Steamscape - Gleason Creek. Hands-down, one of the most photogenic spots on the Nevada Northern Railway is this one, on the Keystone Line west of Ely. This is Gleason Creek, near the mines district, about 6 miles west of town. Unlike most of the railroad, which is flat as a pancake, the short Keystone Branch travels through a canyon and climbs a continuous 2.2% grade toward the mines. The rock formations out here are beautiful and a great place to photograph the trains. In this scene, we see Baldwin #40 doing what she was born to do....hauling a passenger consist westbound in the afternoon sun. The featured cars are Baggage Express #20, which is a restored Railway Post Office, and Coach #5, which dates back to 1882.
Folks may be wondering if Highway 50....The Loneliest Road in America....in the background, was present during the steam era at Nevada Northern, and the answer is yes. The museum folks tell me that it does indeed appear in historic photos from this very location. It's been around a while.
