Steam & Excursion > V&T #22 a 130 Years Old and Still Going

The Virginia & Truckee Inyo turns 130 this year. What a beauty of a locomotive. I last visited the NSRM in 1998 and will have to make a return trip sometime soon. To my knowledge the Inyo still gets steamed up every Independence Day and for that has a distinction as the oldest operable locomotive in the West.

This sure beats the face of the GEVO's or SD70ACE's.

Concrete evidence of the Inyo's age. The Inyo can also hold the title of the most spiffy looking Baldwin in existence today (with apologies to 2472).

A look towards the inside of the cab on the fireman's side of the Inyo.

A beautiful decorative builder's enblem between the drivers. There's just no class in the one size fits all stamped builders plates of today.

A look at this locomotive's main fuel source. Oh how the tree huggers would be so dissapointed! Could you imagine what would happen if the Inyo was let loose on the mainline? However this beauty will stay safe at its home in Carson City, Nevada. Allright back to pumpkins and pee water with flanges…

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[img::]https://cdn.trainorders.com/attachments/thumbs/56000/BW35980702_5.jpg[/img]

That is one beautiful locomotive. Question: Given a long stretch of tangent track (no steep grades), with the throttle wide open, what would the maximum possible speed this engine could make puliing three fully loaded same era passenger coaches?

SurflinerHogger Wrote:
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> That is one beautiful locomotive. Question:
> Given a long stretch of tangent track (no steep
> grades), with the throttle wide open, what would
> the maximum possible speed this engine could make
> puliing three fully loaded same era passenger
> coaches?


Inyo is a small drivered (57 inch) engine, so nominally somewhere close to 57 mph would be her optimum maximum speed. Three coaches sounds like a good train for her.

In reality, her miximum speed is that speed at which the yellow stripe down the engineers back becomes as wide as the gauge of the track. ;-)

Um...the "driver diameter in inches equals top speed in mph" rule-of-thumb is a fallacy. Yes, larger drivers equate with a higher top speed and vice versa but the that rule of thumb is wrong at both ends. A 63" drivered Mike might shake itself to pieces at 63 mph; maybe 50-55 is a good top speed, if that. And 80" drivered Northerns are certainly not limited to 80 mph. In fact one well known class of 4-8-4's had only 70" drivers yet could easily roll 100 mph. One was clocked at 110 mph and that one's drivers weren't even the full 70" due to wear and prior turnings.

On a visit to Carson City on July 4th or 5th in 2002 I got to see her under steam. She is one beautiful engine, she carries her 130 years well!

Charlesn

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samreeves Wrote:

> This sure beats the face of the GEVO's or
> SD70ACE's.

Perhaps you should title that one "Inyo Face."

I was their with the garden railroad display, and took a ride on her. She is still runing strong! I would kill to see her out on the mainline somewhere! alas, the she probably wont even see operation on the "new" V&T mainline, but i would kill to see them run all the way into carson city to the roundhouse and museum! oh well, back to reality.