Nevada Northern Ore Line Stations and Operations

Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County

Ore Line — History and Operations

by Steve Swanson
as told to Keith Albrandt

II — Stations

Veteran
The underground Veteran mine was operated from 1908 until 1914. Ore was transported by the Nevada Northern Railway during this period, and Veteran ore was the first ore concentrated at the McGill concentrator. On July 1, 1909 a miners strike began at Veteran and the mine was idle until Nov 1911, a period of more than 2 years.²⁶ At the close of 1913, total Veteran production had been 900,000 tons or ore, equivalent to 33-million pounds of recovered copper.²⁷ Open pit stripping started in 1952 at the Veteran Pit (a joint pit of Kennecott and Coppemines claims) which was operated by Kennecott. Ore shipments were started in 1954. Ore cars were truck loaded and switched by gravity and with a large Hough Loader. In 1957, a 60 class GE 70-ton diesel started switching ore cars at Veteran. Ore cars were moved to the Copper Flat Yard by Kennecott's Copper Flat switch engine.

Ore Line Map
Copyright © 2001 Keith Albrandt

Ore Line Elevation Profile
Copyright © 2001 Keith Albrandt

Kimberly
Morris-Brooks (later the Tripp Pit), Alpha, Little Richard, and Emma-Nevada Shafts. Consolidated Coppermines had two Cooke 0-4-0Ts for loading ore from their headframe ore bins and assembling the ore cars in the Kimberly yard. From there, ore cars were transported to the McGill Concentrator, probably by NCCCo. ore trains. Coppermines' mining was shutdown from 1932 until 1937. When mining resumed at Kimberly in 1937, the ore cars were switched at the Emma-Nevada and Morris-Brooks Shafts by Nevada Con switch engines from Copper Flat. The ore cars were assembled in the ore yard at Copper Flat where the Ore Haulage department moved the cars to McGill along with Nevada Con (later Kennecott) ore.

Copper Flat

Nevada Con's Ore Yard and the Liberty Pit entrance were at Copper Flat. After the 1939 completion of the Copper Flat shops and engine house, all of Nevada Con's rail operations originated at Copper Flat. These new facilities at Copper Flat replaced the Star Pointer shops uptown in Old Ruth.

The Copper Flat yard was the center of a large wye. The ore trains could come up the Ruth Branch, which was the Ruth leg of the Copper Flat wye. The Ruth Leg of the wye was 1.3 miles long, terminating at the Ruth Depot. A passing track of equal length was owned by Nevada Con. Empty ore trains came up the Ruth leg of the wye, backed into the Copper Flat yard passing track, and dropped the caboose, then backed in through the Copper Flat main into the east ore yard (also called the "New Five" ore yard) and dropped the empties. This usually called for 2 or 3 moves, as an east ore yard track wouldn't hold a full train of 30 empty cars. The 90 Class 2-8-0 would hostle the 4-wheel caboose to the inclined caboose track just west of the Copper Flat Ore Yard. This caboose track was off the Kimberly leg of the Copper Flat wye. The Copper Flat Ore Yard was six 30-car tracks and a single engine ore train was 30 cars. The ore line engine would make up its train, complete the air test, turn up 100% retainers, and pull out of the Copper Flat Yard. The caboose would follow by gravity, coupling onto the moving downgrade ore train.

Normally the Liberty pit only worked two shifts, days and swing, and if production wasn't at it's maximum, the pit was down Sundays. During steam on the ore line, there was always a helper engine on 3rd shift, graveyard shift. Joe Lani said they would double head about 42 empties to Copper Flat, the helper would return to East Ely light and fuel and take water, and then help an ore train to McGill, probably about 40 cars.

