"Honorary" V&T Survivor: #1 "Lyon". Adding to the Nevada State Railroad Museum's collection of surviving V&T Locomotives is what will become a replica of the V&T's very first locomotive, a little 2-6-0 Mogul called "Lyon". First started in the late 1990s, the project to construct a replica of Lyon was founded by a man named Stan Gentry. Initially, he contracted with the Strasburg Railroad in Pennsylvania to construct the basic chassis, with drivers and side-rods. Later, the project was moved to the Iowa Trolley Park, in Clear Lake, Iowa, where progress continued slowly, over 2 decades, with donated funds. Notably, the tender was largely completed, and a boiler was built by the Kloke Locomotive Works in Illinois. In 2022, Mr. Gentry elected to donate the project to the Nevada State Railroad Museum, which is the home he had always envisioned for the locomotive. Recently, a project assessment was done by the museum and a scope of work created. The museum does plan to finish the locomotive and eventually run it at the various events that they hold each year.
Of note in this photo, are the white components you see on the side of the boiler. These are 3D-printed models of what will become working cross-head pumps on the engine. These represent one of many small, but important details that remain, for although it looks rather complete in this photo, much still needs to be done. That said, the project is in very capable hands and should be steaming in Carson City in the not-too-distant future.
