V&T Survivor: TAHOE Although the majority of the 9 surviving Virginia & Truckee Locomotives are split between the California and Nevada State Railroad Museums, there are a couple of them that have come to rest in some unlikely places. The one you see here is Number 20, Tahoe. Built by the Baldwin Locomotive works in 1875 for the V&T, this engine was a workhorse for the line for over 50 years. Used primarily as a freight engine, she had her share of excitement, including a head-on collision with the line's Number 18, Dayton, in 1887 (amazingly Dayton also survives today!) When she was finally retired by the V&T in 1926, she, like some of her sisters, remained squirreled away in the massive Carson City Engine House for many years. When WWII broke out, she was sold to a construction company, where she was used in yard construction duties. When the war ended, most owners would have scrapped a locomotive this old, but instead, her owner chose to restore her and held on to her for many years. Finally, in 1968, the Tahoe was sold to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania for display as a classic example of a late 19th century wood-burner. She is displayed today in a prominent place in the museum, visible not only to patrons, but to all passers-by on Rte 741. She's a long way from home, but in very good hands.
