The Hook heads to Keystone. Running just below U.S. Highway 50, the Lincoln Highway, Nevada Northern Consolidation #93 hauls her wreck train, including the 100-ton Steam Wrecking Crane A, toward a wreck site in the Mines District at Keystone, NV. The train is pictured here at about Milepost 145.3, less than a mile from the Keystone Wye.
This so-called "Ore Line" west of Ely, NV is very different from the main line which runs north out of Ely toward Cobre. That line features a wide-open valley and relatively flat terrain, and long, straight stretches of track. This line is much different, having been built in a narrow, winding canyon, with much steeper grades and rising terrain on either side. The scenery, while different from the main line, is every bit as spectacular. Viewers may ask why the 93 is always selected as the power for this wreck train and the answer is pretty straightforward. That steam crane behind her weighs every bit as much as the locomotive itself. Add to that the weight of the rest of the support consist and it takes a locomotive the size of 93 to manage it. For the record, 93 is rated for a tractive effort of just under 42,000 lbs.
