The 40 was built in 1910 by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia, PA for the Nevada Northern Railway. She's one of just a few remaining operable steam locomotives that were designed for passenger use, sporting 69" driving wheels that were clearly designed more for speed than power. Unfortunately, when diesel locomotives started becoming available to American railroads in the first half of the 20th century, the railroads typically replaced the steam engines on the passenger trains first. Diesels were not only more reliable, and required less maintenance, they also didn't shower the customers with soot and cinders, which was a real selling point. Accordingly, steam locomotives that were designed for passenger operations were retired in large numbers, long before anyone saw much value in preserving their history. For this reason very few of them survive. In the case of this one, it was the railroad crews in Ely that had the biggest hand in saving her. When passenger service ended in 1941, the days of the high-drivered 4-6-0s at NN were numbered. They survived for a few years as freight hogs, but they all met their end in the 1951-52 timeframe and the railroad went on a scrapping binge. The crews must have had a soft spot for the 40, because they managed to squirrel her away in the back of the engine house, out of view from senior management. She survived just long enough to be recognized as a historic treasure.