The Nevada Northern was built specifically to serve the great copper mines near the town of Ely, Nevada, and to connect them with the outside world. The line was built almost due south through the Steptoe Valley from a connection with the Southern Pacific at Cobre (95 miles east of Elko) and with the Western Pacific at Shafter a few miles south. The line was completed in 1906, and for the next 35 years it proudly operated this passenger service connecting Ely with the through trains of the transcontinental lines.

By 1941 improvements were rapidly being made to highways and to motor buses, and the old-fashioned (and non-air-conditioned) steam trains could not compete. In late 1941 the Nevada Northern abandoned its passenger service in favor of the new streamlined buses and the passenger equipment was retired.

But not disposed of. The copper company which owned the railroad, it seems, never threw anything away. The passenger cars remained, in storage, as did the ten-wheeler steam locomotive which once had pulled them. (Rumor has it that railroad employees conspired to hide this obsolete equipment whenever corporate big shots arrived for a visit, which is one explanation for how it became known as "The Ghost Train of Old Ely.") Eventually the copper mines closed and the copper company donated the property, equipment, and a good deal of the right-of-way to the town as a museum. It is said to be probably the best-preserved example of standard-gauge steam-era railroading in the United States. And the steam engines still operate in excursion service throughout the spring, summer, and fall; they can even be rented out by "student engineers" under instruction for a suitable fee. If you're ever in eastern Nevada, the complex is definitely worth a visit. And if you're not, then visit them online.