Welcome To Ely

Winter Steam Photo Spectacular
2024-02-16 - 2024-02-18 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Winter Steam Photo Spectacular
Railfans from around the world come to Ely to photograph winter steam in early February each year.
Photography workshops are typically intensive three-and-a-half-day experience that is based at photogenic Nevada Northern Railway, National Historic Landmark in Ely Nevada. Time stopped at the railroad. You will be able to hone your photography skills under the tutelage of well known rail photographers in the western United States.
The workshops offer an in-depth, hands-on photographic instruction in a time capsule that is essentially unchanged since it was built a century ago. The workshop will incorporate talks, edit-and-critique sessions, and photo assignments in each day’s schedule.
Learn how to navigate your surroundings and work with light, color, background, and other influences and challenges inherent in each unique setting. You will gain a better technical understanding of how to use your camera’s body, lenses, and various settings. You’ll have questions. The instructors are there to answer those questions and get you to look at the world with a new appreciation. They are there to push you out of your comfort zone.
The goal is to help you understand on how to create stronger, more interesting compositions using wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. You’ll have the chance to discover new ways to use color and pattern to add depth, emotion, and graphic power to your images. This will help you transition from just taking pictures to expressing powerful ideas through your imagery. Expand your ability to choose compelling subjects and portray them in more meaningful ways.
The highlight of the workshops might be the night photo shoots. Using “Hollywood” level lighting equipment, you will have the ability to photograph the night in a whole new way. You will have the chance to experiment with different settings, viewpoints and capture outstanding images that you thought would be impossible.
By the end of the workshop, you will be tired but will be leaving with a new comprehension of what it takes to “get” the shot. You should be more comfortable in using your and professional equipment. You will be looking at the world with a new awareness and judgment. Attending the workshop will make you a better photographer. You’ll have the best tools and use it with confidence!
Discover more about the Nevada Northern Railway HERE!
Discover more to don in White Pine County HERE!

Dirt, Boss Shop Cat, Remembrance Day
2023-05-28 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Dirt, Boss Shop Cat, Remembrance Day
From the desk of the Nevada Northern Railway:

Dirt, our beloved shop cat, passed away on January 10th. The outpouring of support that we have received has been overwhelming and incredible.

We knew he was beloved, not only by us, but also by people around the world. Our Facebook post that announced his passing has reached nearly 2 million people. Phenomenal! Because of this outpouring of support, I would like to make two announcements.

The first is that we will be honoring Dirt, Boss Shop Cat, on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend, May 28th. Secondly, we have hired a sculptor to create two life-size bronzes of Dirt.

We plan to unveil Dirt’s statue and headstone on Sunday, May 28, 2023, at 10:00 am. We will be operating two trains that day: the first one is 11:30 am (for tickets: shorturl.at/amKLS), the second train is at 2:00 pm (for tickets: shorturl.at/sAD08). Included in the ticket price are guided tours of Dirt’s home our machine shop and engine house building.

Because of all of the interest and support, the museum is committed to having two bronze statues made. One statue and a gravestone will be over his burial place. This is near the East Ely Depot where he can look out over the train yard and watch all of our activities. The second statue will be displayed in the engine house where he was born at the Nevada Northern Railway National Historical Landmark in Ely, Nevada. If you would like to contribute to having the bronzes made, we have a special account set up for contributions. It is named Dollars for Dirt, to contribute click here: https://nnry.doubleknot.com/registration/donate.aspx…

In Dirt’s passing, he has transformed from being our Boss Shop Cat to becoming an ambassador for Heritage Railroading across the country and around the world. Dirt’s physical presence has left us, but his spirit is still with us and will be for as long steam locomotives operate.

I consider Dirt following in the paw prints of Smoky Bear. Smokey was a real bear cub that survived a forest fire. Since 1944 he has been a symbol of forest fire prevention, “Only YOU can prevent forest fires.”

