Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22
39°8′54.3″N 119°46′6.05″W / 39.148417°N 119.7683472°W
| Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22 | |
|---|---|
kW) |
| Career | |
|---|---|
| Operators | Virginia and Truckee Railroad |
| Delivered | May 9, 1910 |
| First run | June 2, 1910 |
| Retired | October 31, 1945 |
| Restored | May 9, 2010 |
| Current owner | Nevada State Railroad Museum |
| Disposition | Operational |
| Official name | McKeen Motor Car #70 |
| Designated | September 6, 2005 |
| Reference no. | 05000968[1] |
| Designated | October 16, 2012 |
Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22, also called McKeen Motor Car 70, is a gasoline-powered railcar at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City in the U.S. state of Nevada. It was built for the Virginia and Truckee Railroad in 1910 by the McKeen Motor Car Company. Motor Car 22 was operated by the Virginia and Truckee until 1945, when it was sold off and became a diner until 1955. It eventually became the office and storage space for a plumbing business before it was donated to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 1995. After a thorough study,[2] the Museum undertook a restoration of the McKeen car in 1997. The restored motor car was unveiled in 2010, a century after it was originally delivered to the Virginia and Truckee. Motor Car 22 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012. It is one of a few surviving McKeen railcars, and the only one that is operational.[3]
Design
Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22 has a total length of 72 feet 9+3⁄4 inches (22.19 m), a width of 10 feet 2+3⁄4 inches (3.12 m) and a height of 11 feet 9+3⁄16 inches (3.59 m).
The car body was constructed from steel using a
History
In 1906, the Virginia and Truckee Railroad opened a branch line from Carson City to Minden, Nevada. The profitability of the line led the Virginia and Truckee to start additional passenger service using self-propelled motor cars, which were less expensive to operate than a train pulled by a steam locomotive.[9] An order was placed on October 6, 1909, with the McKeen Motor Car Company for a 70-foot (20 m) railcar costing $22,000.[9] Motor Car 22 was delivered to the Virginia and Truckee on May 9, 1910, and entered into regular service June 6, 1910.[10] Declining profits forced the railroad to suspend usage of the McKeen car in 1929. It was converted into a railway post office and handler for the Railway Express Agency in 1932, and placed back into service.[10] Motor Car 22 was retired after 539,800 miles (868,700 km) and 35 years of service on October 31, 1945.[3]
The engine and trucks were removed from the McKeen car, and the body was sold in 1946 by the Virginia and Truckee. It was used as a diner in Carson City until it was sold in 1955 to a plumbing business for use as offices and storage.[10] The remains of Motor Car 22 were eventually donated to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 1995.[11]
Restoration
From 1995 to August 1997, the Nevada State Railroad Museum conducted a feasibility study of whether the McKeen could be restored to working order.[3][12] The study found that most of the historic material needed could be salvaged or replicated, with the exception of the engine, transmission and acetylene lighting.[12] Motor Car 22 was listed on the
The motor car was rededicated after the formal completion of the restoration on the centennial of its delivery to the Virginia and Truckee—May 9, 2010.[14] The McKeen car was designated a National Historic Landmark on October 16, 2012.[1][15] The car is operated annually by the Nevada State Railroad Museum for Nevada Day, Independence Day, Father's Day and National Train Day.[16]
See also
- List of National Historic Landmarks in Nevada
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Carson City, Nevada
References
- ^ a b c "Search Properties Listed in the National Register of Historic Places". National Register Database and Research. National Park Service. Search: "05000968". Retrieved April 24, 2021. Nevada SP McKeen Motor Car #70
- ^ Drew, Stephen E (1997). Virginia & Truckee Railway McKeen Motor Car No. 22: Restoration Feasibility Investigation (Report). Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
- ^ a b c Drew 2010, p. 5.
- ^ a b Bedeau 2011, p. 4.
- ^ a b c Bedeau 2011, p. 5.
- ^ DeWitt 2003, p. 5.
- ^ Bedeau 2011, pp. 4–5.
- ^ "A Railroad Renaissance Revealed" (Press release). Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. April 20, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
- ^ a b Bedeau 2011, p. 17.
- ^ a b c Bedeau 2011, p. 18.
- ^ Bedeau 2011, p. 6.
- ^ a b Bedeau 2011, p. 7.
- ^ Bedeau 2011, p. 19.
- ^ Barton 2010, p. 9.
- ^ "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 10/22/12 through 10/27/12". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- ^ "McKeen Motor Car designated historic landmark". Nevada Appeal. October 18, 2012. Archived from the original on November 4, 2016. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
Sources
- Barton, Peter D. (Summer 2010). "Virginia & Truckee Railway McKeen Car No. 22 Returns to Service on the Centennial of its Delivery" (PDF). Sagebrush Headlight. Vol. 31, no. 2. Nevada State Railroad Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
- Bedeau, Michael (August 11, 2011). "McKeen Motor Car #70" (PDF). National Historic Landmark Nomination Form. National Park Service. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
- DeWitt, Cliff (Fall 2003). "McKeen Car Power Plant Selected". Sagebrush Headlight. Vol. 24, no. 2. Nevada State Railroad Museum. pp. 1, 3, 5. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
- Drew, Stephen E. (Winter 2010). "Self-Propelled Passenger Cars in Nevada: Part I" (PDF). Sagebrush Headlight. Vol. 31, no. 2. Nevada State Railroad Museum. pp. 1, 4–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 2, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
Further reading
- Bedeau, Michael (May 2, 2005). "McKeen Motor Car #70". National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. National Park Service. Retrieved November 3, 2012.