cars

V: Work & Company Cars

VI: Equipment Drawings

VII: Employees

Map Index

Index

Bibliography