Pioche Pacific histories

This was a very interesting 3" gauge road with a long history and of interest to freelance modelers. The story is best told in Dave Myrick's definitive "Railroads of Nevada" two-volume set.

In a nutshell... The lines started out as the Pioche and Bullionville in 1874, an unconnected road that ran from the mines to mills at a water source. Eventually the UP took over most of the right of way. The Pioche Pacific served a group of silver mines that circled Pioche, taking ore to mills or shipping on the UP. It also served the large and successful Bristol Mine about 15 miles northwest of town. After the UP took over and rebuilt a s.g. line out to the Prince Consolidated Mines on the other side of the mountain west of Pioche, the line was made a new connection with the UP, and the line was shortened in 1938 to about 10 miles. Its terminal was in an isolated settlement called Jackrabbit, at the Bristol Mine tipple, at the end of a long tramway. There was an enginehouse, machine shop, garage and some houses. The hopper cars were built by the same outfit that made cars for the Deah Valley RR and other desert n.g. roads in Utah and New Mexico. Somehow the line pooped along till 1947. It shut down around that time but no one recordeed this industrial line's last run as it ceased to be a common carrier decades before. It ended with a two truck Shay from Santa Barbara Tie and Pole (in Northern New Mexico, near the Chili Line) and the old C&NW 2-6-0. Fortunately both locomotives survived, though neither is well cared for.

Pioche (pronounced ("pee-oesh") is in a remote part of SE Nevada, and is well preserved mining town and many great old structures, in a beautiful setting against a small mountain range.I found the old PP terminal on a hunch and discovered an 1870s era Billmayer and Small wheel under a mesquite tree.