Page 6 - NMRA Roundhouse November-December 2019

The Steptoe Valley Flyer
Johnathan Riley
Photos by Johnathan Riley
GUEST EDITORIAL
16:00 hours February 9th, 1941.
The crew of the outbound SteptoeValley Flyer prepares their train for a 15 mile round trip to wye the train at Keystone, Nevada before boarding passengers on Train No. 3 heading to Cobre, Nevada where the line meets the Western Pacific mainline to Reno.At the helm, 4-6-0 number 40 built by Baldwin’s Philadelphia plant in 1909 pumps air in anticipation for her run up Robinson Canyon.
16:00 hours February 9th, 2019.
Fireman Con Trumbull fresh in from Casper, Wyoming and Trainmaster Angie Stevens, a local in the town of East Ely (and engineer for today’s run) chat about slow orders, bulletins, and happenings reported on the 145 mile stretch of Ne- vada Northern mainline that await their nighttime run to Cobre, as the aroma of coal begins to fill the air inside the cab.
The Nevada Northern Railroad’s winter photoshoot is in full swing. I find myself climbing the ladder into the cab of the official locomotive of Nevada, Nevada Northern 4-6-0 number 40. I am greeted by the crew (Con Trumbull and Angie Stevens) and given a brief safety instruc- tion on what not to touch, locations of grab irons, and so on.
The consist contains the original baggage and first-class car of the SteptoeValley Flyer for photographers to get a glimpse into the past. I decided to experience this recreation from the cab for a slate of what I thought would be 3 run bys and a
6 ROUNDHOUSE - December 2019
half mile trip back to the East Ely station where the shoot would conclude for the evening.
The cab of a hot steam locomotive is such an enchanting atmosphere, a glimpse into the past where steam was king. For those who have never been immersed into this environment, it is a sensory overload.The hiss of the butterfly firebox doors, whine of the dynamo, and the iconic chuff of the stack lead you to a sense of euphoria. My goal was to spite the euphoria and create a set of images capable to relate back to Train No. 3 on
a cold 1941 eve when the Steptoe Valley Flyer still roamed the high desert of Nevada.Two thirds of the run bys passed when we were joined by President Mark Bassett (known by the crews as Chief) who alerted us of a trespasser on the north south end of where we were per- forming the run bys.We dropped Chief at the location on our third run by, when all
of a sudden we kept going. “Why haven’t we stopped yet? Did the other photogra- phers get back on?”
“Nope.We’re gonna wye the train at Keystone before we run out of crew time, and you are comin’ along with us,” Angie said as we began the climb upgrade towards Keystone.
Now they certainly didn’t have to twist my arm to let me take a 15 mile ride (in the left hand seat especially) in the cab of the queen of the Nevada Northern fleet! We pounded up the hill towards Key- stone towards tunnel 1, the only original tunnel on the operated line which also doubled as a nuclear fallout shelter for the town of Ely.The grades varied from 1.5 to 3 percent as you climb almost the