www.rgusrail.com - Nevada Northern #93

The Nevada Northern Railway was built to service large copper deposits discovered near Ely in the 1900s. Incorporated in June 1905, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company contracted to build a line connecting its mines and smelter to the Southern Pacific at Cobre. Construction began in September 1905 and was completed a year later.

The railroad's main purpose was to haul copper ore, but it also handled other freight and a daily passenger train ran between East Ely and Cobre until 1941.

From the 1920s, the Kennecott Copper Corporation progressively took over the mining company. Then, in the late 1970s, Kennecott began closing facilities and, in 1983, suspended all operations. Three years later, it transferred the local ore line and the yard and shop facilities in East Ely to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation, a non-profit organisation which today operates the property as the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.

Above, the rear of #93 just inside the engine house as it steams up ready for the day’s work. #93 is one of two steam locomotives operated by the railroad to haul local excursions.

I visited the Nevada Northern in October 2009 to take advantage of the museum’s Engineer Rental programme and take the throttle of #93.

A view looking along #93’s tender just inside the engine house.

#93 is a Consolidation type (2-8-0) locomotive, one of four built by Alco in 1909 for the American Smelters Securities Co. to haul ore trains on the Nevada Northern. It cost $17,610, has an empty weight of 187,000 lbs and weighs 168,000 lbs on its drivers, which are 51” in diameter. The cylinders are 21” x 30”. It operates at 190 psi and has a tractive effort of 41,890 lbs.

#93 was sold to Nevada Consolidated Copper in September 1920 when the company took over operation of the ore line. 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, however, Kennecott Copper donated the locomotive to the White Pine Public Museum, where it went on open air display.

#93 under a smoke cowl with its blower on.

After 29 years on open air display at the White Pine Public Museum, in 1990, #93 was traded to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation along with all of the museum’s railroad equipment in exchange for the foundation’s Cherry Creek Depot. The same year, the depot building was moved 50 miles south to become part of the White Pine Public Museum complex in Ely. The move was funded with the help of $11,000 raised by local elementary school students.

At the same time, #93 was towed to the Nevada Northern Railway engine house where work got underway to return the locomotive to operating condition. Three years later, #93 began its second career hauling excursion trains. Passenger excursions operate on the Nevada Northern tracks between Ely, Ruth, and McGill during the summer season, and there are winter photo shoots in February each year. In 2002, #93 was part of an "Olympic Steam Team" operating over the Heber Valley, UT, tracks during the 2002 Winter Games.

The steam cylinder cocks are opened.

Above, the engineer and one of the hostlers do some final fine tuning before #93 leaves the engine house.

The locomotive has undergone three major overhauls/rebuilds: in 1995-97, after colliding with a flatcar of ties while on excursion; in 2001, as a result of changes to Federal requirements covering boiler maintenance; and in 2007-08, following discovery of cracked/turned axles

I had hoped to engineer #93 in late 2008, but my plans were scuppered by the cracked/turned axles. Still, it was worth waiting another year for the pleasure of riding #93!

There are three diesel-electric locomotives also available for rental, as well as the museum’s second steam locomotive, #40, a “ten wheeler” (4-6-0) built by Baldwin in 1910. You can see these and much of the rest of the museum’s collection on the Nevada Northern Railway Museum page of this website.

#93 with its pop cocks blowing.

You need to wear suitable clothing when your on a rental: a long sleeve all-cotton shirt, all-cotton trousers and a good pair of shoes or boots. And riding in the cab of an operating steam engine involves coal dust and oil and smoke galore!

#93’s air pumps straddle the smoke box door, giving it a characteristically square-jawed look.

Above, #93 at the coaling station.

The original coaling tower no longer operates. Instead, the museum’s steam locomotives are coaled by front-end loaders, using the ramp shown in these views.

#93 out of the engine house in the yard.

The rental programme is limited to people 18 years or older, and involves engineering the locomotive on its own (i.e. no wagons or carriages are coupled to the locomotive). It includes an instruction period from one of the museum’s certified engineers before you take the locomotive out and you must pass a written test before you can begin your instruction.

When you get back to the yard, you get a certificate confirming that have engineered the locomotive.

Above and right, #93 in front of the combined coal tower and sandhouse beside the water tower.

Looking through the fireman’s side window as we stand at the coaling ramp. The old Car Repair Shop is visible straight ahead in this view.

On the right, a panorama of #93’s backhead. The engineer has his hand on the brake lever.

Looking through the engineer’s side window sitting at the controls. The Johnson Bar handle is on the lower left.

This is where I first got my hands on #93’s throttle, starting with some simple forward and backward movements to get a feel for the controls.

