Jeff Moore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Northern Nevada Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Let's not forget the ill fated Northern Nevada
> > that operated the line for a short time before
> BHP
> > made them an offer they couldn't refuse to go
> > away. Northern Nevada constructed the new line
> > from Keystone to the current loader (using
> > salvaged rail from the SP Westside line), and
> > brought in the SD-9's to handle the (slow) road
> > haul over the 70 lb mainline rail. During the
> > construction of the new line the infamous
> runaway
> > flat loaded with ties ran into the 93. A brief
> > but important foot note to the current status
> of
> > the NN.
>
> Northern Nevada Railroad was the creation of Bryan
> Whipple, the same guy who started and then lost
> the Eureka Southern. The Northern Nevada started
> rebuilding the mainline and the new line to the
> concentrator- but for motive power, they brought
> in the two ex-Santa Maria Valley 70-tonners and
> then purchased a pair of MRS-1 diesels from the
> Western Pacific Railroad Museum. One of them got
> painted up in a slight variation of the same
> yellow and orange used on the EUKA, but the
> Northern Nevada vanished before either of the
> MRS-1s could be delivered...the WPRM sold the
> painted unit to the Yreka Western instead, where
> it worked until they cut it up a year or two ago.
> After the Northern Nevada disappeared Magna Copper
> assumed operations of the railroad, and then not
> long afterwards Broken Hills Properties purchased
> Magna, and they set up BHP Nevada Rail to operate
> the railroad. I seem to recall it was BHP who
> brought the ex-SP SD-9s in. Magna was the
> responsible party at the time of the runaway flat,
> as they paid for the purchase of the two steel
> coaches from the Willamette & Pacific and covered
> most of the other damage.

Based on information from Bryan, the Northern Nevada was the operator until after BHP took over. And Bryan was there in person when the flatcar got away. BHP bought out the Northern Nevada, and Bryan is the one who described BHP's offer as an offer he could not refuse (since they were his only shipper). However various agreements between Northern Nevada and Magma provided the financial support for the railroad and it is quite possible that Magma ended holding the bag for some of the damages resulting from the runaway. Clearly Bryan and the Northern Nevada did not have deep pockets. I collected a fair amount of info on the Northern Nevada because it had a brief enough life that I figured it risked becoming a forgotten footnote to the NN's history.

JBWX