HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
Ely's preserved early-1900s copper-ore shortline and East Ely yard, where the October 'Haunted Ghost Train' draws stories of a spectral conductor.
1100 Avenue A, Ely, NV 89301
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Museum admission and train rides ticketed separately; the seasonal Haunted Ghost Train is a special-event ticket. See the railway's website.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Historic rail yard, depot, and engine house; gravel and rail surfaces in places
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1906 · Built by the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company to haul copper ore (completed 1906) · Exceptionally complete surviving early-1900s shortline yard and shops · National Historic Landmark · Operates original steam and diesel locomotives, including Locomotive 40
The Nevada Northern Railway grew out of the copper boom in eastern Nevada. After major copper deposits were developed around the turn of the twentieth century, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company built a rail line to move ore from the mines and the smelter complex near Ely. Completed in 1906, the railroad connected the mining district to the national network and served the copper operation for decades.
What makes the Nevada Northern unusual is how completely it survived. When copper hauling wound down, the railroad's East Ely yard, depot, enginehouse, machine shops, and a large collection of original rolling stock were left largely intact rather than scrapped. The complex is now operated as a museum and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark — one of the best-preserved early-twentieth-century shortline operations in the country.
The museum runs heritage excursions behind original steam and diesel locomotives, including Locomotive 40, on surviving track between Ely and McGill. Visitors can tour the depot, the enginehouse, and the working shops where the railroad's equipment is still maintained by hand.
The railroad's history also includes the hazards of early heavy industry: building and running a mountain ore line in the early 1900s was dangerous work, and worker deaths during construction and operation are part of the site's history and its later ghost lore. Today the museum balances that heritage with active preservation, seasonal excursions, and special events that have made it one of eastern Nevada's signature attractions.
Sources
The Nevada Northern's haunted reputation is built around the dangers of early ore railroading. The lore holds that workers killed during the line's construction and operation remain attached to the yard and equipment, and the railway leans into that story with its own 'haunted' programming.
The signature account is a spectral conductor, described as a uniformed figure seen moving through the cars and checking tickets before disappearing. Visitors and staff also report footsteps in empty rail cars, figures glimpsed around the yard and enginehouse, and other unexplained activity in the historic shops. The railway's Locomotive 40 features in the 'Ghost Train of Old Ely' lore that the museum promotes.
The site's profile rose after it was featured on the Travel Channel's 'Ghost Adventures,' whose crew investigated the rail yard. Each October the railway runs the Haunted Ghost Train, a nighttime themed excursion, alongside walking tours that focus on the yard's reputation. The accounts are presented as visitor and staff experiences and ghost-tour tradition rather than verified events, but the combination of an intact century-old industrial site and a documented history of hazardous work gives the lore unusual weight.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Tour the restored East Ely depot, engine house, and rolling stock, and ride behind original steam and diesel locomotives. The museum preserves a complete early-1900s shortline operation. Tickets are sold through the railway's own site.
A seasonal nighttime ride and event built around the railway's ghost lore, run each October. Costumes are encouraged. The railway also offers walking tours focused on the rail yard's haunted reputation. Tickets are sold through the railway's own site.
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