On Saturday June 5th 2004 we set off on a great adventure. Keith Pattison picked me up at around 7:15 AM and we arrived at Nelson VanGundy's at 7:30. With the food loaded, Ed Geiger, Nelson, Keith and I headed to pick up our 5th traveler. We arrived at Charlie Lix's right on time, took a quick tour of his backyard layout and by 8:30 AM we were off to follow the Nevada Central Railroad. Along I-80 Charlie pointed out the old CP railroad grade where it differed from the current UP mainline. We had lunch in a park in Battle Mountain and headed South (RR West) on Hwy 305 to follow the Nevada Central.

Along the way to Austin we stopped at one spot, to explore on foot, a section of the railroad grade. We crossed the remnants of an old bridge and found a joint bar, a few square nails and a spike or two. Charlie found a section of rail about three and a half feet long. At the junction of Hwy 305 and US 50 we explored the site of Clifton, the terminus of the Nevada Central and the beginning of the "Mules Relief" Railroad.. We could find some old railroad grade, but no signs of the former turntable or shops. The area had been scraped with bulldozers many times. We checked out Stokes Tower (2), the gate  was open so we got to go inside. It was a copy of an old Italian castle tower, set up on a hill overlooking the vast valley below. At Austin, Charlie spotted a couple of mine cars and an air engine along side of an antique shop. There was a small electric engine as well.

 We then headed out on Highway 50 towards Ely and the Nevada Northern. We headed for Ely, crossing over many hills and valleys, until we finally reached our destination at around 6:00 PM. We first checked into the Ramada Inn in Ely, then we met up with Gene and his wife Pat. They are full time volunteers during the spring and summer at the Nevada Northern. Keith and Nelson passed on a great Chinese dinner that first night. Charlie, Ed, Gene, Pat and I enjoyed a good meal and got caught up on what was in store for us the next day, riding the NN.

Sunday started with bright sunshine, a quick continental breakfast at the hotel and then it was off to the Railroad museum in East Ely. Our first train was the steam trip to Keystone Junction. Area Map. Another area map, Ely to Keystone. This is a great 7 mile journey up the canyon to the mining district at Ruth. Engine 93 hauled two coaches, a open air flatcar and a caboose. We watched as the first steam engine rental of the day returned to the yards at Ely. We wandered around and looked at all the neat stuff they have there on display. The old coaling tower (detail), water tank, water spout, numerous ore hoppers, a very old Jordan spreader, old flat cars (2), two 70-ton SMVRR locomotives, two ex-Army MRS 1 locomotives, wooden boxcars, and lots of buildings. We purchased our tickets and waited for the train to depart.  While we waited they assembled our train. First they backed up to the passenger coaches. The train starts out backing down the yard. Then it goes forward towards the Junction. After we left the yard area Gene let us ride in the caboose. More Pictures, 2, 3, 4. We all took pictures along this part of the trip. During our ride to Keystone Junction Gene twisted our collective arms into renting the steam locomotive that afternoon (he did not have to twist too hard). We needed to get "outfitted" for the steam driving experience, so it was off to downtown Ely to get our 'duds'. Keith and I needed long pants, so I bought us a pair of overalls, we all shared Gene's extra pairs of gloves and Keith's long sleeve shirt. Since there were five of us sharing the steam driving experience, the crew attached a caboose (close-up) to the engine for the extra crew to ride. Nelson and I got the first session. Charlie decided to ride in the coal bunker. Ed and Keith rode the caboose. I took a picture thru the open door to the front of the engineer's seat.  Nelson started out his trip soon after we left the tail switch of the yard. He blew the steam whistle for the crossings and all the people who were watching the steam train pass by. Somewhere between Lane City and Mineral City he gently stopped the locomotive. It was now my turn at the throttle. After two short blasts of the whistle, I eased the Johnson bar up to the center and pulled the throttle forward a couple of notches. As I felt the engine begin to move I pushed the throttle back and then returned it to about notch three. This I was told was to keep the drivers from slipping. This engine was built for heavy ore trains and our light cab hop was certainly no problem for the locomotive. We were traveling up-grade about 1 1/2 percent and in a trough between the highway and the hills, so the engine made wonderful sounds reverberate between them as I eased out the throttle. I had to slow down as I reached almost 18 MPH, even had to use the engine brake when the grade eased up in front of me. But it was way cool when I got back on the throttle and brought her back up to speed. I reluctantly released control back to the engineer as we approached the Keystone Junction wye. After the train had been turned on the wye we stopped and got off so the next bunch could drive the engine back to town. Keith and I swapped out long pants and long sleeved shirts. While we were stopped the crew recorded temperature readings off the engine as Keith climbed into the cab. Nelson and I rode the caboose cupola and neither of us could stop grinning. Robbie, the rear brakeman on our trip, thought I drove too fast, but making the engine work, even if just a little, was so much fun and sounded so good. When we returned to Ely our certificates were ready and  a group picture was taken. (A young rail fan got in the act as well.) Next we drove along the right-of-way (2) to the junction, stopping along the way to check out, up close, what we had seen from the train. There were mine tailings and overburden making for a very man-made landscape. Sunday evening we had dinner at the Jailhouse Restaurant with a bunch of the crew members, it was a very nice time visiting with these folks.

