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Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 11, the "Reno", is a surviving 4-4-0, "American"-type steam locomotive. It is one of three largely identical 4-4-0 locomotives built by Baldwin for the railroad, the others being the Genoa and the Inyo, and one of four V&T 4-4-0's preserved (the aforementioned three as well as the Dayton). The engine is one of Hollywood's most prodigious Flanged Star, starring in over 120 films, commercials, and television episodes starting in 1937. Today, the 2nd oldest surviving example of the Baldwin 4-4-0 type is undergoing restoration at her original home in Virginia City, Nevada.
Virginia & Truckee #11 was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plant in May 1872. The locomotive was received by the V&T and inaugurated as the "Reno" in July of that same year, hauling passenger trains between Steamboat Springs and the Central Pacific Railroad connection in Reno, Nevada. [1] [2] That same year, she would run an Officer Special from Reno to the State Capital of Carson City, Nevada, inaugurating through service from the mines of the Comstock Lode & later "Big Bonanza" to the investors of San Franscisco and beyond. [2] [1]
As the first true passenger locomotive of the fleet, the Reno would be used almost every day handling passenger trains between Virginia City, Carson, & Reno from 1872 until 1902. [2] Despite the arrival of V&T 4-4-0's #12, 17, 18, & 22, the Reno would remain a constant sight on the railroad running everything from local passenger services to crack expresses. The Reno would see most of her milage on the head-end of the "Lightning Express", a daily overnight passenger service between Virginia City and the Central Pacific's ferry terminal in Vallejo, California where passengers would then take a ferry to San Francisco. Such was the wealth of the Comstock Lode that Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, & Herbert Hoover all visited the town either as president or shortly thereafter. [3]
Like many of her contemporaries, the Reno would see many alterations to her appearance as the tastes and technology of the times changed. The Reno would receive Westinghouse Air Brake Company patented straight air in 1874 & Miller platform couplers in 1878. [2] Her stacks would also change as shown in her many photographs.
In 1902, the Reno was upgraded with Tower Couplers and Westinghouse Automatic Air per Interstate Commerce Commission orders. [2] In 1907, the Reno would be the first V&T engine to make the jump from wood/coal firing to burning fuel oil. From there, she would continue to see regular revenue service, even after daily passenger service got axed in 1924.
By 1934, the "Reno" was no longer in regular service due to her worn-out condition and lack of funds by the V&T. But she would still be instrumental in the railroad's story. In 1937, it was rented to Universal Films Corporation for an unreleased episode of Bob Baker's "Singing Cowboy" Series. On June 4, 1938, the Reno would haul the last freight train into Virginia City with author & historian Ted Wurm as her brakeman. The next day, she would pull the California-Nevada excursion along with locomotive 27. One of her passengers was a teenaged Bob Gray who would later revive the railroad. [1] [2] [3] In July of that same year, she would pull the last two trains from Carson City to Virginia City. In September 1938, V&T #11 was rented to Paramount Studios for use in the movie "Union Pacific". There, she was wrecked during setup for a scene after the ropes attaching the 1872 Baldwin to the crane snapped and she rolled. The locomotive was returned to the V&T after multiple shoppings in 1939. [2]
The #11 was last operated on the V&T in 1943 and subsequently sold to Loew's Inc./Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1945.
While in MGM's care, the locomotive would be used in 28 films and television episodes including Annie Get Your Gun (film), Union Pacific (TV series), The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), & Rawhide (TV series). [2]
In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental railroad, the Reno would be dressed as engine 119 for the festivities with her sister #12 playing the part of the Jupiter. [2]
In 1970, the locomotive was sold to Old Tucson Studios where she would continue her Hollywood projects like Wild Wild West, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Tombstone (film), Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, and more. [2] She would shoot her final movie with Old Tucson in 2015.
In 2021, the "Reno" was purchased from Old Tucson by the Virginia & Truckee Railroad with plans to restore the locomotive to operable condition. [4] [2]
Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Comstock Lode is a lode of silver ore located under the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range in Virginia City, Nevada, which was the first major discovery of silver ore in the United States and named after American miner Henry Comstock.
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad is a privately owned heritage railroad, headquartered in Virginia City, Nevada. Its private and publicly owned route is 14 miles (23 km) long. When first constructed in the 19th century, it was a commercial freight railroad which was originally built to serve the Comstock Lode mining communities of northwestern Nevada.
The Carson and Colorado Railway was a U.S. 3 ft narrow gauge railroad that ran from Mound House, Nevada, to Keeler, California, below the Cerro Gordo Mines. It was incorporated on May 10, 1880, as the Carson and Colorado Railroad, and construction on the railroad began on May 31, 1880. The narrow gauge track was chosen to reduce cost. Much of the route now parallels U.S. Route 95 Alternate, U.S. Route 95, Nevada State Route 360, U.S. Route 6, and U.S. Route 395.