I see Dirt, Boss Shop Cat, doing the same thing. Dirt will help us reach new people to explain why the preservation of our steam railroading heritage is so important and he will also be instrumental in helping us teach railroad safety to children. Dirt was and still is truly amazing. As long as the big wheels keep turning here, Dirt will be with us all. It’s a tall order, but then again, who knew that the runt of the litter, a little orange and white ball of fur would become such a colossus in the world of heritage railroading!

I hope you can join us on May 28th, and we look forward to having you join us in celebrating the life of Dirt, the Boss Shop Cat. We will try to livestream the event for those of you who can’t make it.

We will continue to carry Dirt items in our gift shop. Some items are currently out of stock by are on order. Access our online gift shop here shorturl.at/eBY24

NNRY Winter Steam Photo Weekend Spectacular
2023-02-17 - 2023-02-19, 2023-02-03 - 2023-02-05 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
NNRY Winter Steam Photo Weekend Spectacular
If you think you were born one hundred years too late to witness the glory of steam railroading, then we have good news for you: you weren’t. There still exists a place where steam locomotives rule the rails.
Hidden away in the high desert of east central Nevada is a time capsule like no other, the Nevada Northern Railway National Historic Landmark. Annually during the first two weekends in February, time travel is possible. Come to Ely Nevada, set your watch back a century, and photograph railroading as it was in the last century.
The Nevada Northern Railway is not a mishmash of equipment from different railroads or different countries, nor is the equipment prettified or garish. This is the original railroad equipment in the original paint schemes in the original setting, on the original Nevada Northern Railway mainline. All of this equipment has been on the property for decades, and some if it more than a century, all of it still operating on the original track that was graded and laid a century ago.
This was the time when steam moved mountains. The real business of this railroad was copper and copper was king! It was the reason that the railroad was built in the first place. Ore trains ran day and night, year-round. The demand for copper was insatiable. It was the miracle metal that made all of the newfangled inventions, such as the electric light and the telephone, possible. Today our trains still move from the mine to the mill—steam powered, of course.
What can you expect during the photo shoots? World-class photographic opportunities, steam locomotives pulling vintage freight and passenger cars that are original to the railroad. Here, trains are still made up with wooden cars whose origins date back as far as 1872. The crews will be in period dress, adding to the experience.
So why come to Ely in the winter? If you think that Steam locomotive 93 looks good on an 85-degree day in August but wait till you see it on a frosty February day. Billowing white clouds of steam plus plumes of black & gray smoke towering above the canyons and valleys. Snow? Weather here can be capricious! It can range from blizzard conditions to cobalt blue skies sometimes within minutes. In the past we’ve experienced every type of meteorological conditions that wintertime Ely experiences, including shirtsleeve weather. But regardless of the weather, the show goes on.

Participants have won numerous photo contests, recording timeless scenes of a historical railroad that are second to none. Many of the “Winter Spectacular” photos rival the best that National Geographic has to offer.
Of course locomotives, rolling stock and tracks are a big and obvious part of this railroad. But its just part of what makes a railroad work. You also need the infrastructure: Enginehouse, machine shop, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, depot and dispatcher building. Oh and don’t forget, the locomotives go nowhere without stopping at the coaling tower and water standpipes. We have those too, the original ones!
Considered by William L. Withuhn, Curator emeritus, History of Technology and Transportation at the Smithsonian Institution, “Among all railroad historic sites anywhere in North America, the Nevada Northern Railway complex at East Ely is-no question in my view-the most complete, most authentic, and best cared-for, bar none. It’s a living American treasure and a stand-out one. Historic tracks, original depot and office building, Enginehouse, Freight Station, three original steam locomotives, five historic and rare wooden passenger cars, Kennecott diesel engines, 60 early freight cars, working machine shop, foundry-even the coaling tower and water tower that are icons of the site-everything is still there.”
What will we have running for the next photo shoot? It varies from year-to-year, but in general we have a broad range of original, Vintage Nevada Northern Railway equipment running out on the main line and in the East Ely yard.

