“I want to see mountains again, Gandalf”

Today’s new header is from my expedition to Virginia City. “There and Back Again,” I should call it. “A Videographer’s Working Day.”

My purpose was to collect video I later could use to tell a story about preparation of a steam locomotive on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad. Passengers can board a V & T train in Virginia City and ride to Carson City, or vice versa. I wanted to know more about what takes place hours before such a trip and how the people who maintain and operate such specialized equipment learned the required skills.

Tom Gray of the V&T directed me to the engine house in Virginia City and advised me to get there at 5 or 6 a.m. I followed his directions and spent more than two hours with the crew as they prepared for the locomotive’s first route of the day. By the end of the week, I expect to have a video about the experience embedded on this website.

To make the most out of the 90-minute round trip from Reno, I stayed in town after the train departed for Carson City and practiced my photography and audio gathering skills. If I have enough time, I hope to put two Soundslides presentations on this site.