East Ore Yard April 1949 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission	The cars in the center of the photo are in the East Ore Yard, where empties were spotted by the "Hickey Pacific" and where extra loads (including flux cars and cars of Consolidated Coppermines' ore) were temporarily stored when the ore yard was full. On the right is the main road [R] into the pit from both the shops at Copper Flat and on top of the north edge of the pit. On the left is an ore train headed by No. 81 [81] on the pitside track [P] (the other track was called the bankside track [B]) at what was called "the bond". Steve Swanson recalls, "as the train approached that road crossing the semaphore [Sm] would be down if the yard was plugged and we would whistle for the bond and if the board went up I'd say "Clear Board" and the engineer would answer with the whistle -- 2 shorts...if the board was down we'd stop, and occasionally we'd could get a slow board, but I am not sure that I ever saw that". The shack to the left of the train [S] was the crossing tenders shack. No. 79 is pushing at the rear of the train [79]. The Monitor Ore Bin in the center background [BIN]; the head frame had been taken down and was eventually erected at the Deep Ruth. Those cars in the background [M] may be on the main or passing siding to the west of the Monitor. The cars on the far right [2] are at the end of the track extension from the carpenter shops and the coal dock, likely the two level. "This track switched off the NCCCo. track of the Ruth leg of the Copper Flat Wye. We often made a flying switch at this switch to get the cars on the right end of the locomotive."

Copper Flat Ore Yard circa 1941 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission	The six track yard in the center of the photograph is the Copper Flat ore yard. The small yard office [Ya] housed the yardmaster and the block signalman; yardmaster was a company man and the block signalman was union job. The large building on the far left [Ma] is the machine shop. The siding between the machine shop and the yard office may have been called the machine shop siding. NCCCo. No. 83 is coming on the track from the pit and the East Ore Yard; it appears to be a large train that may have originated from East Ore Yard. The Monitor is in the near background and the Emma Nevada is behind in the distant background. The stub track in the right foreground [Ca] is the caboose track and a coal bin [Co] is also visible in front of the yard office. The block signalman is standing in front of the yard office about to signal the 83 as to what to do with the loads. There is a switch stand right in front of the block signalman and it is lined for the track over the Keystone Bridge. The loads will go on that track and up the lead to the Keystone Dump, then the 83 will reverse and push into the designated track in the ore yard. Subsequently, one of the Consolidated's will take a train of loaded ore cars from the yard, a caboose will roll out by gravity from the stub track in the right foreground, hook-up, and it's off to Keystone where the retainers will be turned down.

Leaving Copper Flat Yard April 1949 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission	This photo shows 2-8-0 No. 91 leaving Copper Flat Yard. Also visible is a caboose [C] spotted on the caboose track and No. 72 [72] on the Keystone Bridge with a crummy (employees coach). The new Copper Flat machine shop is on the right side of photo. The edge of the yard office [Y] is visible at the left edge of the machine shop behind an ore car spotted beside the machine shop. Notice that the Juniper Dump is not in evidence on the left side of the photo.

Keystone Dump Muck Turn circa 1940 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission	No. 72 [72], just beyond the Keystone Bridge [KB], is headed out on the Keystone Dump with a cut of muck cars. An empty cut of the old muck cars [M] is spotted on the other Keystone track. The Keystone Bridge deck is visible just to the left of the No. 1 crummy [1]. You can also see the second spur [2] with a crummy and the third spur [3] where the Jordan spreader was stored for years. The track on the far left [N] is the leg of the wye leading to the Nevada Northern from the Copper Flat ore yard. The Ruth leg of the Copper Flat wye goes under the Keystone Bridge (which was built in 1930 and replaced a piling trestle) but the cut is too deep and narrow to see the tracks below in this photograph. The two empty spurs in the middle of the photo [MS] were for spotting the muck train cars. Engines probably took water at the beginning and the end of the shift at the standpipe between these tracks. Note also the standpipe between the Keystone tracks [S] -- a convenient place to take water as most trains passed this spot either going to the dump or putting cars in the ore yard. To push into the ore yard, the pit locomotives had to go up on the Keystone Bridge and the main to the Keystone Dump; even the switch engine that went to the Emma Nevada, Kimberly, and the Star Pointer had to put their loads in the ore yard. The two tracks to the far side of the 501 are RIP tracks where locomotives No.'s 37, 38, and 337 were later stored for years. Engine No. 501 is setting on the NN main, and with a couple switchmen it must be the dayshift switcher, as the pit engines had only one switchman. The track closest to the bottom of the photograph is the passing siding.

