The alarm went off at 6:00 and we got ourselves ready. Upon our arrival at the Nevada Northern Railway, it was quiet and we found some of our fellow participants in the waiting room area of the gift shop and ticket office. Elizabeth had a hot chocolate, a granola bar and an apple and I just had an orange juice since there was no donuts that was mentioned. It was was not long until we walked down to the engine shed.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 built by American Locomotive Company 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.
Elizabeth and I went into the shop building.
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.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 81 built by Baldwin in 1917. It hauled both freight and passenger trains and wass donated to the White Pine Public Museum in 1960 before returning to Ely in 1990.
Nevada Northern 4-6-0 40.
Nevada Northern RS-3 13 built by American Locomotive Company 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 RS-3 109 built by American Locomotive Company in 1950.
Nevada Northern RS-2 105 built by American Locomotive Company in 1945.
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.
Shop scene.
Nevada Northern 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.
Kennecott S-12 802 built by Baldwin Lima Hamilton in 1952 for New York Central as 9313. This was the switcher at the McGill smelter.
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 4-6-0 40.
Nevada Northern box car 1021 built by American Car & Foundry in 1912. We then went outside.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 came by the wheels and ran to east of the car shop.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 did a blow down.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 standing still.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 moved east a little ways.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 reversed down to the engine house.
Kennecott Copper Mines crane 1228.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 photo runby one.
The photo line for that runby.
The reverse move.
Photo runby two. They called us over to the boarding location and we had a short safety meeting led by Con Trumbull.
Photo runby three.
The engine reversing onto our train. Our consist was Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93, Nevada Northern hoppers 402 and 400, Nevada Northern box cars 1024 and 1028, Nevada Northern Outfit Car 06 and Nevada Northern caboose 3. Once the locomotive was attached, I was the first passenger to board the train and took a seat next to the coal stove. Elizabeth sat beside me. We departed at 8:41 AM and headed east to the Big Cut on the Hi-Line, as far east as we would be going today.
This coal stove, stoked by Con Trumbull, kept the two of us, and everyone else, warm each time we came back from the photo runbys.
A view outside toward the east of the snow on the mountains.
Future trackage for me to ride someday if they ever upgrade it.
Passengers in the Outfit Car, practicing safe riding and all wearing masks during this COVID-19 outbreak in America.
The sun trying to shine through the clouds.
Looking west across the Steptoe Valley.
It appears we are coming into a snow storm as we head up the Hi Line.
Another photographer borrowed my camera to take a picture of my lovely wife Elizabeth and I.
It was snowing out as we neared our photo runby location at the Big Cut. The train stopped and we headed outside for the static shots and photo runbys.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 stopped at the Big Cut at MP 5.2.
Nevada Northern Outfit Car 06 rebuilt from passenger coach 06 built by Pullman in 1872 for the Grand Trunk Railroad.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 reverses into the big cut.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 in the big cut.
Nevada Northern 2-8-0 93 static shot in the big cut.
Looking north into the Septoe Valley.
The photo line at the big cut.
Photo runby four.
The reverse move.
| Click here for Part 2! |