Long Time Volunteer Keeps Historic Train On Time
by Matt WeiserIf you visit Ely to ride a historic steam train on the Nevada Northern Railway, there’s one person you’re almost guaranteed to meet: The conductor, Bill Hohlt. Bill has served as conductor on almost every Nevada Northern passenger trip for the past five years. He’s not just the guy who punches your ticket as you climb aboard a vintage passenger car. He’s also responsible for your safety on the rails.
“Basically, I’m like the captain of a ship,” he says. “They can’t go anywhere without me.” That he has embraced this responsibility is even more remarkable when you find out that he’s a volunteer. The Nevada Northern does have a small paid staff, but Bill isn’t one of them. He shows up to oversee nearly every passenger ride even though he’s not paid a dime. That can mean eight-hour shifts on summer Saturdays, and sometimes 12-hour shifts in the winter when the railway holds photography workshops.
He long ago lost count of the number of trains he’s ridden. “I just enjoy it,” says Bill, who is 80 but looks about 15 years younger. “Plus there’s the interaction with the passengers. And the crew down here are great.” Bill had a 38-year career with Chevron Oil Co. and lived in Walnut Creek, Calif. He began volunteering for the railroad in 2003, bought a house in Ely in 2006, and moved here full-time in 2014.
To passengers, he may come across as very businesslike, perhaps even a little gruff. That’s because he takes his job seriously, says David Raber, a member of the railway’s advisory board and a volunteer himself. “They’re not just on this journey without anybody that’s in charge,” said Raber, who served as engineer aboard a recent train while Bill worked as conductor. “The conductor has the legal authority to keep law and order on the train. So it is a responsibility. There is a business side to being a conductor.”
But if you get Bill talking — say you want to know about other attractions in White Pine County, or you need a restaurant recommendation — you’ll find he warms up instantly and will offer up a host of ideas and stories about the area.
“It’s always enjoyable talking to passengers, because we get ‘em from all over the world,” Bill says. “You’re not only an ambassador for the railroad, but you’re an ambassador for the city of Ely.” Passengers will also notice that Bill takes his wardrobe seriously: He always wears a period-correct conductor’s uniform, right down to the pocket watch he carries in a vest pocket to keep the train on schedule.
He used to buy his uniforms from a company in Pennsylvania at $600 each. But then that company went out of business a few years ago, and he had to scramble to find a new source. He finally located an outfit in Provo, Utah, that could make a custom-tailored 1930’s-era conductor’s uniform for $1,200 each. He ordered three, all at his own expense. “I get a lot of people comment that I’m about the only conductor they see that’s fully dressed,” he says. “They enjoy it, so that’s the important thing.”
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My husband’s family lived in McGill, Ely, and Ruth. They worked for the Mine and smelter in the 30’s and 40’s. The name White Pine County brings back lots of memories. We were married in Ely, White Pine County in October 1950.