Sparks station

The Sparks station is a former passenger train station in Sparks, Nevada.

Sparks, NV
Former Amtrak inter-city rail station
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	39.5316°N 119.7519°W / 39.5316; -119.7519
Line(s)	Union Pacific
Platforms	1 side platform 1 island platform
Tracks	2
Construction
Parking	No
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	SPR
History
Opened	1904
Closed	May 2009
Original company	Southern Pacific
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Reno toward Emeryville California Zephyr Lovelock toward Chicago Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Reno toward Oakland Pier Overland Route Fernley toward Ogden
Location

After Southern Pacific acquired formal ownership of the Overland Route, they sought to realign the route east of Reno. The new alignment would require bypassing 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 yards at what would become Sparks.^[1] On July 4, 1904, Southern Pacific moved their division terminal from to what would become Sparks. Many of the town's buildings were loaded on flat cars and relocated to the new site.^[2]

Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) service commenced when the company assumed passenger operations in the United States in 1971.^[3] Sparks was served daily by the Amtrak California Zephyr, running once daily between Chicago, Illinois, and Emeryville, California (in the San Francisco Bay Area).^[4]

Sparks field office and tower, 2011

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. Although the California Zephyr still passes through Sparks, it no longer stops at the station. Amtrak Thruway bus services continue to stop nearby at Nugget Casino Resort. Freight operations continue under Union Pacific.

Union Pacific demolished the machine shop in 2024.^[5]