At Promontory, Utah in 1969, the Golden Spike Centennial Ceremony was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the driving of the last spike, completing the Transcontinental Railroad. The two original locomotives that had been at the first ceremony had long been scrapped, so instead Virginia & Truckee locomotives #11 "Reno" and #12 "Genoa" were brought in to play the parts of UP #119 and CP #60 "Jupiter", respectively. Later in 1970 those locomotives were replaced by two other V&T locomotives, #18 "Dayton" and #22 "Inyo". In this photo #22 is in the background on the left and #18 is in the foreground to the right. These engines were on display for most of the 1970s. Eventually brand-new replica locomotives were built to be a permanent exhibit, and the Inyo and Dayton were permitted to return home to Carson City. There they were restored back to their V&T appearance.
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Golden Spike Ceremony
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Bob Gray with Virginia & Truckee #29
