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As mentioned last week, the Nevada Northern Railway has a couple of mysteries. Looking back almost a century now, the reason why the railroad did something is unclear. Why aren’t we called the Northern Nevada Railroad? Good question, the only person who could answer it would be Mark Requa, the builder of the railway, and […]

Everyone likes a good mystery and in keeping with the season, we have a couple of mysteries right here at the railroad. They’re neither ghoulish nor macabre—they’re just head scratchers. In other words, why did the railroad do something a certain way? What was the reasoning behind their decisions? These are my observations. If you

In the museum’s collection are copies of photographs showing the next to the last and the last passenger trains at Currie. These pictures document the end of an era on the Nevada Northern Railway. From 1906 through 1941, the Nevada Northern ran daily passenger trains between Ely and Cobre. It wasn’t a long trip, just

In the museum’s collection is an autobiography of Mr. Harold Millard Peterson. Mr. Peterson worked for the Nevada Northern Railway from 1937 to 1975. He retired from the railroad as General Manager. With the Centennial of the railroad rapidly approaching, I thought I would share with you what it was like on the Nevada Northern

by Steve Swanson This is an article by Steve Swanson on the history of the Nevada Northern locomotives. In this piece he answers where the tender that we have in the yard came from. Enjoy. Nevada Northern engine No. 80 entered service in April 1913, now as a conventional looking 2-8-0 with a tractive effort

The nickname for the Nevada Northern Railway Museum is the Ghost Train of Old Ely. The reason for the name alludes to the fact that we are keeping the past alive at the museum. Once, just about every small town in America had a connection to railroads; today that’s gone. If the railroad still goes

In the museum’s collection is an autobiography by Mr. Harold Millard Peterson. Mr. Peterson worked for the Nevada Northern Railway from 1937 to 1975. He retired from the railroad as General Manager. With the centennial of the railroad rapidly approaching, I thought I would share with you what it was like on the Nevada Northern

In the museum’s collection is an autobiography by Mr. Harold Millard Peterson. Mr. Peterson worked for the Nevada Northern Railway from 1937 to 1975. He retired from the railroad as General Manager. With the centennial of the railroad rapidly approaching, I thought I would share with you what it was like on the Nevada Northern

There is a tradition at the Nevada Northern Railway that predates the formation of the museum: open access. Railfans relate stories about coming down on to the property in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and just wandering through the buildings and taking pictures. If they did bump into an employee, the employee would take them

It looms over the entire complex and I dare say it was the largest pigeon coop in Ely. I’m talking about the coaling tower. It could be called our signature piece except for the fact the original depot is right across the tracks from the coaling tower and the water tower loams over the coaling