While we were having fun in Ely Nevada, they announced they had received over 10 million dollars to restore the tracks to the passenger depot at Mc Gill AND finish the depot restoration including building a "depot village" complete with steam facilities including a gallows turntable!
Originally the Nevada Northern connected Cobre Nevada on the Southern Pacific to Ely and the mines at Ruth and Keystone. Some 110 miles. (177 Km) The mills were to be built at East Ely, but land deals and market manipulation forced the mills to be built north of there at Mc Gill. There were (and still are) three lines running north from East Ely. The main to Cobre, the high line to the area at the top of the mills where raw ore was delivered to be fed into the gravity system through the mills, and the passenger-copper line from the smelter and mill as well as the Mc Gill Depot. The high line is in use to a point near the wye where the ore trains once fed the top of the mill. The Nevada Northern Railway runs champagne trains and the "Star Train" to that location where on a moonless night billions of stars can be seen.
Steam trains run up Robenson Canyon to the mines at Keystone. But soon trains will also connect to the restored depot at Mc Gill! This will require a lot of track rebuilding as well as creating a new end of track at Mc Gill as the original line entered the mill site, now off limited and the tracks have been removed.
We are looking forward to the new scenic line and plan to be on hand for the first runs!!
nnry.com/