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Nevada Northern Railway locomotive 40 is back in service. If you have been anywhere around the railroad since Labor Day weekend, you already knew that. Locomotive 40s whistle is distinctive. When the engineer pulls the whistle rope, a powerful beautiful sound reverberates throughout the canyons around Ely. This is as it has been for the […]

The Nevada Northern Railway is a 19th century complex existing in the 21st Century. I’m reminded of this all of the time, like right now when I get a whiff of coal smoke wafting through my office window. Of course, my office window is open because my office is not air-conditioned. The coal smoke is

“Since the 1950s, the phrase E Ticket (or E ticket ride) has referred to an unusually interesting, thrilling, or expensive experience.” —Wikipedia That definition pretty much summarizes what it is like running a complex of 19th century technology in the 21st century—interesting, thrilling, or expensive. Yep, that sums it up alright. I used the expression

by Steve Bechtold The Nevada Northern Railway Museum has picked up a nationally organized battle cry for museums and historic spots. That cry is, “This place matters.” Well of course it does, but the first question that pops into anyone’s head is, “Why?” In asking this, I am reminded of my child who always wants

You’ve dreamed it of being in the cab of a steam locomotive. You’ve wondered what it would be like to pull out the throttle on 100-tons of steam locomotive. Well, you can stop dreaming and actually do it. As part of the outreach program at the Nevada Northern Railway National Historic Landmark, you have the

The New York Stock Exchange fell close to fifty percent from its peak of the previous year. Panic occurred; there were numerous runs on banks and trust companies. Throughout the country, state and local banks along with businesses entered into bankruptcy. This all happened during a time of economic recession. Sounds like recent headlines, doesn’t

An op-ed by Bill WithuhnCurator, Division of Work and Industry, Smithsonian Institution My views here are my own as a former businessman and as one with some forty years in railroading: working closely on federal legislation and regulation; firing, running, and repairing locomotives; and—for the past twenty-six years—working in historic preservation and in the study

There is a book written by Stephen Ambrose titled Nothing Like It in the World. It’s a long title; the book describes the building of the transcontinental railroad one hundred and forty years ago. It’s a great book and I highly recommend it. My career has been varied. But in that career, I have never experienced

Other than the steam and diesel locomotives, there is another engine down at the railroad. It is not really visible to the public. It is a version of the little engine that could. It covers the entire complex, White Pine County, and the State of Nevada—a pretty big task for a small little engine. This

When you think of the Nevada Northern Railway, it’s easy to get hooked on the locomotives, railroad cars, and track. After all, it is a railroad, isn’t it? But what raises the Nevada Northern Railway to National Historic Landmark status is the completeness of the complex. It’s not just the trains. It’s the buildings and