While we didn’t actually see the railroad in Austin because it had stopped running in 1938 and the rails were pulled up during WWII, sold, and used for the war effort, the story of the railroad in Austin is a good one.
Because of all of the mountain ranges and valleys running north and south in the Great Basin, it was ineffective to lay track east and west for the trains to get the material from the miles to major rail lines. Instead, tracks were run north from the mining towns to the Central Pacific Railroad line running along today’s Interstate 80. (We’ll learn more about this in Ely.)
So here’s Austin’s story from the town’s brochure.
The narrow gauge Nevada Central RR operated between Austin and Battle Mountain from 1880 to 1938. The railroad was constructed in just 5 months beginning in September 1879. To get a $200,000 subsidy, the railroad had to be completed to Austin’s city limits by midnight on February 9, 1880. By noon, it was still 2 miles outside of town. Every able-bodied person was recruited to lay ties and rails across the snow-covered ground. In an effort to help, the Austin City Council had a secret meeting and extended the city limits to the cemetery.
In a spectacular race against time, the rails crossed the “new” city limits with 10 minutes to spare, and Austin had a railroad!
The Nevada Central served Austin and the area faithfully for 58 years without ever killing or seriously injuring a passenger or employee.
Now that’s a story worth telling.
