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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

With the start of the new year, we are getting closer to the start of the most challenging season in the history of the museum. Starting April 15 and going through December 30, trains will be operating at the museum. If you ever had a hankering to assist in train operations this would be a

You can walk through the yard of the Nevada Northern in East Ely and look at the different railroad cars that are still here on the tracks. Most of the cars are easy to recognize, such as boxcars, tank cars, and flatcars. But there are a few that raise questions such as the wooden ballast

In Stephan Ambrose’s book Nothing Like It in the World, he tells the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad. It is a fascinating book. Mr. Ambrose takes you back in time as you explore the building of the railroad. In the book, he mentions that one of the fireman that was at the Golden

The 2005 brochure for the Nevada Northern is now at the printers. The headline for the timetable is “Excursion Schedule—Two Routes—Twice the Fun” and underneath that is the sub headline “Operating Rain, Snow, or Shine.” The reason for this sub headline is that I have received calls from people who were thinking of riding the

by Robby Peartree The byline this week is different. A member of the shop staff, Robby Peartree, wrote the following article. Robby is intimately involved with the work that needs to be done and the work that is being accomplished in the shop complex. He volunteered to write a monthly update of the activity down

There is an old saying that knowledge is power. The rebuilding of steam locomotive 40 is proving that saying in spades. In Ely, from 1906 through the late 1950’s, the rebuilding of the steam locomotives happened with regular frequency. The tools, the techniques, knowledge, and the workers were available in-house. Now at the start of

As a relatively new museum director, I thought my primary job was to preserve the locomotives, rolling stock, and buildings of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. You know, do the nuts and bolts repairs and maintenance to keep the grounds and equipment looking good. Also part of my responsibilities was keeping the excursion trains running.

Joan, Evva, and I have a frequent conversation on the fairness of life. Their contention is that life is not fair, and my flippant reply is, “If life was fair, horses would ride half the time.” Now I need to eat those words because life is not fair; it took from us a person in