The Nevada Northern Railway has acquired a unique boxcar known as the “Safety Powder Car,” bringing it back from a family-owned property just one block away from the railroad in Ely.

The Powder Car was transported from the nearby property to the railroad’s East Ely Yard, where it was unloaded.

The car is believed to have hauled blasting powder for the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, which owned the Nevada Northern until the early 1930s. Originally built as a refrigerator car, it was later repurposed for the copper mining operations along the Nevada Northern just west of Ely.

Its metal roof helps insulate it, and while the insulation was originally meant for perishable products, it worked the same way for blasting powder. The roof would also protect the blasting powder from cinders thrown off by steam locomotives and steam shovels.

It currently lacks a frame and trucks, but the railroad intends to restore it to its working appearance. Little is known about the car right now, but the railroad’s archive department is working to fill the gaps.

— Nick Stewart