Carson City is a 1952 American Western film directed by Andre de Toth and starring Randolph Scott, Lucille Norman, and Raymond Massey.
John William Mackay was an Irish-American industrialist who rose from rags to riches. Born into abject poverty and raised in the slums of New York City, Mackay became one of the four Bonanza Kings, a partnership which capitalized on the wealth generated by the silver mines at the Comstock Lode in Nevada, making him one of the richest Americans in his time. He also headed a telegraph business that laid transatlantic cables, and he helped finance the New York, Texas and Mexican Railway Company. His granddaughter Ellin Berlin was the wife of Irving Berlin.
Mound House is a small unincorporated community in Lyon County, Nevada on U.S. Route 50 that is situated between Nevada's capital, Carson City, and Dayton. Its elevation is 4,974 feet (1,516 m). It is in Lyon County, one of eight Nevada counties that allow for legalized prostitution, and is home to four brothels.
Gold Hill is an unincorporated community in Storey County, Nevada, located just south and downhill of Virginia City.
The Francis G. Newlands Home is a historic house at 7 Elm Court in Reno, Nevada, United States. Built in 1890, it is the mansion of former United States Senator Francis G. Newlands (1846–1917), a driving force in passage of the 1902 Newlands Reclamation Act. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. The house is privately owned and is not open to the public.
The Virginia and Truckee 18 Dayton is a historic standard gauge steam locomotive on display in Sacramento, California. It spent its working life on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad.
Julia Bulette, was an English-born American prostitute in Virginia City, Nevada, a boomtown serving the Comstock Lode silver mine. She was murdered in 1867 and a French drifter named John Millain was quickly convicted and hanged for the crime. Subsequent legends surrounding Julia's life and status as a sex worker and madam have grown over time and become a part of Virginia City folklore.
Glenbrook is a 2-6-0, Mogul type, narrow-gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1875 for the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company's 3 ft Lake Tahoe narrow-gauge railroad.
AbrahamVan Santvoord Curry is considered the founding father of Carson City, Nevada. A native of the state of New York, he traveled to the West Coast during the California Gold Rush and settled in Nevada's Eagle Valley, where Carson City was established.
Eagle Valley is the area encompassing Carson City, Nevada. The valley was first settled during the California Gold Rush of 1849. The discovery of Nevada's Comstock Lode in 1859 established the economic importance of the area, which would become the site of the Nevada State Capitol.
Virginia and Truckee Railroad Engine No. 27 is a historic standard gauge steam locomotive. It was on display at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, Nevada, but was traded with The Dayton and is currently on display at the Comstock History Center in Virginia City. It was the last locomotive acquired new by the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, and pulled the last commercial train for the V&T on May 31, 1950, the date that freight and passenger services officially terminated for the company. The locomotive was placed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its association with the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and transportation development in Nevada.
Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 22, also known as the "Inyo", is a 4-4-0 "American" type steam locomotive that was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1875 and pulled both passenger and freight trains. The Inyo weighs 68,000 lb (31,000 kg). Its 57 in (140 cm) driving wheels deliver 11,920 lb (5,410 kg) of tractive force. In 1877 it was fitted with air brakes and in 1910 it was converted to burn oil rather than wood.
The Virginia & Truckee (V&T) Railroad Depot of Carson City, Nevada, is a historic railroad station that is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It is significant for its association with the economically important role of the V&T railroad historically in Carson City following discovery of the Comstock Lode mine in 1859. To a lesser degree, according to its NRHP nomination, the depot building is also significant architecturally "as a well-preserved example of a wood-frame passenger depot procured from a railroad company pattern book within the V&T's former sphere of operation."
The King–McBride Mansion, at 26-28 S. Howard St. in Virginia City, Nevada, is a historic Italianate-style house that was built in 1876, not long after the "Great Fire" in October, 1875. Also known as King House, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company (C&TL&F) was formed to move lumber from trees growing along the shore of Lake Tahoe to the silver mines of the Comstock Lode. Between 1872 and 1898 C&TL&F transferred 750 million board foot of lumber logged from 80,000 acres (32,000 ha) of virgin timberland.
Virginia and Truckee Railroad No. 12, nicknamed Genoa, is a 4-4-0 American steam locomotive built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in January 1873 for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. She is one of three largely identical 4-4-0 locomotives built by Baldwin for the railroad, the others being the Reno and the Inyo, and one of four V&T 4-4-0's preserved.