Call for the wrecking crew. A brief, but intense snow squall is just clearing the canyon to the east as Nevada Northern's wrecking crew races to deal with a derailment in the Mines District west of Ely. On this last afternoon of the 2012 NN Photo Shoot, I was extremely lucky to catch one of the coolest preserved steam trains in all of the US in some great light on the scenic Keystone line. The Nevada Northern Wreck Train ranks right up there with the White Pass Snow Fleet on the "coolness" scale because: it is colorful, it is very purposeful, it is original to the railroad....and all of the equipment, including the 100-ton steam crane, is still in working order. I wasn't kidding about the weather conditions in this scene. As we followed the wreck train up the hill on this afternoon, the conditions varied wildly, from intense snow squalls with pea-size snow pellets, to bright sunshine, as seen here. The conditions this day were just exactly what you hope for when you plan a trip to this place.
