Carson City railroad history celebrated with arrival of McKeen Motor Car V&T No. 22

CARSON CITY — It was 'all aboard' the historic McKeen Motor Car V&T No. 22 on Sunday for dozens of railroad enthusiasts as the Nevada State Railroad Museum celebrated a milestone 100th anniversary commemorating the iron horse's arrival to the Carson City railroad.

The celebration was at the platform of the historic Wabuska Depot. Numerous local, state and federal officials and noted railroad historians participated in the event, trading stories and history references, and taking turns riding the car.

The Bernhard family, donors of the car, were the honored guests.

When the Virginia and Truckee Railroad completed its branch line between Carson City and Minden in 1906, passenger service was provided by a mixed passenger and freight train.

It was soon apparent that additional passenger service was desirable, but adding a passenger-only steam train was too expensive. The Virginia and Truckee looked at motorcars as a more cost-effective solution, and in 1910, purchased a 70 foot gas powered McKeen motor car to provide twice-a-day passenger service between Minden and Carson City, according to the Friends of the Nevada State Museum website, www.nsrm-friends.org.

The McKeen Motor Car Company of Omaha, Nebraska, was organized under the sponsorship of E. H. Harriman of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads. It was one of the most successful of the early motor car manufacturers. The cars featured ultramodern steel stressed skin construction, "dustproof" porthole windows, and the distinctive knife-shaped wind-splitter front, according to the website.

By 1932, passenger traffic on the V&T was declining all over the railroad. The McKeen car was rebuilt in the shops with expanded mail and express space, and placed in service all the way from Reno to Minden, making a round trip once per day. The car final made its last run in September 1945, one of the last unmodified McKeen cars running in the nation. In 1946 the body was sold to become a diner, and later Al's Plumbing Supply office in Carson City. It was donated to the Nevada State Railroad Museum in early 1996, according to the website.

Riders were treated to trips throughout the day. Train enthusiast David Rocco of Reno brought his young son to see and ride the car. From end to end, "just looking at it all I can say is it is pretty damn awesome," Rocco said.

The ride was a little more bumpier than regular trains, but Janet Kinney of Carson City said the experience was well worth the wait.

"Inside it's beautiful. They did a wonderful job restoring it," she said. "I hope they will get it out more often so people will come out and enjoy riding it. It's something everyone should do."

Locomotive lore and train history continues Monday at The Nevada State Railroad Museum when Bob Larson, railroad photographer and former Western Pacific engineer on the Feather River division, will give a presentation concluding a three-part series celebrating the centennial of the Western Pacific Railroad in Nevada.

The program takes place on Monday, May 10 at 7 p.m. Regular museum admission charges apply.

During Larson’s railroad career, and continuing today, he photographed the continuing changes of the railroad, his co-workers and the environment that shaped his remarkable career.  Bob’s extensive collection of photos has been presented in two volumes, Western Pacific Trackside with Bob Larson and Life on the Feather River Route: A Railroader’s Scrapbook Pictorial of Memories, which are the basis of this presentation.

Larson began his railroad career in the signal department of the Chicago & North Western. In 1956, he hired on with the Western Pacific and retired 30 years later (on the Western Pacific’s eastern Division in Nevada) with a perfect safety record.
Now retired and splitting his time between Las Vegas and northern California, Larson entertains rail enthusiasts at historical society meetings, conventions and small gatherings with his personal recollections and samplings of his photographic record. He is also a frequent contributor to the Western Pacific Railroad Historical Society’s publication The Headlight.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum is open Friday through Monday from 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The museum is located on Route 395 at the south end of Carson City at the intersection of Fairview Drive.  A yellow train station and red water tank at the entrance to the museum grounds are landmarks.  For more information, please call (775) 687-6953. Admission is $5 for adults, museum members and children under 18 are free.

For more information go to www.NevadaCulture.org.