The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is reconstructing about a mile of track that will soon connect it to downtown Ely.

In the early 20th century, NNRy would operate “ping-pong” commuter trains between downtown Ely and East Ely, where the railroad’s main shop and yard were located. The run took about eight minutes and made multiple trips per day, hence the name. Once roads improved and more people had automobiles, passenger service ended and the railroad had little reason to run downtown. Eventually, the tracks at the very end were removed, but the right-of-way remained intact to the edge of the city’s core area. Today, the end of the track is located at the White Pine Public Museum. With the help of the City of Ely, the State of Nevada, and the federal government, NNRy was able to start rebuilding track in early November. 

Once the track is in service again, NNRy will once again run “ping-pong” trains between the museum and the downtown area, although it’s unclear when that service will begin and how often it will run. The railroad plans on using a GE 45-tonner for the service.

Meanwhile, the railroad is still rebuilding 4-6-0 40 and hoped to have three steam locomotives running by the end of 2023. When complete, locomotive 40 will join 2-8-0s 81 and 93. The railroad also has a growing fleet of diesel locomotives including a Baldwin VO-1000 and an RSD-5. Soon they will be joined by the railroad’s only SD7, currently stored at a Utah power plant and still wearing its red and yellow NNRy paint.