No. 86 on the Keystone Bridge circa 1940 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission	No. 91 Under Keystone Bridge circa 1940 Steve Swanson Collection used with permission
The Keystone Bridge photographed from the Ruth leg of the wye. No. 86 with a cut of muck cars.	Engine No. 500 is sitting on the third "crummy spur"; the wood cribbing is supporting the fill that those three tracks are on. See "Muck Turn" photo above.

Liberty Pit — March 1940


Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Pit from which copper ore is extracted; one of the largest manmade holes in the earth, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http: //memory .loc .gov/ ammem/ fsowhome. html; [fsa 8b19742]. [06 August 2001].	Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Copper pit, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http:// memory.loc. gov/ ammem/ fsowhome. html; [fsa 8b19738]. [06 August 2001].	Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Copper pit, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http:/ /memory. loc. gov/ ammem/ fsowhome. html; [fsa 8b19750]. [06 August 2001].


Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Copper pit, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem /fsowhome.html; [fsa 8b19744]. [06 August 2001].	Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Copper pit, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem /fsowhome.html; [fsa 8b19745]. [06 August 2001].	Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Workers sitting at edge of copper pit, Ruth, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http://memory.loc.gov /ammem/fsowhome.html; [fsa 8b19749]. [06 August 2001].

Keystone
Keystone consisted of three tracks. The center track was a main, the west track a passing track that had two or three large wooden loading tipples, and the east passing track. Loaded ore trains stopped here, turned down the retainers, inspected the train and hooked up air to the caboose. A 1921 timetable indicated a wye at Keystone, but additional documentation is lacking.

Lane
Ore trains generally met at Lane. Before the Kimbley Pit, Lane was 4 tracks: the main, a long passing track, a loading track to the south with 3 or 4 large wooden tipples, and a short passing track on the north side of the main. After ore loading from the Kimbley Pit, commenced (circa 1953) Kennecott expanded the Lane City Yard to accommodate empties and loads. During the last years of Kennecott's operation in the 1970's, all the ore loading was done at Lane.
Westbound Ore Train at Lane City — November 1948 Fireman and Head Brakeman are on the seat box of No. 95 on this ore train that may be adjacent to the Boston spur. Three Bingham & Garfield (Utah) ore cars followed by three 900-series cars and finally another Utah car. Jerry Graham Photograph; Steve Swanson Collection Used with permission

East Ely Ore Yard
Ore trains generally terminated at East Ely. This yard was very large and could accommodate a number of ore trains. Trains were inspected by car whackers, brakes changed, air hoses fixed or replaced and bad order cars set out. This could be done while locomotive and train crews changed or while engines took coal and water in the East Ely Yard. The caboose was generally left on the train while in the East Ely Ore Yard.

Approaching East Ely Ore Yard from the North — July 1972

In 1962, operating rules were changed so the ore trains were inspected while moving slowly through the East Ely Ore Yard.

Joe Lani, veteran ore line engineer who began with Kennecott's Ore Haulage Department in 1942, described the helper operation. A helper engine was added on the graveyard shift and empty trains were increased from 30 to 40-44 cars. The helper would return light from Copper Flat, take coal and water, and help a loaded 42-car train to McGill. The helper would return light from McGill to East Ely and start over.

Hiline
The 1917 ICC Valuation refers to "Hiline Junction" while timetables as early as 1920 refer to the station as simply "Hiline".

