V&T #22 meets.....V&T #22! The Conductor on McKeen Motor Car #22 stands in the gangway as his "train" holds the main loop track, awaiting the passage of Locomotive #22 "Inyo" and her short passenger train. Both are priceless artifacts from the original Virginia & Truckee Railway, having been delivered new to the line some 35 years apart.
Inyo was built in 1875 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA, and was the last of 5 V&T 4-4-0 engines that were built specifically for passenger service. Like many of her sisters, she was built as a woodburner, and converted to burn oil in the early 20th century. She remained at the V&T until 1937....a career of 62 years....before being sold to Paramount Studios, where she had a second career as a movie star. She was repatriated to Nevada and the State Railroad Museum in 1974.
In an effort to cut costs and reduce the need for steam-powered passenger trains, the Virginia & Truckee purchased the 70 foot long McKeen Motor Car #22 in 1910. Looking more like an antique boat than a railcar, and powered by a 200 hp gasoline-burning engine, this machine could carry 54 passengers as well as some baggage. Although it was originally envisioned for use on the Virginia City line, one trip up the hill proved that she was unsuitable for the tight curves and close clearances on that branch. The McKeen was pressed into service on the on the 15-mile Minden Branch, where she then served for many years. When passenger service declined in the 1930s, she was rebuilt as a Railway Post Office and ran daily service from Reno all the way to Minden. She was finally retired in 1945 and the body was sold off to become a diner for many years in Carson City. It later saw service as the front office of a plumbing supply house. The body was donated to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 1996 and later underwent a complete restoration, returning to service in 2010, literally 100 years after the car was acquired new.
