Railway museum mourns loss of its ‘social media sensation’ — a Nevada cat named Dirt
Fifteen years ago, workers at a Nevada railway museum stumbled on a lone orange and white kitten in an engine house.
The crew gained the little furball’s trust, and for years, it was business as usual with Dirt, short for Dirtbag, “doing his thing, while the shop guys did theirs,” the Nevada Northern Railway Museum in Ely said in a Jan. 11 Facebook post.
In 2018, however, Dirt took the internet by storm after his photo was posted on the railway’s Facebook page, the museum said.
“Dirt was a media and social media sensation, and Dirt knew it,” the museum said.
Dirt, who served as the museum’s mascot and was given the nickname the “King of the Shop,” died on Jan. 11, the museum said on its website.
“The machine shop and engine house won’t feel the same without him,” the museum said. “His last days were spent with the crew that loved him best.”
‘Rough-and-tough tom cat’
Years before capturing hearts on the internet, Dirt stole the hearts of those at the railway museum.
“It was live and let live,” the museum said. “The shop guys did their thing, and the little kitten did his thing.”
Dirt frequented the “the cab of a coal-fired steam locomotive,” the warmest place around, the museum said.
“There is coal dust everywhere,” the museum said.
This coal dust stuck to Dirt’s fur, which led to him being named “Dirtbag,” the museum said.
“As our visitors started discovering the shop’s cat, it was decided to shorten his name to Dirt,” the museum said.
Despite the noisy and dangerous environments, Dirt learned to navigate the lay of the land, “quickly figuring out where not to be when locomotives and cars were moving, or work was being performed,” the museum said.
Soon enough, the museum said Dirt became a “rough-and-tough tom cat,” ruling the shop and nearby neighborhood, all while “playing fetch with gophers and bats.”
“He hated being cleaned up, but loved being a railroader,” the museum said. “The shop knew he was special, and did what they could to protect him.”
Road to fame
Dirt’s road to fame all started with a photographer’s keen eye, the museum said.
“He (the photographer) laid down on the machine shop floor with his camera, and grabbed the shot with Dirt posing the whole time,” the museum said. “It was a great photo, but there are thousands of great photos out there. What Dirt needed was a publicist.”
The museum’s guest services manager shared this photo to the railway’s Facebook page, “and the rest, they say, is history.”
Dirt became so famous, many traveled “hundreds, if not thousands of miles” just to see him, the museum said.
“Who knew that a semi-feral cat, living at a National Historic Landmark Railroad, in the middle of the ‘Big Empty’ of Nevada, would become so famous?” the museum said. “We sure didn’t, but boy howdy did Dirt become famous!”
Dirt was soon featured in everything from The Washington Post to newspapers in Europe, according to the museum.
The museum even created Dirt merchandise, including pint glasses, shirts, stuffed animals and a Dirt-inspired coffee blend.
“As part of the experience at the Nevada Northern Railway, we offer scheduled guided tours of the machine shop and engine house,” the museum said. “Dirt knew the schedule.”
He would come to greet guests and wander off when the tour finished, the museum said.
“Dirt has fans that love him from all over the world. But we few at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum are the lucky ones,” the museum said. “We got to love him in person.”
Two life-sized bronze statues of Dirt will be made in his memory, the museum said. One will “serve as a gravestone,” while the other will be put in the machine shop, “so Dirt can continue watching over the shop.”
Ely is about 240 miles north of Las Vegas.
This story was originally published January 16, 2023 at 5:16 PM with the headline "Railway museum mourns loss of its ‘social media sensation’ — a Nevada cat named Dirt."
