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Pequop, Nevada facts for kids

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Pequop, Nevada
Exit for Pequop along I-80
Exit for Pequop along I-80
Country United States
State Nevada
County Elko
Area
 • Total 2.48 sq mi (6.42 km2)
 • Land 2.48 sq mi (6.42 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
6,142 ft (1,872 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 709
 • Density 286/sq mi (110.3/km2)
Time zone UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-7 (PDT)
Area code(s) 775
FIPS code 32-53200
GNIS feature ID 856101

Pequop, also known as Pequop Siding, is a ghost town in Elko County, Nevada, United States. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, and few or no people live there anymore. Pequop was once an important stop for trains on the Central Pacific Railroad and later the Southern Pacific Railroad. It was located near the Pequop Mountains, between the towns of Cobre and Wells.

Pequop: A Nevada Ghost Town

Pequop was first established as a stop for the Central Pacific Railroad. Later, it became a non-agency station for the Southern Pacific Railroad. This means it was a place where trains could stop, but it didn't have a full-time station agent. Several buildings were built there to house the crews who worked on the railroad tracks.

A Stop on the Railroad

In November 1870, Pequop Siding was the site of a train robbery. A train that had already been robbed once was targeted again here. This event shows that Pequop was a place where things happened, even if it was a small railroad stop.

The End of the Line

Pequop became a ghost town in the 1940s. This happened because of a big change in how trains worked. Locomotives, which are the engines that pull trains, started using diesel fuel instead of steam. Diesel locomotives could travel much longer distances without needing to stop for water or fuel as often. This made many smaller railroad stops, like Pequop, no longer necessary. As a result, people moved away, and Pequop became a ghost town.

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