Bring out the hook. Nevada Northern's beefy #93 couples up with the line's 100-ton Steam Crane A as she prepares to take a wreck train south to the Mines District. Steam Crane A was built in 1907 by the Industrial Works of Bay City, Michigan and is one of a scant few examples of this type of machine that can still operate. The bright red car directly behind the crane is called the tool car and acts as a tender of sorts for the big hook. It carries all of the rigging (cables, chains, hooks, turnbuckles etc.) that would be used to prepare loads to be lifted by the crane. A typical wreck train would consist of the crane, its tool car, a ballast hopper, a flat, a box car and either an outfit car (combine) or a caboose...and possibly both. All of that gear represents a significant load for a single locomotive climbing a 2-3% grade, which exists at the Mines District, just a few miles south of Ely. For a view of this train out on the Mines Branch click here.
