We slept well at the Holiday Inn in Ely and after our morning preparations, we ate breakfast at the hotel. After some computer working, we headed down to the East Ely station.
The East Ely station built in 1907 and parked the car. We walked down toward the shops but stopped short of it.
Nevada Northern 93 was near the coaling tower.
Nevada Northern 81 was backing from the shops.
Nevada Northern 93 and its shadow passed by photo location.
Nevada Northern 81 and its shadow passed by photo location.
Both engines at the west end of the East Ely Yard.
Nevada Northern 81 did a blow down.
Nevada Northern 93 backed down to water then switched to be on our passenger train.
Nevada Northern 93 takes on water prior to coupling up to our train. We left Ely and we went to Moser Cut to do photo runbys.
The reverse move with Nevada Northern 93 which had coaches 08 Ruth and 07 Ely.
The reverse move with Nevada Northern 81 which had ore cars 402 and 400, box cars 1024, 1025, 1021 and 1023 and caboose 3.
Photo runby one with Nevada Northern 81 at the Moser Cut.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby two with Nevada Northern 81.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby three with Nevada Northern 81 at Moser Cut.
Photo runby four with Nevada Northern 93. We reboarded our passenger train and headed east up the line.
The line to Cobre will be used to get to McGill in a few years. We then unloaded at the Star Train platform.
A fireman working the coal tender to get the coal to the engine.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 93.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby five with Nevada Northern 81 at the Star Train platform.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby six with Nevada Northern 81 at the Star Train platform.
Photo runby seven with Nevada Northern 81 at the Star Train platform. We loaded up and headed to the Big Cut.
We were riding with these people in coach 08 Ruth, with my loving wife Elizabeth on the right. We arrived at the Big Cut and I followed Kevin up the hill and told him about my first experience with Union Pacific 3985 before we reached the summit. Elizabeth also climbed the hill.
Our passenger train reversed through the Big Cut.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby eight with Nevada Northern 81 at the Big Cut.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby nine with Nevada Northern 81 at the Big Cut.
Photo runby ten with Nevada Northern 93 at the Big Cut. We reboarded the pasenger train and we went to Lavon siding for some side-by-side action plus more. Once there, our passenger train unloaded in the siding before it reversed down the siding.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
The photo line at Lavon siding.
Our passenger train reversed down Lavon siding.
An engine crew member is out to give an inspection of the train passing.
Photo runby eleven with Nevada Northern 81 at Lavon siding.
Views of Nevada Northern 93 in the siding.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
The crew member is ready to give an inspection of the passing train.
Photo runby twelve with Nevada Northern 81 at Lavon siding.
It was now time for crew pictures.
A partial crew picture.
Full engine crew pictures.
Special train crew picture with Jim Wrinn, Mark Bassett and Kevin Gilliam.
Jim and Mark showing that it was Trains Magazine's 81st Anniversary.
Jim Wrinn, editor of Trains Magazine and Kevin Gilliam, videographer.
Jim Wrinn and his wife Cate Kratville-Wrinn, our hosts for these day.
A group photograph was next and here are all the participants, except Cate and myself, who took the pictures.
A Nevada Northern railroad telephone booth.
Nevada Northern 81 left for East Ely.
Nevada Northern 93 pulled up to load us before we ran to East Ely. Cate collected donations for a crew tip as is usually done on these charters.
Unsafe railfans chasing our train down a bumpy dirt road.
Nevada Northern coach 09 "McGill" is former Ontario Northland. We returned to the wig-wag crossing for a few more photos.
Nevada Northern 81 reversed through the crossing. I had to use the bathroom then collected our belongings from the train and took it to the car.
The end of photo runby thirteen in East Ely.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby fourteen with Nevada Northern 81 at the wig-wag crossing.
The conductor's car, a 1951 Frazer, was used as a prop this afternoon. Frazer was the flagship line of the upper medium-priced American luxury automobile built by the Kaiser-Frazer Corporation of Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
The Frazer crossed the tracks then came back across and circled around.
Reverse move of Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby fifteen with Nevada Northern 81 at the wig-wag crrossing.
Posed pictures at the wig-wag crossing.
Posed pictures with Nevada Northern 81.
Posed pictures with the train set.
Reverse move with Nevada Northern 81.
Photo runby sixteen with Nevada Northern 81.
Posed pictures at the wig-wag crossing.
Posed pictures with Nevada Northern 81.
Posed pictures at the wig-wag crossing; this set marked the end of the event. I would like to thank Trains Magazine for putting on this photo charter, as well as the entire Nevada Northern Railway train crew and onboard staff for making this a fantastic and memorable event. I gave Mark Bassett a special thank you for the Nevada Northern timetable that his staff gave me. Elizabeth and I drove away two very happy railfans. We went to Carls Junior for lunch then Elizabeth drove us to Pioche, where we checked into the Overland Hotel and I finished yesterday's story before we had dinner at the Historic Silver Cafe. Aftewards, I finished today's story and we called it a night.
10/11/2021 Elizabeth and I awoke in Pioche and after doing our internet routines, we checked out and loaded the car. Since the Historic Silver Cafe did not open until 8:00 AM and there is no other restaurant in the town, we stopped at a Sinclar gas station and picked up donuts and a cinnamon roll for me along with a bottle of lemonade and Elizabeth had a danish and an orange juice. I ate the donuts on the way to the first stop of the day.
An old Pioche Branch wooden trestle north of Caliente. We drove to Caliente and I stopped again.
The old Pioche Branch steel bridge.
At Caliente, I stopped for the Union Pacific station there then continued down US 93 to Love's petrol station where we joined Interstate 15 and we made our way to the Nevada Southern Railway Museum in Boulder City.
We passed the excursion train on the highway, then parked in their parking lot. The train was still a block away from the station.
The train arrived at the station.
Union Pacific GP30 844 was on the point but we saw it trailing railbikes.
The railbikes on the rear of the excursion train.
The emblem outside the ticket office and gift shop. We went inside and overheard the agent telling a customer on the telephone that today's trip was cancelled due to the high winds and that it was not safe. Elizabeth, wearing her mask, purchased two T-shirts, two lapel pins and a Christmas ornament and received a refund for the cancelled ride. We both were disappointed but understood that safety is the most important thing.
We left and had linner at Jersey Mike's in Henderson then stopped at Shell to fill the car with petrol before I drove us on a most interesting drive across the Mojave Desert. At Primm, the sand storm and strong winds slowed all of the cars and trucks with wind gusts trying to move cars into other lanes, but good drivers did not let that happen. Speeds were way below the posted limits as I climbed the grades and fewer trucks were on the road this afternoon. I drove us over two summits then down to Baker and on to Zzyzxx Road. I had to fight to get my car door open and Elizabeth became the driver. She did a fine job of driving through slow traffic on Interstate 15 and we hit a bit of rain west of Devore. She drove CA Highway 91 and CA Highway 55, arriving at our apartment at 5:30 PM, after driving 2,536 miles on this trip. It had been one excellent adventure but we were glad to be home.
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