Keeping the fire up while we wait for the train orders and track warrant that would allow us to proceed.

Once we’ve got our train orders, track warrant and radio approval to proceed, I give two pulls at the whistle, open the cylinder cocks, move the Johnson Bar to the reverse position and nudge the throttle open. A blast of steam breaks from the open cylinder cocks. I pull back another notch on the throttle and #93 starts to move. Another notch out on the throttle and 166 tons of steel, coal and water start to roll slowly back out of the yard.

After reversing out of the yard, we head forward about a mile north west to Lackawana crossing before swinging south west to skirt the northern edge of Ely. At the western edge of town, we turn north west up Gleason Creek valley under Garnet Hill (visible at the upper right in the middle view above), beginning the 320’ climb to Keystone, 7 miles away.

Garnet Hill is part of the Egan Range of mountains running south from near Schelbourne, NV, to Lund, NV. At Ely, Gleason Creek has cut a natural defile through the range, which was taken advantage of by the old Nevada Northern to push north to Cobre, where the line interchanged with the original Southern Pacific. State Highway 50 also runs through the defile, heading west.

In the three views above, #93 is stamping up the grade alongside Highway 50 (visible on the right). This part of Highway 50, running from Ely to Fallon, NV, is the so called "Loneliest Road in America”. The name was given by a Life magazine article in July 1986 that portrayed the highway and rural Nevada as a place devoid of civilisation. Officials from White Pine County then chose to capitalise on the publicity and convinced State authorities to use the name as a means of marketing the area. The Nevada Department of Transportation then adopted the name in official highway logs and placed markers along the route. Highway 50 roughly parallels the old Pony Express Trail, remnants of which are still visible in many places along the way.

In getting up to Keystone, my focus is on balancing the extent of throttle with braking so that I maintain a speed in the 15 mph range. As the track climbs and levels, this requires concentration, but #93 responds to each of my commands with a different “voice”.

It’s great to control all this power and, so long as I stay around the approved speed limit, the instructor engineer just leaves me to get on with it.

At Keystone, we turn south west to parallel White Pine County Road #44A and cross the top of the Keystone wye.

Backing south east on the first leg of the wye. White Pine County Road #44A is visible running across the centre of these views.

Here, the engineer runs #93 north east on the second leg of the wye to rejoin the main line so that we can head back to Ely.

Keystone Mine was discovered in the late 1860s by a wandering prospector, one of many drawn to the area by discovery of silver ore at Eureka in 1864. An initial ore discovery was as high as 600 oz silver and $120 gold per ton, but efforts to locate other, similarly valuable deposits were fruitless.

The township of Keystone originated in 1868 as a company town for the Old Dominion Mining Company. However, it was always more of a mining camp than a town. Before long, the population had reached 50, which supported two saloons, but this initial interest soon declined.

Keystone Mine operated only intermittently throughout the remainder of the 19th century but, in 1910, a rich silver strike was made. From then until as late as 1990, a number of mining companies operated at Keystone. Now, however, little remains other than a few old stone buildings.

Three views heading back down to Ely. Gleason Creek is on the right. Highway 50 is just visible beyond the smokebox on the left.

On the down grade, there is no call for opening the throttle very far. A little steam is required to keep the cylinders lubricated but, otherwise, my focus is on brake control. Too much brake and #93 begins to slow, too little and you feel the massive engine begin to surge forward under its own weight.

There are two tunnels on the route between Ely and Keystone. Above, we are approaching the modern tunnel, which is the more northern of the two.

Two somewhat shaky photos inside the tunnel.

It’s smoky, steamy and surprisingly hard to breathe, although it’s not a very long tunnel.

Looking back along the tender at Ely.

Here, we go through another wye.

Looking along the eastern arm of the wye.

Looking back along the main line.

Pulling away from the main line.

Approaching the western arm of the wye.

The western arm.

View from the cab.

The eastern arm.

Looking along the eastern arm of the wye.

Another view of the eastern arm of the wye.

Rejoining the main line.

Back in the yard, the locomotive stands while the engineer goes to the office to complete my certificate confirming I have engineered #93.

Then, with a gasp of steam, it heads back to the engine house.

Ely is somewhat off the beaten track (a 120 mile drive south from West Wendover off the I93, 180 miles west of Holden off the I15, or 220 miles north of Garnet off the I15) but it’s well worth it. The countryside is quite spectacular, Ely is friendly and, if you decide to engineer one of the steam locomotives at the museum, you’re in for a treat!

You can see more of #93, with it’s partner locomotives (steam, diesel and electric) along with other equipment on the Nevada Northern Railway Museum page of this website.

You can also see more footplate action on the Sumpter Valley Railroad and Milwaukee Road #261 pages of this website.