The Nevada Northern Railway is a non-profit 501(c) historical
foundation that depends on your memberships, donations, and volunteer time to accomplish its mission.
Join the team that makes it happen - Become a member
Yes, you can drive a Diesel locomotive. Sign on as a Nevada Northern Railway diesel locomotive engineer for a day. You
(and a friend, if you like) will climb on board and experience what railroading
is really like from the cab of one of our diesel locomotives. The locomotives we use for these runs are our original
road diesels that have decades of real revenue experience here on our mainline hauling ore.
To operate one of our steam locomotives click here.
What to Expect
Begin your experience by studying the safety training materials that our
regular and volunteer crews learn from (download
here). There will be a test on the
basics, but we are there to help you all the way through. It is then time
to head down to the century old Enginehouse and help prepare your
locomotive for the day. Climb into the cab, and learn how to operate the
locomotive. With two blasts from the horn your mentor
engineer moves the locomotive out of the engine house and onto the mainline.
It's then your turn! Climb up into
the engineer's seat and receive personal instructions from your mentor engineer on controlling the throttle and
airbrakes.
Once the basics are under your belt, the moment comes for you
to notch out the throttle and head
on the mainline
up toward the mines. You will be going through
two tunnels and have the opportunity to notch out the throttle further as we climb over 2.5% grades. Up toward the end of the line there is a wye. We
will turn the locomotive and then you will head back down to Ely, gaining hands-on experience
with controlling a locomotive descending a mountain grade. This is real standard-gauge
main-line mountain
railroading on America's best-preserved railroad.
Options
As with the steam program there are several options available
with the diesels. Most people come and take the locomotive out
without a train attached. It is an easier way to start, and requires less training. Taking the locomotive out with a complete train adds the additional skill of controlling a train on our mountain grades
with the diesel's dynamic brakes. Early in your trip you will begin to appreciate the genius of the Westinghouse Air Brake system,
and its complexities and limitations for mountain grades. You will
also learn the "technical" term for using up all of your braking capacity by
applying and releasing your train brakes too often coming down the mountain
grade.
So what are you waiting for? You can have a hands-on experience with
main-line mountain railroading.
Make your appointment with your dreams. Use the calendar below to pick your date, or call and book your locomotive rental or train rental today at 1-866-40STEAM (1-866-407-8326).
You can run a diesel locomotive on the main-line of an American railroad!
P.S. What would be a greater holiday, birthday, or special gift than being at
the throttle of one of our engines for a real engineer experience?
You can buy an "open ticket" as a gift and select the exact date later.
NOTE: Participants must be able to climb up to the cab unassisted. Due to the harsh environment in locomotive cabs,
no medical devices or assistance, such has oxygen, is possible. You must
be over 18 years old and have a valid driver's license to operate
locomotive. One rider, 12 years or older, may ride along in the cab at no additional cost.
(standing room only for rider).
Engine availability is subject to a variety of both controlled
and uncontrolled circumstances. Both steam locomotives are over a century old
and even the "new" diesels are a half-century old. It is rare, but possible,
that circumstances may require delays, substitutions, or rescheduling. Please contact us for details.
Prices and Discounts
Prices below are for the Engineer Experience. That can be one person, or two people sharing the experience.
These prices represent our best estimate for the long-term
sustainability of the locomotives, right-of-way, and maintenance facilities.
We are an independent foundation that relies on your continued patronage to
sustain the programs here.
A portion of the program cost may be tax deductible. Hover over the
prices below to determine the amount that you can speak to your tax advisor
about. We will provide a receipt when you purchase an event.
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Comments (6)
New
John Barber
1
1
1
Aug 2021
John Barber
(Prescott, Arizona, US)
says...
Did the diesel Be-The-Engineer experience today. Great time. Mike and Josh, the Engineer and Brakeman were great, helped me learn what I needed to know and guided me through the trip. Well worth it, can't wait to do the Steam engine.
!
Admin:
John, glad that you enjoyed it!! We will pass your comments on to Mike and Josh. Thanks!
I had high hopes for the Be the Engineer Diesel experience. The fun I had was beyond all my hopes. It was pure magic. Thanks so much for making a dream come true!
Admin: Dano, Thanks for writing. Glad that you enjoyed it! We can relate to how much fun it is to take on of the diesels out on its original main-line. We enjoy running the weekday excursion trains ourselves. Hope to see you back again sometime.
Experience that we will never forget. Was the engineer on the diesel (#204), steam (#40)and spent the night in the bunkhouse. Kudos to the team at Nevada Northern for providing such an experience. Had a blast! Thanks to Don and "Big" John!
I\'ve been a rr junkie since I was born. My dad was an engineer. First steam,then Diesel. I went out in August with a diesel. A wonderful experience. What huge power! I too never knew this was a bucket list thing, until I did it. Cute town, great drive up from las vegas. Very cool to tell about. Thanks everyone!
Admin: Karen,
We are glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming up to Ely to take the diesel out on our mainline.
Shared the diesel rental this week with my brother-in-law and we both really enjoyed it. I previously did the Portola engine rental and the NNRR is an order of magnitude better, although it\'s considerably more expensive. And Ely is a bit harder to get to since it\'s in the middle of nowhere. A word of warning though: We hadn\'t been in Ely more than 5 minutes and I was issued a speeding ticket, and I wasn\'t even speeding. I was looking for a motel (hence driving slowly) and the cop insisted I was doing 50 in a 35 zone. The town (and the towns on the way to Ely) are rigged as speed traps. It made what would have been a wonderful trip somewhat sour.
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Comments (6)
Did the diesel Be-The-Engineer experience today. Great time. Mike and Josh, the Engineer and Brakeman were great, helped me learn what I needed to know and guided me through the trip. Well worth it, can't wait to do the Steam engine.
!
John, glad that you enjoyed it!! We will pass your comments on to Mike and Josh. Thanks!
We are glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for coming up to Ely to take the diesel out on our mainline.