Nevada Ghost Town - Sand Pass

		Sand Pass
MAP		40.25822 N, 119.78099 W USGS Sand Pass Quad
VISITED		September 14, 2013 Our breakfast: Eggs at Great Thyme Kitchen in Fernley Our dinner: Burgers at Bruno's Country Club in Gerlach
DIRECTIONS		Take US 50 / 50A west from Fallon for 27.3 miles; continue west for 3.2 miles on Main St in Fernley as it swings north and becomes SR 427 and intersects SR 447; make sharp right onto SR 447 and continue north for 14.9 miles; turn left onto SR 446 and travel for 13.1 miles; continue north on SR 445 for 11.8 miles; continue noth on Suprise Valley Rd for 31.9 miles. From Fallon: 102 miles
WHAT WAS		Sand Pass was a maintenance station for a section of the UP/WP railroad. Requesting Establishment of Agency Station at Sand Pass Nevada Complaint was received January 7 1916 from CR Bell that the Western Pacific Railway failed to give adequate station at Sand Pass Nevada The matter was taken up with the company on January 17 1916 the Commission was advised that the station Sand Pass would be kept open and one operator placed there March complainant again asked for the building of a station and the establishment of an agent instead of the telegraph operator March 21 Commission notified complainant that it considered the present adjustment satisfactory Further correspondence followed and finally the complainant was notified under date of August 16 1916 that if he was satisfied he must make formal complaint and hearing would be held Up to the time of closing this report no formal complaint has received. -Biennial Reports of the Railroad and Public Service Commissions, Case No 356 "On November 11, 1921, a petition was filed by the citizens in the vicinity of Sand Pass asking that a railroad station be opened at that point. Correspondence with the company resulted in the opening of a station on December 21, 1921." - Citizens of Sand Pass v. Western Pacific Railroad Co., C-777, Biennial Report, By Nevada. Railroad and Public Services Commission
POST OFFICE		None
NEWSPAPER		None
WHAT IS		Now home to some big radio tower thingie (WNTQ264) owned by Union Pacific. Once owned by Western Pacific, now owned by Union Pacific, I know that men used to live here to maintain this section of track, because my Friend Jose worked here after high school in the early 70s. Maybe some train buffs can fill us in on more of the history. Right now it's just two wrecked, empty houses. Speaking trains in the desert, while they're going pretty slow around Sand Pass, they get to honking right along on the straight stretches. You can't check a crossing too carefully. The good thing is that one moment you'll be driving along not paying attention and they next you'll be staring at a guy who looks like St. Peter asking, Yo! How YOU doin!"?? You probably won't feel a thing. Check out http://www.blackrocknevada.info/train-safety.html
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