Nevada Northern RR steam & RS3 videos

[Ray Dunakin]

I got back from my annual Nevada trip a couple days ago and still have tons of catching up to do. I will post more pics and info in a few days but for now, here are some videos I shot in and near Ely, NV. Most of them show 2-8-0 #93 in action. One features RS3 #109. The first is a cool "over the camera" shot. The last one is kind of a blooper reel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnRlJwrZFuQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-z_LQpIk7c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7HgIgWkpps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb1FAANeXFM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyF00lh-rcU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONR7kCg5ShA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNlulkBBMGc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQeimzJwaeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_wqkFdi22Y

 

[UP2CSX]

Great videos, Ray, but the first and last were the best. I hope your camera didn't get popped too bad by the #93 switching tracks on you. How much of the original mainline of the NN is still in use? The shots look like they are mostly between Rurh and East Ely. Is the original mainline at least still in place? I'd love to take a trip from Ely to Shafter again.

 

[Ray Dunakin]

Thanks! The camera survived unharmed.

Currently the museum uses the trackage to Ruth wye for most tourist runs. However, the tracks going out of Ely to the north are also entirely intact, and I believe they do some special runs at least as far as McGill.

 

[UP2CSX]

Yep, I meant Ruth...my lousy typing attacks again. I was doing a little research and it looks like the NN trackage to Shafter has beeen purchased and then leased several times in the past 20 years. First time was the LADWP, so it could serve a 2.5 million megawatt coal fired power plant that, ultimately, ended up never getting built. BHP operated the line for three year between 1996 and 1999 under the name BHP Nevada Railroad. They abandoned operation late in 1999 when the copper ore wasn't found to profitable enough, although some mining is still ongoing, with the ore being truck hauled. The line was purchased by the City of Ely in 2006, and Sierra Pacific Resources has revived the power plant idea, so the NN may run again on the main. It's been a hard railroad to kill. There's also a rather strange web site that uses the NN logo and name, saying it's going to extend the present line to Yucca Mountain to haul nuclear waste. Since the rail corridor is already fixed as starting from the present UP branch at Pioche, I can't imagine why this site was put up.