This morning we wrote the post Heber Valley story. After we finished we packed up and checked out of the Riverside Motel then drove across Soldier Summit on Highway 6 with no trains at all. We stopped at Spanish Fork for McDonald's and Walmart before heading south on Interstate 15 to US 6 and at Eureka, we spotted another surprise.
Union Pacific caboose 25096 built by Mount Vernon Car Company in 1942 as Union Pacific 3796. From here we took Highway 6 to Utah 36 and made our way to Tooele and when we arrived, found that the Railroad Park was closed so we did what good railfans do, take pictures through the fence.
Tooele Valley Railroad 2-8-0 11 is the prize piece of the group. It was built by Alco-Brooks in 1910 as Buffalo & Susquehanna Railway 169 at Wellsville, New York. In 1912, it was sold to the Tooele Valley Railroad after the bankruptcy of that railroad. 11 was the last operating steam locomotive in common carrier service in the state of Utah.
Tooele Valley Railroad snow plow which was converted from the tender of Tooele Valley Railroad 2-8-0 12.
Tooele Valley Railroad outside-braceed wooden caboose hat was transferred to the TV in 1937 from the Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railroad.
Tooele Valley Railroad wooden caboose 4, originally Denver & Rio Grande Western 01100, built in 1929.
Tooele Valley Railroad snow plow and the Tooele station.
Unknown boxcar.
Tooele Valley Railroad 2-8-0 11.
The Tooele station built in 1909.
The steam engine and the Tooele station. From here, Elizabeth drove and at the Morton Salt crossing along Interstate 80, we stopped for this train.
Union Pacific 4796 East at the Morton Salt crossing. Elizabeth drove to Clive and then I drove Interstate 80 at 80 mph to Wendover.
Elizabeth at the Nevada sign, her last new state of the trip. We stopped for lunch and ate inside Arby's. From here we drove Alt 93.
Elizabeth at White Horse Pass on Alt 93. We then drove to US 93 and stopped at the railroad crossing short of Cherry Creek for Elizabeth's first look at the Nevada Northern. Did we get a surprise here.
There is the remains of a Nevada Northern water tower here.
Elizabeth at the Nevada Northern Railway tracks.
Looking north up the Steptoe Valley and the railroad tracks.
We took a closer look at this unique water tower.
Elizabeth at the remains of the Nevada Northern water tower. From here we drove to McGill.
The Nevada Northern McGill station built in 1908.
The remains of the Nevada Northern Railway in McGill.
Elizabeth and the Nevada Northern station. Now I will show you what is left in McGill.
Views of the old Kennecott buildings still standing in McGill. I drove us into East Ely and we parked at the station and the first order of business was to pick up our tickets. These included being able to go in the shops and the museum on the second floor of the depot building.
My first picture was of an old friend, the Nevada Northern 4-6-0 40 built by Baldwin in 1910. It operated mainly between Cobre and Ely until passenger services were scrapped in 1941. It was then tried on freight trains, but its large drivers did not provide enough tractive effort to make it viable. So, it was retired, except for occasional use on passenger excursions, and was donated to the museum in 1986 along with the rest of the railroad equipment at Ely. Beginning in 2002, it underwent a thorough inspection and overhaul that completed in early 2005. It then returned to service, and provides both passenger excursions and engineer rentals.
Our train waiting for the 4:30 PM departure. This would be Elizabeth's first time ever aboard a Nevada Northern train. She was excited to finally be here.
Nevada Northern 4-6-0 40. Next Elizabeth and I decided to visit the shop building.
Nevada Northern RS-3 13 built by Alco in 1951 as Lehigh & Hudson River Railway 13. It was sold to George R.Silcott Railway Equipment in Worthington, Ohio, in 1971 who sold it to the San Manuel Arizona Railroad the following year. The SMA was a short-line railroad that operated a 29.4 mile line from a connection with the Copper Basin Railway at Hayden, to San Manuel, Arizona. In 1997, 13 went to the BHP Nevada Railroad and then to the Nevada Northern in 2000. It is being used to supply spare parts for both 103 and 109.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 built by Alco in 1909 for the American Smelters Securities Company, to haul ore trains on the Nevada Northern Railway. It was sold to Nevada Consolidated Copper in May 1920 when the company took over operation of the ore line. The trackage remained the property of the Nevada Northern Railway who provided management for operations by Nevada Consolidated train crews. In 1952, three of the original four locomotives supplied by Alco in 1909 were scrapped, but 93 was kept as back up motive power. In 1961, Kennecott Copper donated the locomotive to the White Pine Public Museum, where it went on open air display. In 1990, after twenty-nine years on display at the White Pine Public Museum, 93 was traded by the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation, along with all of the museum's railroad equipment, to the Northern Nevada Railway Museum in exchange for the Cherry Creek Depot. The depot building was moved fifty miles south to become part of the White Pine Public Museum complex in Ely.
Nevada Northern steam-operated 100 ton crane built by Industrial Works (a predecessor of Industrial Brownhoist) in 1907.
Nevada Northern RS-3 109 built by Alco in 1950.
