Rockland Siding NV

Rockland Siding, NV

Rockland siding is a bit of a mystery. It's located along the Western Pacific tracks a short distance east of Spruce. The only mention of Rockland that I could find is on the USGS topographic map. It's not even included in Shawn Hall's excellent book on the railroad stops and stage stations of Elko County, "Connecting the West".

There is a large gravel quarry at the site, and foundations remain of some of the equipment and facilities used to separate, process, and load this material still remain. I'm guessing that this site may have been used to produce ballast for the railroad.

I visited Rockland Siding, NV in September 2024.

Concrete foundations for machinery mark the site of this former gravel quarry. The hill in the background is a pile of waste material --dirt and rocks too small to be of use. There was once a conveyor belt to carry the material to the top of the pile.

Large gravel lies among the foundations of the processing equipment. This gravel matches the gravel used as ballast on the Union Pacific tracks nearby. This is why I believe this quarry was supplying ballast for the railroad.

Another view of the one concrete foundation.

Another view of the concrete foundations.

In this area there are foundations of a loading facility. There are also traces of a spur track. Empty hopper cars would be positioned here for loading.

In this area there are foundations of a loading facility. I'm not sure about these large planks on the ground. The ground here looks like it gets pretty muddy when wet, so the planks may have been a walkway.

Here's another view of the former loading area. On the waste pile is a support for the conveyor that was used to move material to the top of the pile.

This view from the waste pile shows the foundations of the loading facility. A spur track passed through between the foundations and the base of the pile. There may have been another track on the other side of the foundation, where the planks are now.

Another view from atop the waste pile. In the foreground is a support for the conveyor system. More large, ballast-sized gravel is spilled around the foundations of the loading facility. The entrance to the quarry is just barely visible in the upper right.

In this view from the top of the waste pile, it appears that there were two spur tracks passing through the loading facility.

This rusted roller was part of the conveyor system.

An explosive bunker, aka powder magazine, is located a short distance away from the quarry site.

The interior of the explosives bunker.

Ghost Towns, Mines, and More!

#ghosttowns, #mines, #mill #California, #exploring, #adventure, #abandoned, #ruins