The Glenbrook, Tahoe and Reno train engines part of the historic Great Western Steam Up

CARSON CITY, Nev. - Train buffs from around the world are descending upon Carson City July 1-4 for the Great Western Steam Up, a rare and unique gathering of historic steam trains. The event is a celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the completion of Nevada’s famous Virginia & Truckee (V & T) Railroad, and trains have been brought back to the region to mark the historic moment.

It will be the largest reunion of existing Virginia & Truckee locomotives assembled in over 75 years, and the first time the Glenbrook and Tahoe (now known as NCNG No.5) have been on the same tracks since 1898. Both of these trains played a big part in the history of Lake Tahoe when Duane L. Bliss created a large lumber mill in what is now Glenbrook, Nevada.

The Glenbrook and Tahoe pulled wood from the lumber mill up the mountain from Glenbrook where the boards were put into flumes for a trip to Carson City. The wood would then be transported by train to Virginia City. It took about a cord of wood to just power each steam engine up the grade where it would be restocked for the trip back down to Glenbrook. Each of the trains was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in Pennsylvania for the Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company. They are each a 2-6-0 Mogul type engine which refers to the wheel arrangement - two pilot wheels in the front, six drivers wheels, and no trailing wheels.

The Glenbrook has been out of service since 1926 and was used mainly as parts for its counterpart, the Tahoe. The Tahoe was sold to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad in Grass Valley, California and renumbered as NCNG No.5. It had a long and illustrious movie career including a stint starring with John Wayne and Marlene Dietrich in The Spoilers in 1942.

The Glenbrook was donated to the State of Nevada and displayed for many years outside the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. It was restored to its original operating condition at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in 2015 where is has remained since.

The V & T #11 "The Reno" was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1872. Reno was the railroad’s top passenger locomotive and was assigned to pull its best trains, including the local segment of the “Lightning Express” that ran between the San Francisco Bay Area and Virginia City. It too had a Hollywood career after being retired from service and sold to a motion picture studio in 1945. The Reno starred in dozens of movies, including Union Pacific, Annie Get Your Gun and The Horse Soldiers. The locomotive was displayed for many decades at Old Tucson Studios in Arizona. It was purchased by the Virginia & Truckee Railroad and returned to Virginia City in 2021. It is at the Carson City museum for Steam Up and will return to Virginia City for restoration.

The Genoa will also be on display during the Steam Up along with the J.W. Bowker. They are both on loan from the California State Railroad Museum for the show.

There are over ten old V & T trains that will be the stars of the July 1-4 event, and will be featured in a daily pageant (they come out on the track to the turntable with a special narration, then returned to the station). Narrow and standard gauge engines will be running all weekend long. The special "Inyo" train rides daily at 4 p.m. are already sold out, but other daily train rides will leave the station all day.

One car that won't be on display is inside the train storage area. The V & T car was in the movie "The Harvey Girls" and Judy Garland sang from the back of the car. Seven top songs came from that movie including "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe," which won the Oscar for Best Song in 1947.

The Great Western Steam Up will also be full of food, vendors, entertainment, the Nevada Gunfighters, and more. Find the daily schedule HERE.

To purchase tickets (advance purchase is recommended), visit https://greatwesternsteamup.com/tickets/. There is a special app for the event, download HERE.

There is no parking at the museum during the event. Free parking lots are located to the north off of South Stewart Street. Enter the parking lots at Wright Way and Little Lane. The lots are within easy walking distance of the museum, but a shuttle bus will be available to take visitors to and from the event. Limited street parking is also available.

The Nevada State Railroad Museum is located at 2180 South Carson Street, Carson City.