Large Scale Central

V&T #1, the Lyon, comes to Carson

Prototypes
#1

This is big news for V&T buffs: the replica of the V&T’s first loco, started about 25 years ago, has just come to the NV State RR Museum for completion.

https://news3lv.com/news/local/nevada-state-railroad-museum-accepts-full-sized-replica-of-vts-first-locomotive

The stack, which I saw a few years back, is e-friggin-normous. I think it’s brass, and like 8’ tall at least.

Here’s the FB page, for those who imbibe. It has 100’s of fabrication pics over the years.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-Organization/V-T-Lyon-269396092936/

[edit] Also, Stephen Drew just alerted me to this article in Trains Magazine on the topic.

https://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2020/03/02-replica-of-vt-lyon-donated-to-nevada-museum

===:>Cliffy

#2

I just received permission from Stephen Drew, long time V&T historian and (retired) Chief Curator of the CSRM, to post these photos he took of the Lyon’s delivery at NSRM yesterday morning, being moved off the truck and loaded onto the turntable.

[edit] Stephen requests that these photos be credited to NSRM. So if you use them somewhere else, I’d suggest saying “Photo courtesy NSRM, Stephen Drew photographer.” I know, this is TMI for garden railroading, but you never know who on the outside hits on a thread like this and starts snagging images for other uses – especially since it’s a hot topic in some circles at this moment.

#3

Cool! John H. White Jr’s book American Locomotives, an Engineering History, 1830 – 1880 mentions the Lyon.

Remember that much, will have to go get book.
And after getting book off shelf, page 487 says a full sized replica was underway in October 1996 at Strasburg, privately financed, and progressing slowly.

That is in section about V&T’s Storey, which was a bit larger than Lyon according to book.

Is this Lyon that one or the original?

#4

Forrest, Storey was no. 3, 54000 lbs, vs no 1 Lyon’s 44000

#5

Cliff Jennings said:

Forrest, Storey was no. 3, 54000 lbs, vs no 1 Lyon’s 44000

I believe that Forrest is asking if the Replica donated is the same one mentioned as being started at Strasburg, in the book he mentioned.(https://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

#6

Thanks John. Sorry for the short reply Forrest, I wasn’t at my 'puter.

I don’t know the answer, but that sounds like a different build. Can you explain more from your book? Did it mention a specific locomotive name for the replica?

I’ve only known about this Lyon effort in Iowa, but maybe it started in PA?

#7

Though the internal link: … V&T Lyon The “Lyon” Replica Construction project, built by Strasburg Railroad. seems to be dead, I found it on the following page:

http://www.virginiaandtruckee.com/Misc/Link.htm

Maybe a bit of answer to the question

#8

Cliff Jennings said:

I don’t know the answer, but that sounds like a different build. Can you explain more from your book? Did it mention a specific locomotive name for the replica?

There is not much more that the author said.
Apparently is to be named Lyon which it is replica of.
The October 1996 date mentioned earlier was while author was writing the book.
Other than what it is, the date, where it is happening, all he said was,

“This is a private effort, and the work goes forward slowly as finances permit, one part at a time. This is to be a full size operating replica.
When will we see the Lyon under steam? It will be a few more years, surely, but consider how pleased Irving Scott and the others
associated with this early Mogul would be to see their handiwork recreated in such a faithful fashion.”

#9

Thanks for the further info Forrest. Thanks Hollywood for that link. Using that and the Facebook page, the Strasburg project and Iowa project look to be the same (both pages point to the same dead “vtlyon.com” page). Here’s a mostly audio clip from the project’s earlier days, where Stan (the main guy behind it) says (at around 3:50) that they began initial construction in Strasburg.

So good catch Forrest! They’re indeed part of the same effort.

#10

Cliff Jennings said:

Thanks John. Sorry for the short reply Forrest, I wasn’t at my 'puter (and didn’t read your post well either).

I don’t know the answer, but that sounds like a different build. Can you explain more from your book? Did it mention a specific locomotive name for the replica?

I’ve only known about this Lyon effort in Iowa, but maybe it started in PA?

#11

Cliff, using the internet wayback machine, I found the archive of that site, but it’s hard to find things since it archives all the site, i.e. boxes and frames, and background colors.

If you are looking for something specific, you might be able to find it.

If you start here, there are 60 pages of links, and looking at the file names, I start seeing things on page 6.

https://web.archive.org/web//http://vtlyon.com/

For example:

You have to look at the file names, then open the link (open in new tab), then click on the calendar entry in blue, then there will be a popup, and you click on the date which is a link… easy ha ha!

Greg

#12

That’s fascinating Greg, I didn’t know such a tool existed. Thanks!

There’s also those (hundreds?) of photos on the FB page, which may or may not be the same as what was on vtlyon.com; I’ll have to poke around more.

Speaking of Facebook (so near an dear to many hearts here, haha!), NSRM has a page there, and just posted more pics on the Lyon’s moving in Monday.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Nonprofit-Organization/V-T-Lyon-269396092936/

Here’s one of them, uploaded by Todd Moore (who works with the NSRM). That stack always amazes me; it would be fun to see that big teapot going around the layout.

#13

Yes, normally the wayback machine is easier to use, but on that site, it seems to have cached the individual files but not the web site structure. I often use it to find large scale sites that dropped off the map, since they closed.

Greg

#14

Baldwin built it ?

#15

Rooster ’ said:

Baldwin built it ?

Page 250 in Mallory Hope Ferrell’s 1999 book Virginia & Truckee The Bonanza Road says Lyon was built in 1869 by Booth & Co.
Page 28 says Booth & Co was located in San Francisco.
Lyon was number 1, after it, 2, Ormsby, and 3, Storey, came from Booth, subsequent Moguls starting with 4, Virginia, were bought from Baldwin.
And J.H. White, Jr. book mentioned previously says that at time of book’s 1996 writing it was unclear what had prompted the change to a builder a couple thousand miles from V&T’s home.

#16

Same story regardless of century … FOLLOW THE MONEY

#17

Forrest Scott Wood said:

Rooster ’ said:

Baldwin built it ?

Page 250 in Mallory Hope Ferrell’s 1999 book Virginia & Truckee The Bonanza Road says Lyon was built in 1869 by Booth & Co.
Page 28 says Booth & Co was located in San Francisco.
Lyon was number 1, after it, 2, Ormsby, and 3, Storey, came from Booth, subsequent Moguls starting with 4, Virginia, were bought from Baldwin.
And J.H. White, Jr. book mentioned previously says that at time of book’s 1996 writing it was unclear what had prompted the change to a builder a couple thousand miles from V&T’s home.

In Koenig’s book, “Virginia & Truckee Locomotives,” p32-33, he says the two smaller Booth loco’s (Lyon #1 & Ormsby #2) couldn’t handle the increasingly heavy freight loads, so were soon replaced. The other Booth, Storey #3, being heavier, saw more service on the V&T but also became obsoleted by the Baldwins and was sold in '81.