This is “Dirt,” the cat from the Nevada Railway who always seems to need a bath
The “Loneliest Road in America” is where Nevada Railway is situated. You can capture a cat known as Dirt the Railway Cat right there.
So how did a filthy cat like Dirt acquire such a large following in the media? Although he does have very unique markings, he always gives off the impression that he has spent the entire day working on the tracks alongside the rest of the train staff.
In reality, Dirt’s permanent residence is the East Ely Railroad’s engine building. Actually, a stray mother cat that wandered onto the station gave birth to him more than 11 years ago. His mother gave birth to her kittens underneath one of the trains back in the way. To be accurate, it was a rotating snow plough made in 1907.
While the mother and Dirt’s other siblings had left, one particular kitten remained alone but was unwilling to leave. The train crew made the decision to provide the lonely kitten with a can of tuna every single night by leaving it on a chair. Dirt eventually become more and more confident and friendly over time!
On the steam-powered train, Dirt greatly loved climbing through the coal pines and rolling around on the engine house’s dirt floors. He got his moniker, DIRT, in this way!
Naturally, both the name and the coal stayed. Dirt was an orange and white cat when he was cleaner, but when he started rolling in the mud and getting on the train, his white fur started to get discoloured with grey patches.
Plus, at a very young age, Dirt learned not stop cleaning himself. Perhaps we wanted to look a little more like some of his human work-mates?
“Railroading was the second-most dangerous job in the world when our trains were being built. As a copper mining railroad, we performed the first and second riskiest tasks in the nation at the same time and location. Mining was the first most dangerous work.
Millions of tonnes of rock had to be moved by rail one hundred years ago before it could be melted down to create copper that would power the entire planet. When you look at vintage photographs of those men, it’s obvious from their eyes that they have tales to share. Dirt has that same look in his eyes when you look at him. – said one of the workers.
Dirt eventually gave birth to her own litter of kittens. Like her, the most of them were orange and white. These kittens were eventually gathered and placed in their own forever homes. However, Dirt stayed with her team!
When the museum started to use its own social media campaign, Dirt received a lot of attention, much like other animals that have become social media sensations. At that point, a photographer by the name of Steve Crise stepped and captured some incredible images of Dirt, making her the star she was meant to be!
Credit: ghost_train_of_old_ely
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