Re: Nevada Railroad Preservation on good track- except for Reno

The Reno is in a sad condition when looked at closely. The engine and tender were butchered years ago to accomodate a compressor in the tender to try and run the locomotive. There was all kinds of pvc piping in the cab last time I saw it, running through where the throttle went into the backhead. The tender was cut open on the inside to accomodate the machinery. Gauges were gone, holes in the backhead, tender frame missing, cab ready to fall apart, and god knows what else.

All this was done because the Arizona State Boiler inspector would not allow a lap seam boiler to run any longer in his state as long as he was alive. Well, he kicked the bucket, but because of him the Reno was turned into an abortion.. It was last used, I think, in the Wild Wild West movie, where further damage was done to the locomotive even though it had been cosmetically restored. All in all, the Reno is a mess with only its exterior shell remaining. Even if "restored" there would not be much of the Reno remaining. Nevertheless, we would still like the corpse back here in Nevada from whence she came.

Dan Markoff