Cheers to the Canyon
V&T Railway brings back summer and fall wine rides.
The Virginia & Truckee Railroad Co. (also called the V&T Railway) has been transporting passengers across Northern Nevada for more than 150 years. While train travel was once a necessary means of transportation, the V&T Railway has since been turned into a recreational outpost, inviting guests to ride the rails for pleasure.
While routine rides from station to station are available, themed excursions draw crowds. Beginning in July, V&T Railway will debut its Toast of the Canyon wine train with three dates scheduled for 2025: July 26, Sept. 13, and Oct. 11.
Romance on the Rails
This idyllic voyage is spent chugging along 2.5 miles of new track through the Carson River Canyon aboard a vintage steam engine with restored 1914 Pullman passenger cars, all while sipping a selection of white wines (red isn’t allowed on the train for preservation purposes).
Highlights include glimpses of historic Comstock stamp locations and reduction and timber-processing mills, including Santiago, Vivian, Merrimac, Brunswick, Morgan, and Eureka mills, the last of which operated as a 36-inch narrow-gauge railway.
The evening ride takes off at 5 p.m. sharp — ticketholders should arrive 30 minutes prior to departure — and includes a selection of appetizers paired with refreshing white wines, ideal for the season. Along the way, guests will enjoy the contents of their glasses almost as much as the scenic byways, taking in views of the river as the engineer’s whistle echoes off the canyon walls. Don’t forget to bring your cameras; you’ll have the opportunity to take snapshots of the Iron Horse engine as it moves around the tracks to prepare for the return journey home.
The Road Less Traveled
The train ride lasts 45 minutes, and while it’s special for romantic date nights and those who love wine, it’s also a rarely seen part of the V&T route, which makes the themed ride all the more alluring. In addition to enjoying a peaceful trek through the Carson Valley, riders will walk away with robust knowledge of this piece of the V&T route, as well as (hopefully) some new favorite wines.
Trains depart from the Eastgate Depot in Carson City and return to the starting point at the end of the event.
Toast of the Canyon
Eastgate Depot, 4650 Eastgate Siding Road, Carson City
775-686-9037 · Vtrailway.com
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