Second Railroad Car No. 21
2180 S. Carson St., Carson City (Independent City), NVVirginia & ruckee Mail-Express-Baggage Second No. 21 was fabricated in 1907 at the American Car & Foundry Company Shops at St. Charles, Missouri, for the Nevada Northern Railway. With headquarters in New York City, the giant American Car & Foundry Works was organized in 1899 through the consolidation of 13 previously independent car building firms. Known today as AMCAR, American Car & Foundry is still an active major builder of railroad equipment throughout the world. As one of the V. & T.'s most modern passenger type cars, Second No. 21 was the sole A.C. & F. - built car ever owned by the Bonanza Railway.
The Nevada Northern Railway was formed in 1905 to connect prosperous new copper mines west of Ely with distant northern smelting operations and transcontinental rail service at Cobre, Nevada, on the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1907, the American Car & Foundry Company turned out two red mail-express-baggage cars for the Nevada Northern--Nos. 20 and 21. For some 30 years the similar cars operated over the 140-mile route of the Nevada Northern until passenger train service was discontinued on July 31, 1941.
Early in 1940, the V. & T. was notified by the U.S. Railway Mail Service that their antiquated 1874 Mail Car No. 13 would not be acceptable for service unless it was structurally reinforced. Consequently, during June of 1940, V. & T. Receiver Samuel C. Bigelow began inquiring of Nevada Northern Vice President and General Manager G.L. Hickey for purchase of one of the Northern's two mail carrying cars. As the longer No. 20 had inadequate storage facility for use by the Post Office Department, Bigelow secured N.N. No, 21 for $1,100, f.o.b. Cobre, after the car completed revenue service on July 31, 1941.
Soon after arrival at the V. & T.'s Carson Shops early in August the 60-foot car was inspected by the Railway Mail Service and following renovation at a cost of $556.09, it was placed into daily Reno-Minden service. The car retained its Nevada Northern numbering and became V. & T. Second No. 21 replacing Mail-Express first No. 21 which had been sold to Paramount Studios in 1938.
Bibliography
Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Vols. I & II, by David F. Myrick, Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California, 196.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.