I note that BHP Nevada has filed to abandon the Nevada Northern. What is the likely scenario here? It won't be torn up will it?

ryarger@rypn.org

> I note that BHP Nevada has filed to abandon
> the Nevada Northern. What is the likely
> scenario here? It won't be torn up will it?

I can't see how the BHP Nevada RR could've done this because it dosn't/didn't (I don't know if BHPNRR still exists as a corporate entity since BHP pulled out of Ely and mothballed the Robison Project) own a foot NNRY track. BHPNRR leased all of it's track south of McGill from the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. Track north of Hiline Jct. was/is by the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power. BHPNRR leased track form both owners while it was operating.

At shutdown, BHPNRR terminated it's agreement with the museum's governing authoity and reached a settlement with the authority (White Pine County Historic Railroad Commission).

There have been talk, with the California energy crisis of late, that the LADW&P will build a powerplant at Cherry Creek, NV (LADW&P inteneded to do this when they bought the line in 1986 from Kennecot, but never did). But LADW&P has proposed to sell the line to the NNRY Museum over the last year. White Pine County, in dire financial sraits, desperatly wants to maintain the railink to the outside world for economic development, and wants to aquire the line under the guise of the museum but needs money to do so.

Before state budget shortfalls due to Sept. 11th, the county was hoping on a state grant to buy the line, but that now does not seen possible and plans to aquire the line are still in limbo.

> I note that BHP Nevada has filed to abandon
> the Nevada Northern. What is the likely
> scenario here? It won't be torn up will it?

Actually, BHP Nevada Railroad Company filed to discontinue service over the former Nevada Northern Ry trackage. Abandonment was not proposed. BHP closed their copper mining operations in the area three years ago next month.

As Terry Dempsey has noted, LADWP wants to dispose of the line and has shown interest in selling it to the city of Ely. The problem remains where to find the money to purchase the ROW.

Pacific Gas & Electric has recently shown some interest in locating a power plant in White Pine County. However, some form of a White Pine power plant story has been running for almost twenty-years now.

Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County
kalbran1@san.rr.com