Locomotives - Nevada's Virginia And Truckee Railroad 4-4-0 Type Engine Number 12 The Genoa

by J Craig Thorpe

Title

Locomotives - Nevada's Virginia And Truckee Railroad 4-4-0 Type Engine Number 12 The Genoa

Artist

J Craig Thorpe

Medium

Painting - Oil On Watercolor Paper

Description

"About 10-1/2 o-clock a.m. today, the locomotive with regular passenger train attached passed for the first time from Carson through to ... Virginia City. The locomotive kept up a fierce tooting ... many of the natives ran from all directions, thinking it was a fire." This excerpt from the January 29, 1870, edition of the Gold Hill News announced the completion of the Carson City to Virginia City stretch of Nevada's Virginia & Truckee Railroad (V&T). Built to serve the rich mines of the Comstock Lode, the railway carried vast fortunes in silver and gold along its route. Initially teamsters tried to compete with the trains by cutting their rates and hauling huge loads behind 12-horse teams. However, when a wagon pulled by 14 steeds tragically plunged over a cliff, the Iron Horse became the undisputed champion once and for all. By the summer of 1872, the line was extended from Carson City to Reno. And for nearly 80 years V&T trains rolled through Nevada's sagebrush hills and mineral-rich mining areas. Today, Hollywood producers in search of period locomotives and trains often use V&T property in their movies. Pictured on this artwork is V&T's engine No. 12 steaming through a typical desert landscape. Also known as the Genoa, this 4-4-0 "American Standard" engine was built in 1873 by M. Baird & Company, predecessor to the Baldwin Locomotive Works. Currently, the restored locomotive can be seen at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.

Please note the "Fine Art America" watermark will not appear on the painting or any print reproduction.

Artwork Copyright © 1994 Wind River Studios Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved under United States and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, transmit, or otherwise exploit the Artwork in any way. Any sale of the physical original does not include or convey the Copyright or any right comprised in the Copyright. WRSH Stock Number XB14907

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April 20th, 2022

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