We’ll have steam pulling our original wooden passenger consist made up of a RPO/baggage car and passenger car. This consist has been serving passengers and departing from this depot for over a century now.
Should there be a mishap on the tracks here, we’ll send for the big hook; our original century old operating steam powered wrecking crane. This wrecking crane is pulled by a century old 2-8-0 steam locomotive that looks like it just rolled out of the American Locomotive Company shops. The wreck train consists of the crane, flat car, tool car, outfit car and, of course, a caboose. (Don’t worry – even if there is no mishap we will stage one to demonstrate the big hook in action, under steam)
Once the tracks are cleared, it’s time to get on with the business of railroading. Freight trains can once again roll and so will ore trains. We will roll our fleet of original ore cars with our original locomotives.
Most of the freight in the last century moved in boxcars. No self respecting railroad would be without boxcars – and the N. N. Ry is no different. A fleet of our original wooden boxcars with arch-bar trucks, built in 1912 are in top condition and are ready for their next load. Most model railroaders would give anything to have a vintage freight fleet like this. You will see the real-life, full scale 1912 freight roll by time-after-time this weekend out on our original main-line.

Learn More About the Railroads Winter Steam Photo Weekend HERE!
Discover More White Pine County Events HERE!

Race the Rails - 2020 #RideElyNV
2020-09-12 08:00 - 13:00 UTC | Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Race the Rails – 2020
This event is committed to taking any and all necessary steps to maintain the
health and safety of both our Guests and Team Members.
For Our Operating Plan and Safety Measures For Covid-19 Click HERE
The steam locomotive and the bicycle were invented nearly 10 years apart. Both changed the way we travel, but which will prevail on September 12 at the Race The Rails – 2020?
At the sound of the train whistle, mountain and road bikers race to see who can get back to the depot before the train.
Mountain bikers test their speed and agility on a challenging 10 mile course through the beautiful mountains surrounding Ely, while road bikers prove their speed and endurance on a 25 mile course along roads and highways in the area. Everyone who finishes the course will receive a finisher’s medal.
This is not a regular race against time, or your fellow riders. It’s a race against one of histories most powerful inventions! It’s Race the Rails – 2020!
Tickets and additional info can be found here!
See what Ely offers in lodging by clicking here!
We are a remote mountain town of 4,000 where history, art, and outdoor adventure run deep. In the nearby Great Basin National Park, travelers have the chance to descend into the depths of the Lehman Cave system to explore a series of limestone and marble caverns full of huge stalagmites and other wild rock formations. The park is also home to the snow-capped Wheeler Peak which, at 13,000 feet, is the second-tallest mountain in Nevada.

Nevada Northern Railway Photography Workshop
2020-02-06 12:00 - 2020-02-09 15:00 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Our photography workshops are an intensive three and a half day experience that is based at photogenic Nevada Northern Railway, National Historic Landmark in Ely Nevada. Time stopped at the railroad. You will be able to hone your photography skills under the tutelage of two of the best known rail photographers in the western United States, Steve Crise and Mike Massee.
Our workshops offers an in-depth, hands-on photographic instruction in a time capsule that is essentially unchanged since it was built a century ago. The workshop will incorporate talks, edit-and-critique sessions, and photo assignments in each day’s schedule.
Steve and Mike’s instruction will help train you to navigate your surroundings and work with light, color, background, and other influences and challenges inherent in each unique setting. You will gain a better technical understanding of how to use your camera’s body, lenses, and various settings. You’ll have questions. Steve and Mike are there to answer those questions and get you to look at the world with a new appreciation. They are there to push you out of your comfort zone.
Your instructors, Steve Crise
and Mike Massee
Their goal is to help you understand on how to create stronger, more interesting compositions using wide angle, normal, and telephoto lenses. You’ll have the chance to discover new ways to use color and pattern to add depth, emotion, and graphic power to your images. They will help you transition from just taking pictures to expressing powerful ideas through your imagery. They will help you expand your ability to choose compelling subjects and portray them in more meaningful ways.
The highlight of the workshops might be the night photo shoots. Using “Hollywood” level lighting equipment, you will have the ability to photograph the night in a whole new way. You will have the chance to experiment with different settings, viewpoints and capture outstanding images that you thought would be impossible.
By the end of the workshop, you will be tired but with a new comprehension of what it take to “get” the shot. You should be more comfortable in using your equipment . You will be looking at the world with a new awareness and judgment. Attending the workshop will make you a better photographer. You have the best equipment, use it with confidence!

