A Look Back, Three Railfan Trips 2019: Part 2: Solo adventure to Ely, Nevada.

Part 1: Las Vegas and Kingman, Arizona
Part 2: Solo adventure to Ely, Nevada
Part 3: Western Nevada and Sumpter, Oregon

On June 21^st I had a simple theory to prove… would it be possible to make a round trip from my home in Tooele, Utah out to Ely, Nevada and back in a single day? Obviously, there was some hesitation from my parent’s in me traveling a long trek again, this time alone; but I assured them there would be no muddy roads and I would inform them off my progress. Fellow Desert Empire Project editor Matt Liverani lives out in Ely, and I’d be meeting up with him to railfan the Nevada Northern Railway before I went home.

Besides, I needed Ely and its steam locomotives. UP 4014 had been a blast, but the crowds were certainly still stuck in my mental image of the day. I needed a trip that was more quiet, intimate; one where I could get close to a living breathing steam train without the massive wall of crowds that follow the Big Boy wherever it steps foot. The Nevada Northern Railway offered just the right remedy for that kind of malaise.

My first stop on June 21st lead me to catch this Ferromex locomotive shoving on the end of a westbound grain train on the former Western Pacific route.

Welcome to Earth

My first stop was at the former Marblehead branch on the ex-Western Pacific, I shot a passing grain train on the mainline; then inspected a bit of the now abandoned branchline which had been disconnected from the mainline since my last visit. A brief stop at the Salt Flats where I pretended to be Luke Skywalker on Crait facing Kylo Ren also happened… for nerdy reasons. Although seeing Star Wars’ scene on Crait was filmed in Bolivia, maybe the real movie I should have been quoting was Independence Day which had many scenes filmed in the Wendover area and on the Salt Flats. “Welcome to Earth” like Will Smith said.

Although many of the original buildings are gone, the remaining machine shops and offices fenced off at McGill are a significant reminder of the smelter that once operated here.

Similarly fenced off is the Nevada Northern depot in McGill. Owned by the railroad, this could perhaps someday be restored with the track repaired allowing excursion service to this town. The distant mountains still have a snowcap in June, showcasing the extremely wet water year the Great Basin had.

The long drive through the Steptoe Valley was beautiful. Nevada had a generous springtime rain season, and the mountains were green and verdant. It was the most stunning I had ever seen the desert regions of Nevada, and I enjoyed every minute of it. My interest in smelters and railroading led me to McGill, the copper smelting hub once served by the Nevada Northern Railway. The smelter site is closed off, but the few buildings still standing visible from outside the gate were spectacular and made for a great reference for how similar smelters might have looked in their heydays.

A lot of historic railroad's have steam locomotives. Very few of them can say though they have steam locomotives original to the line based in the original yard full of original structures... yet in Ely #40 lives on the same railroad it has been on since its was delivered from Baldwin in 1910. The original fabric preserved here is astounding.

I don't tend to share my backlit pictures that often, but I love how this curve looks and how well it showcases the abundant green this year had.

Finally, in Ely I met up with Matt and grabbed my ticket to explore the grounds of the Nevada Northern. #40 the line’s famous “Ghost Train” the official State Locomotive of Nevada was doing the rounds that day, booked to haul a string of hopper cars up to Ruth as part of a locomotive rental. A second departure from Ely had #40 running light to Ruth as another locomotive rental, before returning to prepare for the late afternoon tourist train run. Matt and I chased the first two runs. Here out in the Nevada desert, #40 put on a show hauling its short freight train. I was enjoying the lack of crowds with Matt and I often alone; although by the time #40 had reached Ruth a few other wandering railfans had come out to photograph it.

#40 was nearing the end of its current certification, being due for a 15-year inspection in 2020. The engine showed it, in all the best ways; specks of rust, faded paint, clanking valve gear… #40 was indeed showing her wear and tear. Worn out and tired? Yes. But not un-cared for, as the Nevada Northern prides itself in maintaining and up keeping its locomotives in an authentic manner. #40 perhaps looked her best like this, slightly worn out and rough around the edges but every bit as authentic to the East Ely yard in 2019 as it would have been back in say 1949. The extensive preserved structures in the yard make it easy to lose sense of time… the Nevada Northern is a modern-day oddity, but only 60 or 70 years ago these types of shortlines in small distant towns were lifeblood of American life. East Ely Yard could have been “Anywhere USA” only a hundred years ago, yet now it stands alone and unique. Like a place lost in time. I can’t help but think of my hometown Tooele Valley Railway which ceased to exist long before I was born, but its much easier to picture the sights, smells and sounds that once would have happened in my hometown when I have the Nevada Northern Railway as a point of reference.

#40 just simply puts on a good show each time it runs. Thanks to the several rentals running that day, I got to chase 40 with both a train and running light up and down the canyon.

Matt offered to buy me lunch at the Economy Drug and Old-Fashioned Fountain pharmacy in Ely after our chasing. I swear, that is still the best Italian Sandwich I think I have ever had… Jimmy Johns and Subway have both failed to capture the awesomeness of that one sub in Ely. Matt left for home, and I was on my own… first I made a stop to Garnet Hill… taking an hour to hunt for garnets in the public rockhounding area. 

I've heard it said that the Nevada Northern is like a place where the people working there just left one day and never came back, leaving everything behind... I feel that is not entirely accurate; its a place where once those people left, others came back to keep working there. The machine shop there is amazing and always a must see when I am visiting.  This is true living breathing history.

In progress restoration on NN #81 was happening while I was in Ely visiting the shop. I can't wait to see this one in steam someday!

I finally returned to the Nevada Northern, using the ticket I bought earlier in the day to tour the shops. Rather than take a guided tour, I wandered in and walked the shops alone taking it in at my own pace. I watched crew working on the NN 81 restoration, while a man hosed the floors in #40’s vacant stall next to NN 93. I also got to meet the famous cat Dirt finally, after the cat managed to avoid me on my two prior visits to Ely in years prior! As #40 was preparing for its tourist train in the afternoon, I shot a few parting photographs and bought a fridge magnet on my way out of the gift shop.

One more stop in McGill to admire the still standing smelter buildings. I couldn’t resist it myself, had to admire the few standing remains still at the smelter there.

A few cans of Mountain Dew and some patience with the long road, and a few hours later I was pulling into my home in Tooele… my car running a lot more smoothly than the last trip! I’d say Ely was a successful venture… time to start thinking big again!

The ambiance of this place... its just amazing. A mid-20th century railyard just stuck in time.

The Nevada Northern Railway is one of the most talked about and celebrated standard gauge lines in America, but its isolation often means it’s quite a journey for almost anyone to get out there. Is the journey worth it? Of course. The wide-open Steptoe Valley provides a dramatic backdrop for the drive there; and the Nevada Northern Railway is steeped in the area’s history of copper mining and smelting. I was glad I got the chance to pay my dues to #40 on that trip, as the engine is scheduled to be sidelined pending an overhaul for its 15-year inspection in 2020. But with #93 and soon #81 joining the roster; the Nevada Northern will continue to be the leading experience for standard gauge steam in an authentic western setting for many years to come.

- Jacob Lyman