Union Pacific No. 58
May 11, 1939
In the spring of 1939 Cecil B. DeMille’s Union Pacific, the movie about the building of the transcontinental railroad, opened in Omaha, NE. An ex- Virginia & Truckee Railroad, 4-4-0, No. 18, the Dayton, played the part of Union Pacific No. 58.
As part of the opening festivities No. 58 along with a new experimental Union Pacific steam-turbine-electric and assorted passenger train cars traveled from Los Angeles to New York stopping in Omaha for the movie’s grand opening and fifteen other cities along the way such as Kansas City, Dayton and Columbus.
No. 58 came to Columbus, Ohio May 11, 1939, bringing some of the movie actors in period costume. The two locomotives were exhibited on Union Station Track 1 for three hours. No. 58 and its entourage then left for Dayton. At mid-night the Columbus opening of Union Pacific was shown.
After 40 years as a movie star the locomotive was returned to Carson City, NV to resume its identity as V&T No. 18, the Dayton. It’s currently being displayed at the Comstock History Center in Virginia City.
The steam-turbine-electric was one of two locomotives that together generated 5000 hp. They were numbered 1 and 2. They were designed to work together pulling passenger trains. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful, requiting too much expensive maintenance and were scrapped in a few years.
