(The following news release was issued by the Truckee-Donner Chamber of Commerce on May 22.)
TRUCKEE, Calif. — “A railroad, fellow citizens, is a machine and one of the most beautiful and perfect of labor-saving machines. It well suits the energy of the American people. They love to go ahead fast and to go with power. They love to annihilate the magnificent distances,” so said an executive in his exuberance at the completion of the railroads in the late 1800s.
Originally known as Gray’s Station after the first white settler Joe Gray, the year 1863 saw the beginning of the railroad, a new stage company, and the birth of Truckee as a town, and it retains most of its historic flavor today. In honor of its origins, historic Truckee will celebrate all things railroad during Truckee Railroad Days from 10am to 5pm, September 6 and 7, 2003. The event allows visitors to tour railroad cars, historic and new, and this year they’ll get the chance to view four private luxury cars, along with the California Zephyr.
In these days of airplanes and e-mail, it’s easy to forget what an important role the railroad played in uniting the distant corners of the United States. Crews braved weather, Indians and petty politics to lay the railroad tracks for the mighty locomotives that would soon roar across the country. Truckee Railroad Days is an opportunity to re-live the glory days of the railroad through tours, an extensive model train and garden railway exhibit, wild west reenactment shows and gun slinging by the Railroad Regulators, an appearance by Mark Twain (McAvoy Lane), live music, handcar races and more. And, to top off the weekend, there will be a Saturday pancake breakfast, a parade through downtown Truckee, a pancake breakfast, a firehouse chili cook-off, a children’s carnival, and more. For information on Railroad Days, visit www.truckeerailroaddays.com or call (530) 546-1221.
Truckee is located just 40 miles from the Reno/Tahoe International Airport, two hours from Sacramento, three hours from San Francisco with easy access off Interstate 80, and just around the corner from beautiful Lake Tahoe. A variety of lodging properties are available, including hotels, condominiums and historic bed & breakfasts. For more information on Truckee, contact the Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce at (530) 587-2757 or visit www.truckee.com.