Steamscape: Gold Hill. Both of the new V&T's steamers combine their muscle to haul a freight up the last mile and a half from Gold Hill to Virginia City on a chilly winter day. McCloud #18, still in its original livery, is the road engine, while the V&T's #29 is the helper in the lead.
Of the two locomotives, the 18 is definitely the muscle machine. It was purchased back in 2005 by the Nevada State Commission for the reconstruction of the V&T, which retains ownership to this day. It went into service in 2010. The engine is primarily used on the weekend passenger runs between Virginia City and Moundhouse, near Carson City. The 29 is owned by the Gray family and has been in service on the shorter Virginia City to Gold Hill trips since the late 1970s. Although not as powerful as the 18, the 29 is definitely my personal favorite, because she has a similar profile to the V&T 27, which was the last of the original V&T engines. The 29 just looks like she belongs here.
The operation depicted in this photo is most definitely prototypical for the Virginia City Branch. With steep grades and heavy trains, the original V&T often used multiple locomotives on the runs from Carson City to Virginia City and many historic photos of this line bear witness to this. It was especially common in the 1870s, when the line ran little 2-6-0s that didn't have nearly the tractive effort of the machines you see here.
