Railway Reflections Railroad Memorabilia Show & Sale

02-08-2008

 

MONTH-LONG INTERNATIONAL RAILROAD ART EXPOSITION

 

TO BENEFIT VIRGINIA & TRUCKEE RAILROAD RECONSTRUCTION

 

Inaugural Railway Reflections Features Train-Themed Arts, Film Festival, Culinary Events

(Carson City, Nev.) – Railway Reflections, a major international railroad art exposition, will be highballing its inaugural run into Carson City, Nev., with a series of themed events, July 17 through August 17, 2008. Designed to raise funds for the reconstruction of the world-famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the Expo is expected to attract renowned global artists and countless visitors, connoisseurs and aficionados.

 

A juried art show at the historic Nevada State Library Gallery will award prize money in various mediums: painting, sculpture, photography, and drawing. Calling on the long-held, nostalgic attraction of trains, artwork for the show must capture the magic of railroading while reflecting the history or future of all related items, including rolling stock, personnel, stations, signage and memorabilia. Pieces may be purchased by the public during the exhibit with a portion of the proceeds going to the V&T.

 

Artists’ submissions for the competition are due by May 14, 2008 with the show open to all artists 18 years and older. Visit www.railwayreflections.org for complete registration information and entry forms.

 

Along with the art show, the Expo will feature gourmet dinners and tastings, a film festival of train-themed movies, minting of a limited edition V&T medallion at the historic Carson City Mint, extravagant model train displays, performing arts, plays and concerts, a golf tournament, special train-themed beers and exclusive wines. Highlighting the culinary events are a black-tie gala at the Governor’s Mansion, an Ales for Rails beer tasting, and an Asian-themed dinner at the Nevada State Railroad Museum with a lecture on Chinese contributions to constructing the railroad.

 

During the Expo, a railroad memorabilia show and sale will be held July 26 – 27 in the State Library with the art show.

 

The V&T, the richest short-line in American history, is currently being rebuilt along its original 18-mile route between Carson City and Virginia City as a major tourism attraction for the area, with scheduled operation in 2011. The original V&T was privately funded and had all the finest appointments, from gold leaf and brass adorned locomotives to wooden coaches with the most luxurious interiors money could buy. The line brought entrepreneurs, gamblers and aristocrats to the Comstock. Along with the characters, the train carried the Mother Lode’s gold and silver that put Carson and Virginia City on the map. Tourism officials expect the train that forged the area’s fabled past to shape its promising future, with an assist from the arts.

 

Railway Reflections is the brainchild of Steven Saylor and Stephen Lincoln, trustees on the Northern Nevada Railway Foundation, the not-for-profit organization formed to raise funds to rebuild the V&T.

 

Early support for this event has been overwhelming with $120,000 in funding already pledged by the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, Lyon County and the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway. Sponsorship information is available by calling Saylor, 775-813-8935, for details. Donations to the reconstruction efforts can be made directly at steamtrain.org/donations.

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