Tag Archives: Nevada Northern Railway

Buttered Up 2010

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History Channel

American Restoration featured several train-related pieces they restored over the course of its 6 “Rick’s Restorations” seasons. A couple episodes even featured trips to the Nevada Northern Railway at East Ely — sadly none of which were available on DVD when I reviewed.

Fortunately, Season One, Episode 4 “Buttered Up” on DVD from 2010 tells the story of turning a junked backyard toy train into a beautifully-renovated masterpiece. [The show takes its name from a movie theatre popcorn machine simultaneously being restored.]

Rick Dale (seen above) spots the locomotive in a pile of junk and buys it (along with two gas nozzles) for $100 bucks from Eric the Picker. Can Rick and the boys turn this rusty, railroad-related relic into a regal ride?

Looks like they did. Here’s a sneak peak at the finished product. Read on for all the juicy details…

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Once Upon A Texas Train 1988

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Columbia Broadcasting System

Let’s take a ride on the Nevada Northern Railway! The star of today’s movie is NN #40, a 4-6-0, July 1910 product of Baldwin Locomotive Works in Philadelphia. Bringing up the markers, is wooden coach-combination car #06, acquired by NN second hand in 1909.

In this made-for-TV movie, #40 and combine garner about 4 1/2 minutes of screen time during the opening credits & de rigueur train robbery and shoot out. We once more see the little train as the picture wraps up…heading away from the camera this time.

Filming also features a brief cameo by Virginia & Truckee #11, “The Reno” during its residence at Old Tucson Studios. Thus, I’ll be skipping over the bulk of this 93 minute movie for some tasty steam locomotive goodness. All Aboard!

Here comes the Queen of the Rails towing her little combine with a good head of steam. As the coal-burning 4-6-0 passes, we get a view of NN combine #06.

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Black Train 2017

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Universal Music Group

Domo arigato, Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi! I was researching future Obscure Train Movies and totally by accident, stumbled across this fantastic music video.

Mostly drone-filmed on the Nevada Northern Railway, Black Train features NN Ry.’s locomotive #40, a 1910 product of Baldwin Locomotive Works, towing a string of boxcars and caboose through the desert.

Of course, the entire thing is in Japanese, but every now and then, Tsuyoshi says, “Black Train” in clear English. Check him out above riding the front of the steam engine, and having the time of his life. C’mon, let’s review this video, the 4-6-0 and its consist!

This is my favorite screen cap of the engineer’s side of the train. #40 is towing four NN wood boxcars and a yellow caboose. More about them later. The nearby copper mines (Kennecott) were the railway’s raison d’être.

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