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The Nevada Northern Railway, History In Motion!The Nevada Northern Railway is a living history book of Nevada's once prolific copper operations. The railroad itself dates back to the very early 20th century as a means of transportation to move the large amounts of copper being mined from south-central Nevada. As the price of copper began to plummet in the late 1970s Kennecott Minerals Company, then owner of the railroad closed down all of its operations in the region by the early 1980s. In 1986 the line north of Ely, including all shops and facilities that were located in the railroad’s hub at Ely were transferred by Kennecott to the White Pine Historical Railroad, which today operates it as the Nevada Northern Railway Museum.
Aside from its regular excursions the railroad also offers a host of specialty trains including Steptoe Valley Flyer Heritage Train, BBQ trains, the Chocolate Express, July 4th BBQ & Fireworks Train, Polar Express Christmas Trains, Haunted Ghost Trains, Oktoberfest Beer Trains, and more! Along with these trips the railroad also offers other attractions like train charters, locomotive rentals, cab rides, and caboose rentals. Perhaps, though, what is most unique about the railroad, which went a long way in earning it National Historic Landmark status in the spring of 2006 was the impressive level of preservation the railroad remains in. Virtually all of the buildings, locomotives, and rolling stock, everything is original and extremely well preserved. So, when you visit or take a ride on the Nevada Northern Railway you really are stepping back in time, something not many other tourist lines can so completely claim. The original Nevada Northern dates back to 1905 when it was created as part of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company to serve the many mines in the Ely area. The railroad was completed from Cobre, Nevada to Ely in September 1906, at a distance of nearly 140 miles. At Cobre the railroad had a connection with the Southern Pacific’s famed Overland Route main line and 18 miles south at Shafter also had a connection with the Western Pacific Railroad’s main line between Salt Lake City and San Francisco.
Also during this time the owner of the Nevada Northern Railway, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company was purchased by the Kennecott Copper Corporation, which remained in control of the railroad until its assets around Ely were sold to the White Pine Historical Railroad in the 1980s. Traffic on the railroad remained steady until the 1970s when copper prices began forcing Kennecott to slowly shut down its operations. By 1983 the smelter located at McGill shutdown after the last mine had closed in 1978 and with no more reason to be in operation the Nevada Northern Railway as a commercial common-carrier railroad ceased operations after 78 years of service. While the line west of Ely is still mostly in service for the Nevada Northern Railway Museum hope still remains that one day the entire railroad will return to operation. After a brief resumption of mining in Ruth in the 1990s in which rail service only lasted until 1999 (trucks now do the job), the City of Ely acquired the line north of the city all of the way to the original interchange point located at Cobre. There has been talk for several years that a coal-fired power plant will be built near Ely allowing for a revival of the entire railroad. So, if that ever happens not only can one witness freight trains traveling the original line between Ely and Cobre once again but perhaps passenger trains will also be traversing the route allowing visitors to see even more of the Nevada desert. Lastly, if you have the time please consider volunteering to help them with not only restoration work but also maintaining their railroad. I am sure they would very much appreciate the help!
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