93 steamin' again! Gibbons coming for locomotive's 100th birthday party By JOHN PLESTINA Ely Times Reporter Locomotive 93 will be 100 years old in 17 days, and Gov. Jim Gibbons tops the list of dignitaries who will help celebrate that century mark Jan. 17 by experiencing a ride on a steam-era train. This is the view the fireman would have from his seat in the cab of Locomotive 93 as it goes on a short test run Sunday afternoon. Engineer Al Gledhill is at the controls of Locomotive 93 as an NNRy crew takes the vintage steam engine on a test run. Locomotive 93 will look much prettier after a little cosmetic work. But the almost 100-year-old steam locomotive is fit and will be completely ready for its centennial celebration on Jan. 17. Several state officials, including Gov. Jim Gibbons, are to attend the party. In this photo taken Sunday, fireman Kelvin Martinez sounds the whistle as the engine prepares to stop during a test run. Locomotive 93 fireman Kelvin Martinez shovels coal into the fire box. Engine 93 was built in Pittsburgh, Pa., in 1908 and originally put into service at East Ely on Jan. 17, 1909. With cracked axles now replaced, a NNRy crew tested Locomotive 93 on track around East Ely and the NNRy yard Sunday afternoon. Only minor adjustments remain before the old steam engine begins regular service. The Nevada Northern Railway's oldest engine will be officially put back in service Jan. 17 with two runs. The first will be at 1 p.m. A 5 p.m. run will be the birthday celebration trip with dignitaries on board including Gibbons. Nevada Northern Railway Executive Director Mark Bassett said other state and national elected officials are being invited. Who besides the governor will take the special train ride was unknown early this week. The birthday celebration will include an auction of numerous collector's items including the Locomotive 93 commemorative solid gold coin. It was minted at the Carson City Mint and includes the C.C. mint mark. “She's probably one of the most historic locomotives in the country,” Bassett said. He added that part of the uniqueness of Locomotive 93 is that it remains in White Pine County, where it has been home based since January 1909. The arrival of Locomotive 93 was proclaimed in a headline of the White Pine News on Jan. 6, 1909. It read “Big Engine Coming.” Two of the old axles were head stamped 12-30-08. That was 1908. Those axles were replaced this year because of cracks. Locomotives 93 and 40 had both been in use until maintenance workers discovered cracks in the drive axles in 2007. Gary North of Ely, the owner of Gary's Machine Shop, was the contractor for the job. He subcontracted much of the work to Bonneville Machine Shop in Salt Lake City which specializes in heavy machining. Locomotive 93 was suspended in the air inside the engine house from April until earlier this month. Many local workers including some volunteers worked on the project at the East Ely engine house. Bassett says the repairs will last for decades, between 50 and 100 years. “Quite frankly, I'll be dead and buried by the time it needs major repairs,” he said. Bassett said the new axles will not get nearly the amount of wear and tear the old axles that lasted for a century had. “She's not going to run as much. She was used on a daily basis (until the 1940s). She was here to make money,” he said. Locomotive 93 was used extensively during both world wars because of the demand for copper during those times. The NNRy replaced one axle on Locomotive 93 during World War II. Bassett said it could have cracked but he did not know for sure. “Something went south,” he said. The repairs to Locomotive 93 cost about $400,000. It is one of three steam locomotives owned by the NNRy. Not quite as old as Locomotive 93, the 98-year-old Locomotive 40 also has cracked axles and remains in the engine house out of service. Bassett said costs of repairs to that engine could reach $300,000. The third steam engine, which is Locomotive 81, sat outdoors for about 30 years and needs a complete restoration. Bassett called that project a bigger challenge. Locomotive 93 and Locomotive 40 are housed in their original century-old engine house. Original machines and tooling are used for repairs to the vintage locomotives in the 1908 machine shop. Bassett said some of the tools and equipment are older then the NNRy and the shop building. Purchased from other shops or railroads, some equipment could date to the 19th century. Locomotive 93 was the NNRy's fourth stream engine. Locomotives 90, 91 and 92 met their fate in a scrap yard long ago. With the diesel locomotive era replacing most steam engines between 1947 and 1957, the now cherished steam locomotives were considered useless relics by the railroad industry and about 90 percent were cut up for scrap. “The thing that makes this place (the depot museum) so special is its completeness,” Bassett said. His office is the old superintendent's office. He noted that his office is furnished as it was in 1910 and carpeted, which other offices in the complex are not. According to Bassett, The term “called on the carpet” goes back to early railroading when employees who were in trouble were “called on the carpet” of the superintendent's office for a lecture or to explain their actions. The original rolling stock includes a 136-years-old passenger car, the oldest piece the NNRy owns. “It was built when Grant was president before he went on the $50 bill,” Bassett said. Ulysses S. Grant, R-Ohio, was elected president in 1868 and served two terms. A newer passenger car was built in 1882. The two oldest are slated for restoration. The 1872 car was used for the passenger service to the Ely Renaissance Village during the recent Christkindlemarkt. Not quite as old are a pair of vintage 1928 commuter railway coaches that once carried passengers along the rail lines of the Illinois Central Railroad. They have ferried passengers to the “North Pole” for Polar Express trips the past two years.
John, I so much want to visit NNRy in the winter. The steam is so spectacular. It's just that I just did a near 2500 mile trip down that way and can't bear the thought of repeating it right away. I have seen some magnificent photos of steam in the winter there, one of the best from John West, with a steamer next to the coaling tower with a plume rising above the tower, beautiful. :tb-sad:
Oh this is definately on the things to do list!! With the cold the steam and smoke outa the stack is soooo much more magnificent! My buddy Jeff has been pushin the idea too so hopefully soon we'll get out their ourselves.
Appearantly 93 suffered a bearing failure and the recent photo shoot had to be canceled. Repairs are expected to be in place before the regular operating season.
