# 2014 Nevada/Mojave mines and ghost towns



## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

I finally finished posting a report on my latest adventure, exploring old mines and ghost towns in Nevada and the Mojave desert:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Nevada_Trip_2014_Part_One.html

Lots of good modeling reference here, especially mines, mills, etc. Railroad-related items of interest include a cabin made from a narrow gauge box car at Buckhorn Mine, and a wooden Las Vegas & Salt Lake RR caboose at Rhyolite.

Sites I visited this year include:

Viking Mine, CA
Buckhorn Mine, CA
Saline Valley, CA
Gray Eagle Mine, CA
Bunker Hill Mine, CA
North Star Mines, NV
Black Hawk Mine, NV
Silver Gulch Mine, NV
Belleville, NV
Reward Mine, NV
Warner Corral, NV 
Gunmetal Mine, NV
Turquoise Bonanza Mine, NV
Simon, NV
Rawhide Ranch, NV
Illinois Mill, NV
Illinois Mine, NV
Quartz Mountain and the San Rafael Mine, NV
Broken Hills Mine, NV
West Lodi Mine, NV
Victory Mine, NV
Buffalo Summit, NV
Knickerbocker, NV
Ione, NV
Pigeon Springs, NV
Sylvania Mountain Mine, NV
Log Spring, NV
Olsen's Folly, NV
Willow Spring, CA
Bonnie Claire, NV
Thorp's Well, NV
Rhyolite, NV
Death Valley Junction, CA
Danby, CA

I've also added a lot of new photos to my Modeler's Resource pages:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/Modelers_Resource.html

These are images of weathered wood, metal, steel drums, and much more -- all great reference for modeling and weathering.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Neat pix Ray. I always like your articles.


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## tmejia (Jan 2, 2008)

Very enjoyable pictures and descriptions Ray.
Thanks

Tommy
Rio Gracie


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## Naptowneng (Jun 14, 2010)

Great collection Ray, and fun adventuring I am sure

Thanks

Jerry


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Ray thanks for sharing your pictures of your trip very interesting. Have you ever found any old mining cars. pete


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

pete said:


> Ray thanks for sharing your pictures of your trip very interesting. Have you ever found any old mining cars. pete


Thanks Pete. I have not yet found any left behind at the mines -- anything like that would have been snatched up long ago. However, I do have many photos of mine cars on display at museums, etc. For instance there are several at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, and also at the Central Nevada Museum in Tonopah. I've also seen some in Goldfield, NV and Shoshone, CA and at the Eagle Mine in Julian, CA.

There are some folks braver and better equipped than I, who have explored the depths of these old mines. I've seen some of their photos, and they find all kinds of stuff in the deep. Mine cars, muckers, and even boxes of very dangerous, "sweaty", old dynamite.


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## pete (Jan 2, 2008)

Old dynamite bad!!!


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Very interesting, thanks for sharing Ray!


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## rntfrmme (May 23, 2013)

Ray,

I share your passion for exploring ghost towns. If you get the chance go to Delamar, a few miles south and east of Caliente Nevada. Two Cemeteries and lots to see.

Bill


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

rntfrmme said:


> Ray,
> 
> I share your passion for exploring ghost towns. If you get the chance go to Delamar, a few miles south and east of Caliente Nevada. Two Cemeteries and lots to see.


Yep, been there a couple times so far. I only saw one cemetery though -- I'll have to go look for the other one next time I'm in that area.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Ray,
Have you ever thought of doing a seminar or two on your adventures at a National Garden Railway Convention? I have 3 large clinic rooms and a lecture hall lined up for the entire week of the 2016 NGRC in Santa Clara. I've been thinking that one of the "tracks" would be on prototypes. What you've been doing is outstanding and I think it would be great to share some of your stuff "live" with the garden railroad community. You could do a Powerpoint presentation… We would have to talk...

Russ Miller
2016 NGRC Chairman
2014 BAGRS President
#NGRC2016


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

Russ, I would love to do that. Unfortunately Cris' health issues extremely limit my ability to travel. Just getting the five days a year for my Nevada trips is tricky.


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

BTW, one of the more amusing things I saw on this trip was an open-air toilet made from a small steel drum (looked like about 20-30 gallons), with a toilet seat bolted to it, and handles made from horseshoes:



















I can't help wondering why it needed handles -- perhaps to keep the user from "blasting off"??

I may try modeling one of these for a mine on my railroad. An O-scale 55-gallon drum would probably be just about the right size in 1/24th.


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## SD90WLMT (Feb 16, 2010)

Dig a fresh hole and move the affair twice a month!!

Looks great Ray...don't forget the hanging aroma scent!

Dirk


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

I'm not sure if you folks are aware of this site: (mining data)
http://www.mindat.org/
Go by locality (Counties have lists of mine names), mine name and/or Mineral. you can get history and topos and Links!
Ray has given all y'all (plural) a great list of names to start with.

I've gleaned a lot of local history through this portal, besides they have cool pics of minerals....

I've checked out most of the old mines in a 40 mile circle around here. Some are in trafficking areas and I leave them alone..... bewarned.

John (my nick comes from a local mine I walked and crawled through, rocks from it grace my layout)


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

pete said:


> Old dynamite bad!!!


On the south side of Tucson there is a huge white scar on a big hill. Entering from the other side they found boxes of sweating dynamite (nitro glycerin).
Too dangerous to even get near they had to blow it up, ended up blowing off the side of the mountain!

I've found rails in a couple of mines, but little else. Would have taken cutting tools to retrieve, maybe my next life.
John


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Ray Dunakin said:


> BTW, one of the more amusing things I saw on this trip was an open-air toilet made from a small steel drum (looked like about 20-30 gallons), with a toilet seat bolted to it, and handles made from horseshoes:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



It needs a plunger with TP stacked on the handle, you could reach that from your perch. Good thing I thought of this before you got caught with your pants down!


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi Ray: Thanks for your work on this essay. This is fun to go thru. Trying to convince my wife to take a few days next time we go up to Reno to collect our son at UNR. 

The museum in Tonopah is very interesting. From the pictures in the museum, I was surprised how big some of those mining towns were at there peaks. Goldfield and Rhyolite were almost cities at one time.

Thanks again, Bob


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