Drifting down the Hiline. Nevada Northern's big Alco Consolidation #93 drifts down the Hiline near MP H6 on a cool February afternoon, hauling string of empty freight cars and a lone combine that are returning to Ely from the smelting operations in McGill. Back in the day, many employees who worked at the ore processing operations in McGill would live in Ely and commute to and from their jobs on the railroad, hence the need for the combine on the end of this freight. The railroad offered dedicated passenger service and mixed service along its entire length from Ely to Cobre well into the 1930s, until a system of good roads and bus service made that venture unprofitable.
