Nevada Northern Railway Museum

The Nevada Northern Railway Museum occupies the East Ely Yards, the original operating headquarters of the Nevada Northern Railway built in 1905 to haul copper ore between Ely and the mines around Ruth. By 1906 the line was in full steam, running 140 miles (225 km) north to connect with the Southern Pacific at Cobre and Wells. Owned by the State of Nevada and operated by the Nevada Northern Railway Foundation (formerly the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation), the site preserves more than 70 original buildings, structures and roughly 30 miles (48 km) of track. In 2006 it was designated a National Historic Landmark District as one of the best-preserved early 20th-century railroad yards in the nation.

The Mission Revival–style East Ely Depot, designed by architect Frederick Hale and built in 1907, anchors the complex. Passenger service on the Nevada Northern ended in 1941, and after the Kennecott Copper Company closed the region's mines (1978) and its mill and smelter (1983), the yard was donated intact — locomotives, shops, tools and company records included — for preservation. Because the site was passed over rather than scrapped, visitors today walk through a complete, working rail facility with belt-driven lathes, an enginehouse and a storehouse largely as the crews left them.

The museum's roster includes three of the railroad's original steam locomotives — 4-6-0 Ten-Wheeler No. 40 (Baldwin, 1910), and 2-8-0 Consolidations No. 81 (Baldwin, 1917) and No. 93 — plus an electric locomotive, several diesel-electrics and an extensive fleet of original 1910s-era passenger cars, wood-side box cars, ore cars and work equipment. Locomotive No. 40 is the official State Locomotive of Nevada.

The active enginehouse and machine shop offer strong photo opportunities with locomotives under maintenance and original belt-driven tools in place. The 1907 Mission Revival depot, the roundhouse and turntable, and the open desert grade toward Robinson Canyon all photograph well, especially during steam runs when the engine is working upgrade. Evening themed trains such as the Sunset, Stars & Champagne and Star Train combine steam with some of the darkest skies in the continental U.S. The railway runs a Young Photographers Scholarship and publishes a photography policy; observe posted safety rules and stay at least six feet from all track.

This is one of the very few places in the world where visitors can actually run a steam locomotive themselves through the museum's "Be the Engineer" programs. Two of the original Baldwin steam engines, Consolidations No. 81 and No. 93, pull regularly scheduled excursions, while the state-locomotive Ten-Wheeler No. 40 has been out of service since October 2020 for its FRA-mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and overhaul. No. 81 returned to service in September 2021 after its boiler test.

For railfans, the appeal is authenticity: the collection includes what the museum documents as the oldest operating tank car and the oldest operating coal-fired steam crane on any American railroad, and the Steptoe Valley Flyer excursion is pulled with the original First-Class Passenger Car 5 (built 1882) and Baggage/Railway Post Office Car 20 (built 1906). Locomotive No. 93 was part of the "Olympic Steam Team" that helped carry the flame during the 2002 Winter Olympics torch relay in Utah. The shop cat "Dirt," who went viral in 2019 and died in 2023, remains an unofficial mascot commemorated on-site.

Plan for a half to full day. Excursion train rides run about 90 minutes over the original mainline out toward Robinson Canyon and the Ruth Mining District, with a choice of enclosed coach or open-air car seating; steam power is used on select dates and diesel on others. Trains carry an on-board restroom, wheelchair-accessible coach and snacks for purchase.

Beyond the ride, visitors have unusually free access to a genuine working railroad: the enginehouse, the machine shop, the freighthouse and dozens of pieces of rolling stock scattered across the yard. Guided walking tours of the East Ely Yard Complex tell the story of the copper era. Because crews service coal-fired steam engines here, expect an authentic industrial setting — oil, grease and soot are part of the experience, so dress accordingly. At over a mile in elevation the high-desert weather is generally mild but can change quickly.