Virginia and Truckee Railway Motor Car 22
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, 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.
Motor Car 22 after exterior restoration in 2009
The distinctive "wind-splitter" nose of Motor Car 22
Nevada State Railroad Museum
The Nevada State Railroad Museum, located in Carson City, Nevada, preserves the railroad heritage of Nevada, including locomotives and cars of the famous Virginia and Truckee Railroad. Much of the museum equipment was obtained from various Hollywood studios, where they were used in movies and television. The museum is operated by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Opened in 1980, it was originally named the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Museum, often shortened to V&T Railroad Museum, but was renamed the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 1985.
The entrance to the main building
Virginia & Truckee RR 18, the "Dayton," in its 20th-century configuration (e.g., straight stack, round headlight, etc.), before restoration.
Virginia & Truckee 18, the "Dayton," (which was built in 1873) after its restoration, which incorporated many of its 1800s design features.
The museum collection includes a variety of local historic passenger and freight equipment