Introduction
The main business of Nevada Northern Railway (NNRy) was to transport copper ore from the Ruth open pit mine west of Ely to a mainline railroad 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Ely. The ore’s final destination was the Kennecott smelter at Magna, Utah. Our first excursion of the day was aboard a steam train to the now abandoned copper mine.
Number 93 Building up Steam for the Ascent to Ruth (18 June 2022)
Number 93, Tender, and Caboose (18 June 2022)
Closeup of Two of the Three Left Driving Wheels (18 Jun3 2022)
Engineer and Fireman (18 June 2022)
Closeup of Left Cylinder (18 June 2022)
Abandoned Open Pit Copper Mine near Ruth, Nevada (18 June 2022)
Endnotes:
- While the Nevada Northern Railway (NNRy) is a living museum, the crews and equipment must meet the rigid demands of the US Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
- All the train crews are volunteers. Some live in Ely and others come from neighboring states. The out-of-staters stay in the railroad bunkhouse.
- Notice the fireman’s smile. Soon he will be shoveling coal from the tender to the firebox which is in the front of the cab. He had proudly told me earlier that Number 93 is a “hand bomber.”
- The trip to the Ruth mine goes through two tunnels each way. I wore an N95 mask in the tunnels.
Thank you,
Michael DeCaria
Hosting often overlooked beauty with photography
