40th Anniversary NNRY Project
The Doodlebug
We are excited to announce the opportunity to acquire a historic Self-Propelled Rail Car, also known as a "Doodlebug." This rail car, built in 1930 by the J.G. Brill
Company and refurbished in 2019, has a passenger capacity of 50 and is available for purchase at
$403,000 with delivery to Ely, Nevada.
Our goal is to raise $403,000 by December 31, 2024.
The History of
Doodlebugs
In the early 20th century, railroads used self-propelled rail cars, known as "Doodlebugs," to serve branch lines with light traffic, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional trains. These gasoline-powered, quirky vehicles played a key role in connecting smaller communities at a time when rail was the dominant mode of transportation
Interested in being the operator of the NNRY Doodlebug?
Reservations will become available April 1st, 2025
Why a Doodlebug?
Today, nearly a century later, the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation faces two issues. Today, like a century ago, the need to lower operating costs remains critical for us. Our diesel excursion trains need a five-person crew that costs about $435 for paid staff per trip. The locomotives burn, on average, 25 gallons of fuel per hour.
Why so much? Locomotive 204 has a V-16 engine and Locomotive 109 has a V-12. A normal excursion trip takes about 3.5 hours. That’s 87.5 gallons of fuel that costs around $331.62.
The Brill Rail Car is powered by a Chevy 396-cubic inch big-block V8 engine with a turbo 350/400 transmission. This combination should get 10 miles per gallon; a round trip to McGill is 26 miles. That means to get to McGill and back the Doodlebug will burn just 2.6 gallons, costing us just $8.58 per trip! That’s an incredible savings of $323 per trip!
And just like a century ago, using the Doodlebug will eliminate three crew positions per trip, that’s a saving of $261 per trip! The ridership on our mid-week trains is light; using the Doodlebug in place of a train is a win-win! It will save the Foundation $584 per trip, almost $1,752 per week or $36,792 over the course of the season! This reduction in operating costs, will allow us to experiment with new offerings, such as possible commuter service between Ely and Ruth and McGill. Furthermore, it will be a unique attraction that will draw tourists to Ely. Using Nevada Commission on Tourism numbers, last year, tourists who visited the railroad spent $3,000,000 in our community!
Purchasing the Brill Rail Car is a win-win for the Foundation and the community. We invite businesses to support this project through one of the following sponsorship opportunities.
