Dateline: 1972 Gerlach, NV

Fire_Moose · Post by **Fire_Moose** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 8:55 am

please, discuss

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 10:23 am

Them was the days, yes siree.

illy dilly · Post by **illy dilly** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:09 am

I think Burning Man should donate a new fire truck!

Trishntek · Post by **Trishntek** » Fri Mar 12, 2010 11:09 am

Reminds me of most of my young adult life in Wyoming. Volunteer fire and ambulance services got me started into the healthcare profession I enjoy today. Rugged individualism while watching each other's back was what life is like in places like this even today.

We even had party line telephones into the mid 1980's! When those calling cards from MCI came out for long distance, I remember buying one and then realizing we did not have the tone capability to use them, LOL!

It was brutal watching those McDonalds "Big Mac Attack" commercials on TV when the nearest one was 125 miles one way!

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Sat Mar 13, 2010 3:34 pm

Ugly Doughly wrote:Them was the days, yes siree.

Did you notice
Though kind of hard to tell but, No graffiti on the train cars
A caboose (crummy) (hack)etc Hell there was probably even a hobo or two
No breathing apparatus or helmets
Them was the days
(heavy sigh)

Kinetik V · Post by **Kinetik V** » Sat Mar 13, 2010 9:23 pm

$18,000 to buy the town from the Western Pacific...what a bargain! And worth every cent too, IMHO. That's a fascinating clip!

Seeing the empty passenger waiting area in the old station made me think its a shame someone couldn't charter a train to haul large art work out there and passengers as well....as the event continues to grow perhaps we could be talking about a real option. Union Pacific does have the ways and means to make such things happen for the right price. All one needs is a siding and $$$ and patience.

motskyroonmatick · Post by **motskyroonmatick** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:58 am

I think there is a double siding in Gerlach. I for one would love to take AMTRAK to Gerlach and meet my 20' container at my camp site.

Thecatman · Post by **Thecatman** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 11:18 am

There are a few sidings in Gerlach
but how would the contents of the container get to the playa?
or how would the container get unloaded from the flatcar? The railroads use special cranes these days
Amtrak takes snowbirds and their cars from New England to Florida for the winter

motskyroonmatick · Post by **motskyroonmatick** » Sun Mar 14, 2010 12:50 pm

There are large lift trucks that lift containers from trains and deposit them on flat bed trailers or container trailers. Some 20' containers can be handled by a large normal fork lift. There are already one or two of those on playa during the event. Then an over the road truck takes the container to it's destination. In this case a certain address on the playa. The container would be set on the ground so that the chassis or trailer could be used to haul more containers to the playa.
There would need to be a substantial asphalt or concrete pad right next to the tracks to accommodate the weight of the lift truck and a yard to store off loaded containers until they were taken to the playa.

I only live 10 hours from the event so it would be more practical to just truck in my container from here. As fuel prices climb it might turn in to a viable option although good preplanning would be necessary and taking large last minute items would be out with AMTRAK. No hauling of vehicles on AMTRAK trains around here yet.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 11:43 am

I don't think amtrak even goes there. No reason to between Reno and Chicago.

And the terms of amtrak's rentals of freight haulers' tracks kinda suck if you want to make a schedule.

motskyroonmatick · Post by **motskyroonmatick** » Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:51 pm

I have heard Amtrak does not run service at all on that track. I'm sure it would be a "seasonal thing" for the event if the demand was ever there.