What's the story behind Engine
No. 18?
An open letter to the Virginia and Truckee Railroad Commission:
Perhaps I have missed something. Publicly, you have claimed that your locomotive No. 18, the steam locomotive that you own, has mechanical problems stemming from its use on the Sierra Railroad, and that the engine is not operational at this time.
The commission is instead paying rent to Bob Gray's Virginia and Truckee Railroad in Virginia City to use their steam locomotive No. 29 on a trip-by-trip basis as motive power for the summer schedule of trains.
How then is your locomotive No. 18, seemingly inoperable, now suddenly operating for a movie (Nevada Appeal, May 26) in Southern California? What allows it to run down there but not here?
Why is the commission renting an engine, and incurring the rental costs, for something that you evidently already have?
Joel Kirk
Carson City