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Two life-size bronze statues are to be created of Dirt, a semi-feral cat who shot to fame after he was photographed on the Nevada Northern Railway.
The Nevada Northern Railway Museum announced that its beloved shop cat had passed away at the age of 15 on Tuesday of this week.
Dirt was discovered as a kitten in the railroad’s locomotive shop in 2008 and was taken in by the shop crews who provided him with food and eventually took him to a vet for a checkup.
He quickly made the cabs of the railroad’s steam locomotives his home, earning him his nickname ‘Dirtbag’ which was later shortened to simply ‘Dirt’.
Dirt, a semi-feral cat who became an internet sensation has passed away at 15
The orange and white cat resided at the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada
Dirt, a railway cat, was an unofficial employee of Nevada Northern Railway
A photo of him posted on social media went viral and brought international attention to the museum, with Dirt becoming as much of an attraction as the museum’s steam locomotives.
Despite his fame, Dirt remained a semi-feral cat and was known to avoid baths.
The two bronze statues that will be created in his honor will see one serving as his gravestone and the other placed in the machine shop so he can continue to watch over the premises.
The history of the railway was literally engrained in fur of the kitty as he loved nothing more than rolling in the coal dust left on the engine house floor, giving him his distinctive sooty style.
The 15-year-old cat became a permanent resident of the area, as he enjoyed rolling around in the coal dust left on the engine floor
The organization Dirt lived with features some of the United States’ oldest steam engines
Dirt’s legacy will be honored with two bronze statues at the museum
His internet fame brought many visitors to the small town of Ely and even inspired other railway museums to adopt their own shop cats
Dirt is seen alongside one of his food bowls at the museum shop where he lived
Part-pet, part-employee, and part brand-ambassador, Dirt would often spend his days wandering or sleeping in the large shop complex, but employees say he would always come out to see visitors during the daily 2:30pm shop tour.
When the tour was over and the guests got their fill of the famous cat, he’d go back to his hiding spot.
Although Dirt was unusually friendly, the one thing he didn’t like was being cleaned.
Railroad officials said that Dirt was buried near the East Ely depot.
His gravesite sits opposite where the locomotives sat prior to departure, giving him a view of the yard.
‘Dirt has fans that love him from all over the world. But we few at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum are the lucky ones. We got to love him in person,’ the railroad’s employees wrote. ‘Dirt was one-of-kind.’
Dirt made himself at home as seen in this particular snap of him nestled in the machinery
The dusty engine floor inspired his name Dirt because he has a distinctive sooty look
Dirt made his own home among the employees at the station 15 years ago
Dirt was reportedly born at the railway station and then abandoned so he made his own home among the employees at the station
Dirt, who had lived in the locomotive repair shop of the Nevada Northern Railway for 15 years, was front and center of the museum tours and had fans from all around the world
‘We had a family fly over from China to LA, to Las Vegas, rent a car and drive to Ely to see Dirt,’ Nevada Northern Railway President Mark Bassett said to the Las Vegas Review Journal. ‘And it’s like, he’s a cat! He’s not on display.’
Ely, a town of 4,000 is a four-hour drive from Las Vegas.
‘He became famous, and he knew he was famous,’ he said.
Guests would meet Dirt after riding the train at the museum and touring the machine shop.
As soon as Dirt would hear the words ‘This is the machine shop,’ he would appear.
‘Here came Dirt. And when Dirt came, the tour stopped because everyone had to get their picture with Dirt,’ Bassett said.
‘Yes, we took him to the vet, but we didn’t own him,’ Con Trumbull, a trainmaster at the railway said to the Review Journal. ‘He stuck around on his own terms and left at any time. The doors are always open, and you can just walk away and never come back. So everybody just thinks he’s a pet. He wasn’t, and 15 years for a semi-feral shop chat — that’s pretty darn good.’
When it came to souvenirs of the railway, those featuring Dirt sold best.
‘One of our fellow museums back east put in their posts that Dirt was the inspiration for them to adopt a cat and make him their shop mascot,’ Trumbull said.
‘Dirt started a trend, not just here, but nationwide where museums found a brand new tool to bring people to their historic programs, which is a pretty great legacy for him to have.’
Dirt is seen sitting on the laps of workers in the museum shop at the railroad
Dirt is pictured rolling around on the floor of the train shop in Ely, Nevada
Due to social media, Dirt has acquired a fan base around the world who enjoy seeing pictures of the cat around the area
‘He was an ambassador not just for the railroad but for rural Nevada, bringing people to rural Nevada and exploring their public lands and getting back into small town America,’ Trumbull said.
‘Dirt was born in our engine house 15 years ago, his mom was a stray cat that got into the building, had some kittens, and once they were done nursing, mom and the other kittens left and ran off,’ explained Eric Mencis, Dirt’s spokesperson and head of guest services at Nevada Northern Railway.
‘Dirt was left behind all alone hiding under our 1907 rotary snowplough, a giant steam powered snow blower for trains.
‘He was too timid to come out so the crews left a can of tuna out every night for him — by morning it was always gone.’
‘Dirt soon got used to us and got his name because he was always rolling in the muck in the back of our engine house, that area of the building has a floor made of regular dirt and also cinders from our locomotives over the years — it seemed like the natural choice and it sure suited him.
‘Growing up in the 100-year-old rail yard, Dirt gained a personality,’ Mencis said.
People have been known to make a 400-mile round trips just to catch sight of Dirt, staff say
Dirt was famous for not taking a bath. Still, it’s believed his sooty coat helped keep him clean
Despite being semi-feral, DIrt would allow himself to be photographed with shop workers
‘You can look into his eyes and see that he is an old railroad man who has many stories to tell.
‘He walked around like he owns the place — I suppose he does in a way — and is fiercely proud of his crew and his trains.
‘It’s often noted that he walks around like he is inspecting the trains and making sure not a bolt is lost or a bearing incorrectly oiled. Many see him as an old soul from a railroader born into a cat.
‘He is like the John Wayne of cats — he is tough, a little chubby, has his distinct walk and an imposing air.
‘But when it comes to people he was as friendly and as loving as a cat can be.’
The railway has a second rescue orange tabby known as Dirt Jr. or DJ who will now be around to greet visitors.
The railway has a second rescue orange tabby known as Dirt Jr. or DJ who will now be around to greet visitors
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