Can It Stay Alive? A Historic Western Railroad Town - Caliente Nevada

Caliente, Nevada both lives and dies by the life of the railroad. Today, this tiny town in the middle of nowhere is trying to find new life, nearly 30 years since the last passenger trains serviced the town.
0:00 - Intro
0:09 - First Settlers
0:28 - Culverwell Ranch
0:48 - Issues With the Railroad Coming to Town
1:48 - Union Pacific Train Rolls By
2:07 - Caliente Gets Its Name
2:25 - Caliente Rail Depot
4:19 - Boxcar Museum
4:49 - Decline Following Dieselisation
5:22 - Largest Employers
5:56 - Shift to Tourism and Parks
6:28 - Commercial Buildings, Churches, & Motels
7:23 - My Personal Thoughts on Caliente
#railroadtown #caliente #wildwest

[@roberthampton8682]

I had driven through Caliente a number of times, but never really paid that much attention to it. That was until January 2022, at around 11:30 at night, my wife and I were driving my truck on US93, pulling a small box trailer about 5 miles south of Caliente, when a wild horse walked out in front of us. I had installed a dash cam, before the trip, so looking at the footage, I had three seconds from the time the horse got on to the road, in front of us, and the time I hit it. I managed to drive to the right side of the lane, as far as I could, since there was no shoulder and the left front of my truck hit the rear end of the horse. I had to continue driving about 1/4 of a mile down the road before I could pull off and examine the damage. Since it was so late and the temperature was down to 27F, I wasn't about to walk back and check on it. I flagged a couple of cars going south and one of them was a BLM person. He followed us down to Caliente, to a gas station, where I was able to fill up. And we called the Nevada Highway Patrol. The BLM guy (can't remember his name) let us in to the BLM Offices and we were able to use the facilities. Once the NHP was done writing up the incident, he took off to see if he could find the horse and make sure it wasn't in the road. We drove my badly damaged truck the rest of the way home to Cedar City. And never did hear what happen to the horse. So, if you venture to Caliente at night, from the south, watch for the wild horses.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Good to know. I didn’t see any horses on my trip.

[@Rick-nc3hm]

I was 5 years old living in Caliente when my Dad worked in a mine near there. I am 72 so there is the math.

[@HarryPalmer-P.I.]

Thank you. I'm retired and considering relocating to the area.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Very quiet little town. People seemed friendly.

[@ulrichskaarsgard7848]

Amtrak's Desert Wind ceased in 1997. I worked for the UP and know Caliente well. Another "neat" place and not far from here is Modena, Utah just up the line. Thanks for making this.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I wish it was still an Amtrak line.

[@AllthingsVegas]

Got any other spots to railfan out here between LV and Milford, UT?

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Not sure about up that way, but down in the Kingman AZ area is good for rail fans.

[@ulrichskaarsgard7848]

@@AllthingsVegas The Cedar City UT Branch is really cool. At Iron Springs the line goes up the hill 13 miles to the comstock mine which still is actively producing Iron Ore. Utah SOuthern RR used to work this line. Also, just outside of Vegas near the Love's on 15 and 93 there are some bridges made from old UP flatcars. These are visible from 15.

[@AllthingsVegas]

@@ulrichskaarsgard7848 thanks for the tips

[@makeithappenvideos]

nice job.

[@EfficientRVer]

Good video, thanks. On some trips out west, I make sure to gas up in Caliente on my way to exploring some really remote places far from pavement in that area. Yes, going on very rugged unpaved roads is possible in a Prius. There are a number of aviation wrecks in undisclosed locations best reached via Caliente. Oddly, I sometimes stumble upon extremely unusual rocks of widely varying types, when hunting down the wrecks. If you do hike in the wilderness out there, watch where you step. It's not fun having your foot riveted to your sock and boot by a bunch of cactus spines from a pancake shaped cactus on the ground. But they say you remember places and experiences much better when in pain. I remember that particular hike very well. I was just barely able to pull the spines out of my foot and boot using the tiny tweezers of a Swiss Army knife. You won't catch me there again hiking without bigger tweezers, a Leatherman with pliers, or some nice little needle-nose pliers. It actually hurt less than you'd expect, after the initial shock of it.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Ouch! I have felt the pain of cacti in my leg multiple times. Not fun.

[@traceyweideman3512]

Nice video of my hometown. My dad was born here in 1941. He and my mom still live here. My dad was born in the basement of the house where he and my mom still live.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

That’s awesome!

[@NormanSilv]

Historic location. Been there for 12 decades. Should see 12 more too.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Very interesting history here.

[@kenclifford5556]

i was on the last trip of the desert wind from las vegas to salt lake city. we stopped there.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

What a cool experience! I wish they would bring back a Nevada line.

[@TonyKuehler]

I wonder how the depot restoration is being funded. I think the restoration is a great thing for a small town and am curious who had the foresight and the funds to make it happen.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Not sure. I know city offices used to be in there. I would imagine there are grants to help.

[@gordybishop2375]

Sadly I bypass this town going between LV and Ely. Use the 312 and 6. Saves an hour and better road, less elevation

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Barren roads no matter which way you go

[@gordybishop2375]

@@RuralRoadtripper much faster though.

[@reneastle8447]

I can write a novel taking place in Caliente, Nevada.

[@gordybishop2375]

Radio Shack….how old is this video…lol

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Filmed this spring, believe it or not!