V&T Survivor: Number Twenty Five. From the line's inception in 1869, to its demise in 1950, the original Virginia & Truckee bought a total of 27 brand new locomotives. Twenty four of those were purchased in just the first 7 years of operation, and the railroad got their money's worth out of them. The first two dozen worked the mines of the Comstock Region for over 35 years. By the early 1900s, the mining business was on the decline, and many of the line's old 4-4-0s and 2-6-0s were pretty worn out. As the railroad began to pursue business with farming operations that were springing up on the flat-lands south of Carson City, they needed some new power for their trains. In 1905, they purchased their first Baldwin 10-wheeler, which was given the number 25. By this time the practice of naming locomotives was no longer in vogue, so the 25 would be known simply by her number. Built as a coal burner, she was converted to burn oil just two years later. The 25 became one of the primary duty engines for the next couple of decades, but fell into disuse as heavier locomotives were acquired. Although her frame and her 60" drivers make her look large, she has a rather small boiler and a gross weight of just 45 tons. In 1947, the V&T sold her to RKO Studios, where she became a movie star like several of her sisters. Today, the 25 is preserved at the Nevada State Railroad Museum, where she is maintained in running condition. She is steamed up several times each year and the crews at the museum report that she's in pretty good shape for a 107 year-old. Nearly all of her is original fabric. The 25 is seen here at the museum's Wabuska Station on Labor Day weekend of 2012, preparing to depart on a "Your Hand on the Throttle" trip.
