Superheater,
You’ll forgive me if I do some bragging here but if you want an authentic photo freight experience mark your calendar for February and be in East Ely Nevada for one humdinger of a show.
You will get NN Ry locomotive 93 (ALCO, 1909, 2-8-0) been here for 96 years. She will be pulling 3 ACF Boxcars been here since 1912, a tank car (1906) hopper and ore cars all original to the Nevada Northern. And to just add a little spice, NN Ry locomotive 40 (Baldwin, 1910, 4-6-0) will be pulling Baggage/RPO 20 (1906) and First Class Coach 5. This is the train that ran from Ely to Cobre from 1910 to 1941.
Did I mention the trains will be leaving from the East Ely Depot built in 1907? And that the yard covers 56 acres includes 49 buildings and structures, including the enginehouse, machine shop (with belt driven lathes still in service) coaling tower and water tank just to name a few. And we need to talk the route. 93 will be pulling its ore train up to the mine, which is back in operation. (This past weekend 93 hauled an ore train to the mine for the first time in 65 years.) Then we will also be making runs to Adverse that’s were the mill was and the scenery there today has not changed in the past 65 years.
I believe it doesn’t get much more authentic than the Nevada Northern Railway complex in East Ely Nevada. Original locomotives, original freight and passengers, original buildings, original right of way and track (and let’s not forget the hand dug curved tunnel) and then there is the paper record. The original employee records, building plans, locomotive plans, car plans, General Manager Orders, and Nevada Northern Railway check number 1.
And if you want the quintessential experience, lay down your money, put on your bibs (starched of course) and show up at the enginehouse at 6:00 am to prepare the locomotive for service. When she’s ready to go out you can be the engineer.
And if you are a diesel aficionado, we have the original ALCO RS-2 and RS-3 in operation. And we are working on putting a Baldwin VO back in operation. And where it isn’t original to the property, we do have an SD-9. All of these are available for rent too.
There is no place left like the Nevada Northern Railway, you need to come out for a visit. But be careful, because the Nevada Northern is highly addictive and you will need to come out again and again. Check out our website www.nnry.com
Mark