Fireworks Train - 2020
2020-01-18 16:30 - 18:30 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Where can you see fireworks shot off a moving steam train? Only in Ely! The Fireworks Express at the Nevada Northern Railway leaves the Depot at 4:30 p.m. January 18th. Fireworks are set off after nightfall. Get your ‘front row’ seats to the fireworks.

Haunted Ghost Train
2019-10-26 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-10-25 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-10-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-10-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2019-10-05 19:00 - 21:00 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
This October, join us for the best viewing of UFOs, Headless Horsemen, Hitchhiking Ghosts, Haunted Tunnels, Creepy Campfires, and Ghastly Ghost towns right alongside Nevada Northern Railway’s mainline up to the old Ruth Mine.

Race the Rails
2019-09-07 08:00 - 13:00
The steam locomotive and the bicycle were invented nearly 10 years apart. Both changed the way we travel, but which will prevail on September 7 at the Race The Rails?
At the sound of the train whistle, mountain and road bikers race to see who can get back to the depot before the train.
Mountain bikers test their speed and agility on a challenging 10 mile course through the beautiful mountains surrounding Ely, while road bikers prove their speed and endurance on a 25 mile course along roads and highways in the area. Everyone who finishes the course will receive a finisher’s medal.
This is not a regular race against time, or your fellow riders. It’s a race against one of histories most powerful inventions!

Iron Horse Cook-Off
2019-08-31 10:00 - 2019-09-01 19:00 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Nevada Northern Railway host’s the inaugural Iron Horse Cookery Cook-Off. The railway invites cooks to step back in history for this culinary event, preparing hearty meals the same way the earliest engineers did.
A competitor in the Nevada Northern Railway Cookery-Cook-Off
Teams of up to four cooks wearing authentic clothes from 100 years ago will prepare three meals in 45-minute rounds. The second-place team will receive a $75 cash prize and the team in first-place will be awarded a $150 cash prize. One cook will be the event’s grand champion named the Iron Horse Cookery Master Chef and will be awarded a $250 cash prize. The Schedule of Events is as follows:
Saturday, August 31, 2019
10:00 am to 4:00 pm – Check-In and explore the NNRY Yard and Depot
Orientation: – 4:30 Excursion Train, Car No. 9
Contestants will be given an Iron Horse Cookery Cook-Off orientation during the 4:30 train ride.
Sunday, September 1. 2019
7:30 to 8:30 am – Check-In and Set-Up
9:30 to 12:30 – Bacon Sampling on Locomotive 93
9:00 to 11:15 – Round 1: Teams 1A, 1B, and 1C
11:30 to 1:45 – Round 2: Teams 2A, 2B, and 2C
1:00 to 2:30 – Excursion Train
3:00 to 4:00 – Bacon Sampling on Locomotive 93
2:00 to 4:15 – Round 3: Teams 3A, 3B, and 3C
4:30 to 6:45 – Round 4: Teams 4A, 4B, and 4A
4:30 to 6:00 – Excursion Train
7:00 pm – Awards Ceremony
For more information, to participate on a team or attend the event as a spectator visit NNRY.com.

Fireworks Train
2019-01-19 16:30 - 18:30 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Ride the fireworks train! Come take a 15 mile round trip train ride and watch the fireworks that are shot off the back of the same train as the train rolls back into Ely! This is the only place in the world where fireworks are shot off a moving train!!! ALL ABOARD!!!

Locomotive 93's 110th Birthday Ride
2019-01-19 13:00 - 14:30 | Nevada Northern Railway, 1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV, 89301, United States
Come take a winter train ride up Robinson Canyon and the old mining district here in Ely, Nevada for locomotive 93’s 110th Birthday. Delivered new in 1909 locomotive 93 was build to haul copper ore between the mine and the smelter and is still hauling trains today. Beside the winter fun on the train, we also have a special ticket price for this ride of $20 per Adult and $10 per child. Book your ticket ahead of time because this train will sell out.