Hiline — July 1972

Ore Train on Hiline — July 1972

The ore line departed the main line that headed north to Shafter and Cobre at Hiline, and from Hiline to the concentrator (Mill) was the Mill Branch. The ore line made a gentle climb on the Hiline past the Lavon siding and the wye at Adverse to the mill and smelter complex on the east side of McGill. The Hiline was designed to gain elevation on a gradual grade to the gravity feed concentrator at McGill so the heavy ore trains could climb this grade without having to add additional power.
The Adverse — July 1972	Baldwin S-12 No. 802 with five lime cars on the Adverse. The Adverse Line left the Nevada Northern Mill Branch at Adverse and ran down to the smelter and the shops in McGill. The quarry and lime kilns were at Quarry on the Mill Branch. Photograph Copyright © 2001 Keith Ardinger Used with permission
Ore trains sometimes met the local or a passenger train at Hiline. When ore trains met on the Mill Branch, it would likely have been at Cannon.

McGill Concentrator and Smelter
Pope Yeatman was in charge during construction of the concentrator and smelter, acting variously as consulting engineer, general manager, and managing director.²⁸ Thomas W. Cox had immediate direction of the design and erection of the plants at the outset, but from May 1907 – May 1908 he was replaced by S.S. Sörensen.²⁹

Constant increases in the capacity of the Mill were made even before its construction began. When planned at the Georgetown Ranch site, the original 1500 ton per day (tpd) capacity was successively enlarged to 2500, 4000, and 5000 tpd.³⁰ When the site at McGill had finally been settled upon, the capacity increased from 4000³¹ -5000³² to 8000³³ -10,000 tpd³⁴ during it's construction. It was later raised to 12,000 and eventually to 14,000 in 1917.³⁵

At about 6:00 p.m. on 09 July 1922 the nine acre concentrator was destroyed by fire within a period of 1½ hours, with the exception of the crushing department that had shortly before been constructed as a detached unit.³⁶

The first McGill depot had originally been erected at Currie when the Nevada Northern Ry reached that point during construction in 1906. It had then been moved to Ely as their first passenger depot. It was subsequently transported by flat cars to McGill in Nov 1907 to serve that community until a more permanent structure was erected.³⁷

Copper Mill at McGill, NV — March 1940

Rothstein, Arthur. March 1940. Ore from Ruth copper pit is refined at mill in McGill, Nevada. In Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection from the Library of Congress. [Online] Available HTTP: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsowhome.html; [fsa 8b19751]. [06 August 2001].

Reconstruction began immediately, and the rebuilt mill began with the same capacity as before the disaster. It was increased to 15,000 tpd in 1926 and to 18,000 tpd in 1930.³⁸ The new plant was highly efficient; between 1924 and 1930 it had an average recovery >90% of the copper contained in the ore, whereas in the preceding six years that value was 77%.³⁹ Other improvements included installation of a Wellman Engineering forty-foot rotary car dumper that began operation on 09 July 1932 and handled thirty ore cars per hour.⁴⁰ In the 1930's, electric catenary was installed to serve a portion of the tracks at the mill. A new GE 75-ton electric locomotive (No. 80) was put into service at the smelter on 27 September 1937.⁴¹


Ore Train at Mill Showing Electric Catenary — July 1972 Copyright © 2001 Keith Ardinger Used with permission

Further Mill expansions occurred over the years and by 1957 the capacity was 26,000 tpd. With some 30,000 tons put through regularly at this time (shipment for a 24-hour period was over 400 cars in 1957), there was considerable complaining about the copper going out with the tailings.
Smelter at McGill, NV — July 1972 Copyright © 2001 Keith Ardinger Used with permission	Concentrator at McGill, NV — July 1972 Copyright © 2001 Keith Ardinger Used with permission

Ore Line — History and Operations
	Table of Contents
	Page I — History
	Page II — Stations
	Page III — Diesel Operations
	Appendix
	References

Last modified 14 May, 2003 by Keith Albrandt

Ore Line — History and Operations

by Steve Swanson as told to Keith Albrandt

by Steve Swanson
as told to Keith Albrandt