SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Carson City, Nev. The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City will run the newly restored Virginia & Truckee McKeen Motorcar on Saturday, October 30 in honor of Nevada Day. Fares are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 11 and under. Trains run every half hour from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
“Taking the V&T to Carson City on Nevada Day was part of a tradition that endured for many years. The Nevada Day institution goes back generations and the V&T ran extra trains on the state’s birthday to accommodate crowds coming into the state capital,” said Peter Barton of the Division of Museums & History.
Since the completion of its restoration earlier this year, the McKeen Motorcar has only made two public runs and will make its final public run of the year in honor of Nevada Day. Before being decommissioned, the original McKeen car last ran on Nevada Day in 1945. “The McKeen is a valuable artifact and will only be run on a limited basis now and in the future so we encourage visitors to take this opportunity to ride this one-of-a-kind piece of railroad history and start their own Nevada Day tradition,” said Frank Ackerman of the Nevada State Museum.
The train departs from the Wabuska Depot on the Nevada State Railroad Museum grounds. Tickets may be purchased at the depot the day of the event.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum operates steam-ups with historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad equipment on select weekends throughout the year. The museum also participates in scholarly efforts, such as the annual Nevada Railroad History Symposium held in Carson City each fall. The museum is located on Route 395 at the south end of Carson City at the intersection of Fairview Avenue. A yellow train station and red water tank at the entrance to the museum grounds are landmarks.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum is one of seven museums of the Nevada Department of Cultural Affairs. The Department serves Nevada’s citizens and visitors through cultural and information management, presentation and promotion of cultural resources, and education. The Department also includes the State Historic Preservation Office, Nevada State Library and Archives and the Nevada Arts Council. For more information, please call Teresa Moiola at (775) 687-8323 or visit the department’s website at www.NevadaCulture.org.
