The Sparks station is a former passenger train station in Sparks, Nevada. The city of Sparks was established to furnish the Southern Pacific shops which were established at the site. Passenger service to the station lasted from 1904 to 2009.
Sparks, NV | |||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) A westbound California Zephyr at Sparks, 1998. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Nugget Avenue, east of 11th Street SP/UP Rail Yard Sparks, Nevada 89431 United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 39°31′54″N 119°45′07″W / 39.5316°N 119.7519°W | ||||||||||||||||||||
| System | Former Amtrak inter-city rail station | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Line | Union Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Platforms | 1 side platform 1 island platform | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tracks | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Parking | No | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Accessible | yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Station code | SPR | ||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | June 19, 1904 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | May 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Original company | Southern Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Official name | Southern Pacific Railroad Yards | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference no. | 189 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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History
editAfter Southern Pacific acquired formal ownership of the Overland Route, they sought to realign the line east of Reno. The original tracks of the first transcontinental railroad had been laid along what became Prater Way due to flooding along the builders' anticipated route.[1] The new alignment would additionally bypass Wadsworth, where the railroad had sited its division terminal and shops. Thus, the company acquired a swampy tract on the line in 1902 and built up the land to construct the rail yards at what would become Sparks.[2][3] The Wadsworth depot was dismantled and reassembled on the new site.[4] On June 19, 1904, Southern Pacific formally moved their division terminal to Sparks.[5][6] Many of Wadsworth's buildings were loaded on flat cars and relocated to the new site, as the company offered its employees plots of land for a nominal fee of $1.[2]
Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) service commenced when the company assumed passenger operations in the United States in 1971.[7] Sparks was served daily by the Amtrak California Zephyr, running once daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area).[8]
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In May 2009, the station was closed because of its proximity to Reno (three track miles [4.8 km] to the west). Safety issues also played a part, as the former station was in a freight yard and what appears to be the station building is actually a Union Pacific yard office.[citation needed] Although the California Zephyr still passes through Sparks, it no longer stops at the station and freight operations continue under Union Pacific. Amtrak Thruway bus services stop nearby at the Nugget Casino Resort.
Union Pacific demolished the machine shop in 2024.[9]
See also
edit- Streetcars in Reno, Nevada – The Reno–Sparks streetcar line terminated outside of the station shops
References
edit- ↑ Myrick 1992, p. 13.
- 1 2 Myrick 1992, p. 33.
- ↑ "The Great Race to Promontory". Union Pacific Railroad. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- ↑ Myrick 1992, pp. 23, 36.
- ↑ Myrick 1992, p. 36.
- ↑ "Celebration at Sparks". Nevada State Journal. Reno, Nevada. June 21, 1904. p. 5. Retrieved April 28, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Nationwide Schedules of Intercity Passenger Service". The Museum of Railway Timetables. Amtrak. May 1, 1971. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ↑ "Amtrak System Timeteble". The Museum of Railway Timetables. Amtrak. October 27, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ↑ Justis, Faith (March 12, 2025). "Update: Union Pacific dropping off last of machine shop bricks this week". 2News. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
Bibliography
edit- Myrick, David F. (1992). Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California. Vol. I: The Northern Roads (Revised ed.). Reno, Nevada: University of Nevada Press. ISBN 0-87417-193-8.
External links
edit
Media related to Sparks (Amtrak station) at Wikimedia Commons- Sparks, NV – Amtrak
- Sparks, NV – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
- Sparks Amtrak Station (USA Rail Guide – TrainWeb)
- Sparks Amtrak Station at RailCards.com
- Sparks Intermodal Facility – Union Pacific
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