Before automobiles and paved highways, local businessman D. L. Bliss sought a way to bring people to his new Tahoe Tavern hotel, so he formed the Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation Company to build and operate a railroad connection between Truckee and Tahoe City. By 1902, visitors were traveling in passenger cars along 15 miles of narrow gauge track directly to a trestle pier at Tahoe City. Another 25 years passed before a major railroad arrived. The Linnard Steamship Company and Southern Pacific Railroad then replaced the narrow gauge rails with standard gauge, allowing passengers to make their entire trip without changing trains in Truckee. Trains ran throughout the year, and visitors came to Lake Tahoe on "Snowball Specials" for winter sporting events. As roads improved and automobiles became more affordable, fewer people took the train to Tahoe City. During World War II, the tracks were finally dismantled and the metal rails recycled for the war effort.