We went to the White Pine County Public Museum. They are located at the end of the tracks in downtown Ely. The city relocated the tracks to avoid the train traveling thru downtown streets. They had some great artifacts and many more pictures were taken here, the  Old Depot moved here from Cherry Creek NV. (the SP interchange point for the Nevada Northern), a wood sheathed boxcar, wood caboose w/o trucks, outhouse (2), Boxcar end detail. 

Monday we took a tour of the shop complex with Gene before he had to go to 'work' on the 1:30 train. We met near the Head Mechanic's office and storehouse and entered the machine shop. The shop is fully equipped to handle most of the tasks related to the care of steam and diesel locomotives and  railroad rolling stock. Multiple lathes, drills and machinery of all types are located in the complex. We toured the foundry, metal shop, and the heavy repair pit area. NN number 40 has had her tubes removed for inspection and is in the middle of an overhaul. Charlie is checking it out close up. Also inside the shop was diesel #310, a wood caboose, RS2 # 5, and many more pieces of rolling stock and locomotives. It was too dark to get good photos. Once more out in the daylight we toured the wrecker shed, up along side the engine house were a SP SD9 #4303 and another RS locomotive, both were used for parts. We turned around and saw the #93 returning from a rental, no it is not going thru the coaling tower. It passed alongside the car repair shop. We walked past the back side of the carpenter shop. It has a nice new coat of paint, the building was probably adopted by a benefactor. Another old wood caboose sat on a couple of disconnects. Lots of odd equipment filled the storage tracks. The right front view of the carpenter shop, the left front view. After lunch we took the diesel train ride towards the mill site at McGill. The RS 3 was headed long hood first (frontward) towards McGill, pulling the caboose then the flat followed by the two coaches. The crew, Gene as conductor, has a safety meeting before departure. Pat came out to talk to Gene and the engineer. About three miles from the end of the line the engine cuts away and ran around the train, pushing it the last few miles. Nelson still has that smile from yesterday's steam engine driving experience. With the caboose behind us we head back to Ely. Monday night we returned to the Chinese restaurant and afterwards bid our farewell to Gene and Pat.

During both train rides I took pictures of the small buildings, feeling they would make interesting models. No two buildings are alike. Engine House. Small shed and speeder house. A close-up view. Another pair of sheds. There were many more that I did not get close enough to, to photograph. This is the bulkhead flat that ran away from Keystone Junction and met the passenger train at the tunnel. 

Tuesday, after breakfast with the 'bimbo twins' we headed for Eureka Nevada leaving Ely at 8:00 AM. We explored the Richmond mining district above Eureka, finding lots of evidence of old railroad grade. It was along the grade leading to the mines that Charlie found a broken journal box cover from a Carter Bros. truck. There were old and new mining sites, we found these cars sitting near the shop building. Also there was a mucker engine sitting in the weeds. We reluctantly left the Eureka area, but not before first stopping to get the card of a local hotel, could another trip be in the works? We followed the Eureka & Palisade grade for miles and miles, stopping when we thought we saw some rail. It turned out to be timbers, but a lot of spikes were found along side that part of the grade. We stopped just short of Palisade NV. right over the UP mainline. We did not find any artifacts or remnants of the old railroad in Palisade, but we did go to the top of a gravel pit that was located there. We followed the UP mainline along the maintenance road for about five miles when we found another railroad spike. This one was one we would have rather not found. It was determined that we should head to Carlin to replace the tire, but Carlin NV. did not have a tire store. Was this bridge once a mainline RR bridge? Our next stop would have to be Elko in the wrong direction. We left Elko heading to Sparks, we traveled thru rain and cloudy weather and I arrived back home at Serene Lakes by about 10:00 PM

Some pictures taken by Keith Pattison.

WHAT A TRIP!!!

Links to: Nevada Northern Railroad Museum  and the Nevada Northern and Railroads of White Pine County . This site has great maps of the area from different times in the railroad's and mining district's histories. The White Pine County Public Museum

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