Virginia and Truckee RR. Engines No. 18, The Dayton; and No. 22, The Inyo

Infobox nrhp
name = Virginia and Truckee RR. Engines No. 18, The Dayton; and No. 22, The Inyo
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imagesize =
caption =
locator_x =
locator_y =
location = Carson City, Nevada
nearest_city =
locmapin=Nevada
lat_degrees = 39
lat_minutes = 9
lat_seconds = 0
lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 119
long_minutes = 46
long_seconds = 2
long_direction = W
area =
built = 1873-1875
architect =
architecture = 4-4-0
added = December 12, 1973
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
refnum = 73002245
mpsub =
governing_body = Nevada State Railroad Museum The Virginia and Truckee Railroad Engines No. 18, The "Dayton"; and No. 22, The "Inyo" are two historic standard gauge steam locomotives. The "Inyo" is on display at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and the "Dayton" is on display in Virginia City. They spent their working lives on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad.

The "Dayton"

The "Dayton" was built in 1873 by the Central Pacific Railroad. The locomotive weighs 126,000 lbs. (57,200 kg), has 58 inch (140 cm) driving wheels, and carried 2,500 gallons (9,500L) of water and 3 cords of wood. It was used by the Virginia and Truckee Railroad for passenger trains and for snowplowing. In 1906 the locomotive had the honor of opening the branch line between Carson City, Nevada and Minden, Nevada, but after that it was used less frequently.

According to "Virginia & Truckee" by Lucius Beebe and Charles Clegg, the 'Dayton' weighed 78,000 lbs. and had 60 inch drivers. The snow plow was permanently added in 1879, and it was sold to Paramount Pictures in 1938.

The "Inyo"

The "Inyo" was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1875, and pulled both passenger and freight trains. The "Inyo" has 11,920 lbs of tractive force, weighed 68,000 lbs, and had 57 inch drivers. It was sold to Paramount Pictures in 1937.

Post-Retirement

In 1937 the locomotives were sold to Paramount Pictures. The "Dayton" appeared in several movies, beginning with "Union Pacific". It traveled to New York City in 1939 to promote this film. Other movies featuring the "Dayton" include "The Harvey Girls" and "Duel in the Sun". The "Inyo" starred in "High Wide and Handsome", followed by roles in "Union Pacific, Red River" and Disney's "The Great Locomotive Chase". She was featured in the 1960s television series The Wild Wild West. (The locomotive's number plate was changed from 22 to 8 so that footage could be flipped left or right without appearing reversed.) In 1969 the two locomotives participated in ceremonies for the centennial of the Golden Spike. They remained at the Golden Spike National Historic Site for a few years before being sent to their present location at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.