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We never seem to run out of challenges at the railroad and at times, they become nearly overwhelming. Right now, the bridge repair project is finally in progress, steam locomotive 93 is down for repairs, and steam locomotive 40 is hanging in there while carrying the load, but at ninety-seven years of age, it could […]

Running steam in the 21st century is a challenge. On June 22, I was the conductor of the 4:30 steam excursion pulled by steam locomotive 93. We have been having axle troubles with 93 for a while, not unexpected on a ninety-eight year old locomotive. Halfway through the trip at Keystone, the engine crew stopped

Get three gray-headed railfans together and sooner or later, the subject will turn towards engaging the next generation in railroading. Railroading and society have changed since they were youngsters: working parents, September 11th, insurance requirements, frivolous lawsuits, and technology have all conspired to make rail fanning almost impossible for the young railfan to get started.

ELY, NV — As 2012 now comes to an end, its time to look back and see how far we have come. Our 2007 Strategic Plan now needs updating. As we move into a new year, this is the ideal time to reflect and plan for the future. The short version is that we have

The goal of the Nevada Northern Railway Museum is to preserve the Nevada Northern Railway. Simple statement—no real surprises there—but it is a very deceptive statement. Why deceptive? Because you need to ask the question: just exactly what are we preserving? And what does preserving it mean? The concept of preserving the railroad is actually

What follows is a letter that museum just sent out to its membership. We have 1,910 dues paying members with every state of the union represented. Our membership is our secret weapon. Our member’s generous support allows us to operate steam locomotives in the 21st century in Ely Nevada. Without their support, our steam program

Daily train operations start on May 19th. Until then to the casual observer, the museum appears pretty quiet, like a duck. A duck? Sure, you’ve seen a duck swimming across a pond. Above the surface, all is serene, as the duck appears to glide across the water. Meanwhile beneath the surface, it’s a different story.

by J. Joan Bassett When you hear the word “museum,” what sort of mental picture do you see? If you’re like most people, you probably see a formal looking building, filled with old dusty things, maybe old pictures, books, and stuffed animals. Sometimes a museum isn’t quite what you expect to see. Some museums can

The museum has received a donation of two railroad passenger cars and recently the cars were delivered to us in Ely. These cars are ex-Ontario Northland (ON) cars and ran in passenger service in Canada. I don’t have the complete history of the cars, but after they left the ON, they wound up on a

One of biggest challenges facing the Nevada Northern Railway museum is making the museum relevant to today’s society. For a variety of reasons, railroading has gone underground and is slipping out of the public awareness. Oh sure, railroading gets headlines when there is a derailment, but this is not the type of publicity that will