Virginia & Truckee Coach No. 4 — Carson City, NV
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Volcanoguy
N 39° 08.897 W 119° 46.093
11S E 260777 N 4336881
The Virginia & Truckee Coach No. 4 is on display in the visitor center of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, NV.
Waymark Code: WMVW48
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 06/01/2017
Views: 1
Virginia & Truckee Coach No. 4 was built by the Kimball Carriage and Car Manufacturing Co. of San Francisco in 1872. It has been restored to its appearance in the mid 1880’s and is on display in the visitor center of the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City, NV. The text of the exhibit sign follows:
Virginia & Truckee Coach No. 4
With its extension to Reno, the V&T wanted to provide accommodations equal to those provided by the Central Pacific. The company ordered coaches Nos. 3 and 4 from the Kimball Carriage and Car Manufacturing Company of San Francisco.
V&T rails reached Reno on August 24, 1872. The new coaches entered service on October 1, leaving for Virginia City shortly past midnight, after the Central Pacific express trains had passed through Reno. Their return that evening marked the beginning of daily service that lasted for more than 50 years.
In 1937, the Kimball coaches were sold to Paramount Pictures. After appearing in dozens of movies, the cars were acquired by the State of Nevada. Coach No. 4 has been restored to its 1880s appearance.
Below is information from the Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum
website .
NEVADA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM
V&T Coaches 3 and 4
Virginia & Truckee coaches Nos. 3 and 4, along with express car No. 1 and mail & baggage car No. 2, were built in 1872 by the Kimball Carriage and Car Manufacturing Co. of San Francisco for the Virginia & Truckee Lightning Express passenger train between Virginia City and Reno. The new train provided first class service between the mines of the Comstock and the Central Pacific Railroad, with connections to San Francisco and the world.
In 1874 the V&T purchased four new cars (11, 12, 13, and 14) from Eastern manufacturers for the express train. After their arrival, the Virginia & Truckee completely rebuilt the four Kimball cars. The two train sets alternated between summer and winter service for the next several years. In 1878 the V&T again rearranged the cars in its express train: Kimball coach 3 was designated as a smoker, and coach 17 was rebuilt as the regular coach, while Kimball coach 4 was a spare, used when either of the other two cars needed repair.
More coaches arrived on the V&T in 1890 and 1906, but the Kimball coaches continued in regular service, including receiving electric lights in 1917. In 1925 the express train made its last run, and the Kimball coaches were relegated to special excursion service. Change came in 1938, when both coaches were sold to Paramount Pictures for use in the movies. They remained in Hollywood until 1972 when Short Line Enterprises acquired them and resold coach 4 to the State of Nevada. In 1984 coach 4 was restored to its appearance in the mid 1880's when it ran in the Lightning Express. Coach 3 was purchased by the State of Nevada in 1988, and is held in the Museum's reference collection for future research.