Glenbrook is a 2-6-0, Mogul type, narrow-gauge steam railway locomotive built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1875 for the Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company's 3 ft (914 mm) Lake Tahoe narrow-gauge railroad.

The Glenbrook
A 3/4 view of the Glenbrook waiting for a train to pass at the Nevada State Railroad Museum.
Type and origin
Reference:[1][2][3][4]
Power typeSteam
BuilderBaldwin Locomotive Works
Serial number3712
Model8-20 D
Build dateMarch 1875
Total produced3
Specifications
Configuration:
 • Whyte2-6-0
Gauge3 ft (914 mm)
Leading dia.24 in (610 mm)
Wheelbase18 ft 7 in (5.7 m) loco only
Loco weight26 short tons (24 t; 23 long tons)
Tender weight12,900 pounds (6.5 ST; 5.9 t; 5.8 LT)
Fuel typeWood
Water cap.1,200 US gal (1,000 imp gal; 4,500 L)
Firebox:
 • Grate area7.58 sq ft (0.704 m2)
Boiler pressure130 psi (0.90 MPa)
Heating surface:
 • Tubes157.6 sq ft (14.64 m2)
Cylinders2
Cylinder size13 in × 16 in (330 mm × 406 mm)
Valve gearStephenson
Valve typeSlide
Valve travel4.4375 in (113 mm)
Valve lap0.625 in (16 mm)
Valve lead0.1 in (3 mm)
Train brakes(1899) Westinghouse A-1
Performance figures
Maximum speedFastest recorded: 25 mph (40 km/h)
Tractive effort7,378 lbf (32,820 N)
Career
Operators1875: Carson and Tahoe Lumber and Fluming Company
1899: Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation Company
1937: Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad
Number in class3
NumbersGlenbrook, later 1
Tahoe, later 2
3
LocaleGlenbrook, Nevada
First runJune 1875
Retired1898 (C&TL&F)
1926 (LTR&T)
Restored2015
Current ownerNevada State Railroad Museum
DispositionOperational at the Nevada State Railroad Museum
The Glenbrook
The Glenbrook is located in Nevada
The Glenbrook
The Glenbrook is located in the United States
The Glenbrook
Location600 N. Carson St., Carson City, Nevada
Coordinates39°10′7″N 119°43′54″W / 39.16861°N 119.73167°W / 39.16861; -119.73167
Area1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built1875
ArchitectBaldwin Locomotive Works
Architectural styleSteam Locomotive
NRHP reference No.81000702[5]
Added to NRHPMay 01, 1981

History

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The Glenbrook and sisters Tahoe and 3 were built to haul cordwood and lumber from Glenbrook, Nevada on the east shore of Lake Tahoe to Spooner Summit, at the crest of the Carson Range. At the summit, the logs and lumber were put in a flume which carried it to the south end of Carson City. There it was loaded onto flatcars of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad which carried it to Virginia City for use in construction of the town, as mine timbers, and as boiler fuel.[3]

In late 1886, the C&TL&F purchased G. W. Chubbuck's Lake Valley Railroad in Bijou, California. This included the Porter locomotive Santa Cruz, and No. 3 was moved to Bijou soon afterward. Briefly, that engine was given the number 1, and Glenbrook received the number 4. Around this time it also had an injector mounted on the engineer's side, which it retained until late 1891 when No. 3 struck a cow in Lake Valley.[6] Since then, Glenbrook has carried No. 3's crosshead pump.

The area was logged out by 1898 and the C&TL&F ended railroad operations after the 1898 season.[2] That winter, the railroads at Glenbrook and Bijou, along with most of the towns, were moved to Tahoe City, California, on the west shore of the lake. From there, the mills were moved to Carters in Tuolumne County and most of the town structures were moved to Truckee and Hobart Mills. The railroad equipment was used build a new railroad about 16 miles (26 km) to the Southern Pacific Railroad station at Truckee. Engines 2 and 4 were sold to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad, while the Glenbrook and #3 were retained. The new line, the Lake Tahoe Railway and Transportation (LTR&T) carried freight and passengers and connected with the company's steamboat lines at Tahoe City. The Bliss family leased the LTR&T to the Southern Pacific in 1925, and the line was converted to standard gauge effective 1 May 1926.[3][2]

 
Glenbrook with a narrow gauge passenger train during the Nevada State Railroad Museum's Great Western Steam Up.

The Bliss family kept No. 1 and stored it at Tahoe City until 1937 when they sold it to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge, which used it largely for parts for Tahoe. The NCNG shut down in 1942, but Hope Bliss convinced her family to buy the locomotive back from the NCNG and presented it to the Nevada State Museum and to the Nevada State Railroad Museum where it underwent major work.[3] The locomotive's return was announced complete in 2015[7] and was unveiled to the public on 23 May.

In 2021, The Glenbrook visited the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad for their Victorian Iron Horse Round Up Celebration with the Eureka locomotive.

The Glenbrook was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Glenbrook and Tahoe - Baldwin Specification Sheet". PacificNG. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b c David F. Myrick (1962). Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, volume 1. Berkeley, CA: Howell-North Books. p. 416-436.
  3. ^ a b c d "Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Locomotive No. 1Glenbrook". The Friends of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  4. ^ "Engine No. 5". Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  5. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  6. ^ Edward B. Scott (1957). The Saga of Lake Tahoe, volume 1. Crystal Bay, CA: Sierra-Tahoe Publishing. p. 213.
  7. ^ Reno Gazette-Journal – After 88 years, 'The Glenbrook' locomotive lives