Nevada Northern 45 ton switcher 4501 built by General Electric in 1942 as United States Army 7249. It started work at the Cornhusker Ordnance plant in Ovina, Nebraska. In 1974, the unit was sold to the Alaska Railroad where it was used on construction of the Valdez pipeline. It then went to the Chelatchie Prairie Railroad in Chelatchie, Washington in 1983 and was renumbered 007. It next passed to the Oregon Pacific Railroad in 1994 where it was renumbered 4501 and was used to haul passenger cars on the 3.8 mile line of SamTrak train in Portland, Oregon. The Oregon Electric Railway Museum in Brooks, Oregon, was the next owner, buying 4501 in 2005. In 2008, the switcher was sold to the Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad and was trucked to the Timber, Oregon area. The following year, it was sold to the S&S Railroad, operating on a short section of former Kennecott Copper Company tracks between Cobre and McGill Junction, Nevada.
Nevada Northern rotary snow plow B built by Alco in 1907 for the Nevada Northern. It is one of the last wood-bodied standard gauge rotary plows still in existence.
Nevada Northern RS-2 105 built by Alco in 1945 for the Kennecott Copper Corporation (successor to the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company).
Nevada Northern 85 ton overhead catenary powered electric locomotive 81 built by General Electric in 1941. It was originally numbered 58 and worked on Kennecott Copper's Chino Mines Division in New Mexico. In 1963, it moved to the Nevada Mines Division at McGill, Nevada, where there was about a mile of electrified track and was used to spot cars in the McGill yard and at the rotary dumper.
Nevada Northern Baldwin V01000 801 built by Baldwin in 1942 for the Bingham & Garfield Railway, where it worked as a yard switcher at Magna, Utah. It was transferred to Kennecott Copper's Chino Mines Division in New Mexico as 80 in 1949 then moved to the Kennecott Nevada Mines Division in 1963, where it was renumbered 801 again. It worked as a switcher at the McGill plant until 1983 but was never used on the Nevada Northern Railway during its lifetime.
Shop views.
Nevada Northern SD9 204 built by General Motors in 1956 as Southern Pacific 5468, but was renumbered 3942 in 1965. In 1977, it was rebuilt and renumbered again as 4426. It was retired in July 1995 and sold to Progress Rail Service, a dealer in used locomotives. The following year it was purchased by the Nevada Northern Railway, and it now runs excursions and provides engineer rentals.
Nevada Northern Tool Car A-1 built by the Nevada Northern Railway in 1907 and converted from a dump car in 1938.
Nevada Northern wood caboose 3, built by Mount Vernon Car Company in 1909, undergoing restoration.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 81, built by Baldwin in 1917, under restoration. 81 hauled both freight and passenger trains and wass donated to the White Pine Public Museum in 1960 before returning to Ely in 1990.
Kennecott Copper 25 ton switcher 310 built by General Electric in 1950 for Kennecott Copper’s Nevada Mines Division. It operated at McGill as a switcher, but never served on the Nevada Northern Railway.
Shop view. From here, Elizabeth and I looked around the yard.
The coaling tower built in 1917.
The train ready and waiting for its departure time.
Engine 40 looks good. Next we visited the second floor museum in the East Ely depot and took a quick walk through it. Afer that, we did our shopping and picked up a Coke for me and bottled water for Elizabeth to take with us on the train. We then waited to board the 4:30 PM train.
Elizabeth and the Nevada Northern train we would be riding.
Our TripAt 4:20 PM, we were the first people to board the train and took seats in coach 7 at a table. I would shoot my pictures from here and Elizabeth would head to the open car. At Keystone, we would switch places.
At 4:30 PM, the trip started with us backing out to the main line.
The bunkhouse Robin Bowers and I stayed in during our last visit to East Ely. We backed to the main line and after the switch was thrown, we started the trip to Keystone.
Heading for Keyston.
Taking a curve above the town of Ely.
Taking another curve.
Curving into the railroad tunnel in Robinson Canyon.
Taking the curve after the tunnel.
Looking back at the tunnel.
Interesting geology in Robinson Canyon.
Curving through Robinson Canyon.
The Boston Mine.
Heading into Lane City and the old schoolhouse.
The train takes another curve.
Yet another curve on the way to Keystone.
The last curve to the right. I asked permission from the couple at the next table if I could get some pictures from their side of the train and they said yes.
Curving into Keystone. Unlike previous trips when we would wye the entire train, due to no action show at the back of the wye, Nevada Northern 40 cut off the train and would wye by itself and would be serviced on the wye.
Nevada Northern 40 has cut off the train.
Heading towards the wye at Keystone.
Starting around the northwest side of the wye.
Going down the northwest leg of the wye. After servicing was done, the engine would return and more pictures would be taken.
The train takes the northeast leg of the wye and with us now on the rear of the train, I had to go and tell Elizabeth to switch places again and come back after we go through the tunnel. I would relax on the way back to East Ely while Elizabeth would shoot all the pictures she wanted. We returned to East Ely and after detraining, I drove Elizabeth over to the White Pines Museum.
Kennecott Copper Steeplecab 80 built by General Electric in 1937.
Kennecott Copper Company Bobber caboose 12 built circa 1910.
The Cherry Creek station built in 1907.
Kennecott Copper Company Ladle Car 66.
Nevada Northern wooden box car 1020 built by American Car and Foundry in 1912. From here we drove to the Ramada Inn and got a room at their annex diagonally across the street. Then we went to Carl's Jr, picked up dinner and returned to the room where put our stuff in and I left Elizabeth to see about riding the Star Train.
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