(PRESS RELEASE) ELY, Nev — June is the month for grads and Dads; with school out and Father’s Day just around the corner on June 19, reward them both with a unique gift from Nevada Northern Railway. Put Dad and the grad in your life right in the cab of a locomotive — in the Engineer’s seat, hand on the throttle.

Blowing that iconic steam whistle can actually be a dream come true with the Nevada Northern "Be the Engineer & Take the Throttle” program.

This unique present for Graduation, Father's Day, birthday, anniversary or ‘just because’ is sure to be well-received and long-remembered. Plus, two can share the joy of this amazing experience. Anyone 18 or older with a valid driver's license can drive/operate a locomotive (steam, diesel or both), under Engineer's supervision. And, new for 2011, drive the locomotive WITH the train (freight cars) attached (the only other place to do this is in Poland). Prices range from $595-$3,500 - tax-free. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, creating memories that will last a lifetime.

On Father’s Day, June 19, all Dads ride the train for FREE. There are two trains scheduled: the 9:30 a.m. steam toward Ruth and a 1 p.m. diesel toward McGill.

Cab rides with the Engineer are available for $95 each, limit two per train.

Another unique offering is Nevada Northern’s Railroad Reality Week, with two sessions for adults and one for teens.

This Friday, June 10, begins the first Adult Railroad Reality Week and there are still spaces available. If you find yourself singing, “I’ve been working on the railroad…all the livelong day,” then this is for you. It’s a hands-on, working, learning, living, breathing experience of working on an historic railroad – one which the Smithsonian considers “the best…bar none.”

The seven-day session is $845. Enrollment is limited to just 12 persons. (There's also another adult session August 26-September 2; and a Teen Session for six days, July 24-30 for $795. All offerings are tax-free.

Summer at Nevada Northern Railway would not be complete without its Saturday Night Specials at 6:30 p.m., complete with dinner aboard the train and a souvenir. Upcoming June specialty trains are as follows:

DAY/DATE DESCRIPTION DINNER MENU PRICE ADULTS/CHILDREN
Sat., June 11 Chocolate Train Chocolate Desserts $52/$25 ($47/$20 WP/Eureka)
Sat., June 18 Rockin’ & Rollin’ Geology Train Cornish Pasty $46/$25 ($41/$20 WP/Eureka)
Sat., June 25 BBQ Train Slow-Cooked BBQ $52/$25 ($47/$20 WP/Eureka)

The Chocolate Train will feature a dinner of decadent chocolate desserts and a souvenir glass. The Rockin’ & Rollin’ Geology Train includes a lively presentation by consulting geologist, Roger Bowers, including some mining and railroad history, and a show and tell of ore samples; plus a Cornish Pasty dinner, and a souvenir. The Cornish Pasty is a beef and potato pie-crust-like sandwich; a standard meal for miners back in the day. Finally, the BBQ Train will feature a savory, slow-cooked barbecue dinner. All dinners are prepared by Nevada Northern Railway’s own Maggie O’Brien. Bottled water and soda are included with all meals; beer and wine are an additional $3 each. Early reservations are suggested for all dinner trains, in order to guarantee seating.

The Happy Friday Pizza and Beer train continues every Friday at 4:30 p.m. and features a steam locomotive train on the Keystone Route toward Ruth. This regular fare train offers an optional add-on for pizza and beer. A large slice of pizza and a beer is an additional $6; a large pizza slice and a soda or bottled water is an additional $4. Mangia!

Kids ride FREE Mondays through Thursdays, on all regular fare trains, when accompanied by an adult. The Monday trains at 9:30 a.m. feature a steam locomotive; Wednesday and Thursday trains feature a diesel locomotive. All these trains take the Keystone Route through two tunnels toward Ruth. The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is closed on Tuesdays – until July, when it’s opened seven days a week.

All offerings at the Nevada Northern Railway Museum are tax-free, as it is a National Historic Landmark and nonprofit museum – considered “the best…bar none” by the Smithsonian. Patronage helps support the Museum and preserves this important piece of American history and culture. Memberships and unique programs are available.

For tickets and more information, please call toll-free at (866) 40-STEAM (866-407-8326), locally at (775) 289-2085 or visit our website at www.nnry.com. You can also find us on Facebook; and see action videos at www.youtube.com/nnry1. White Pine and Eureka residents receive a $5 discount on all tickets, regularly priced at $24/adults and $15/children 4-12 years. Anyone is welcome to explore the grounds with a guided or self-guided tour (complimentary with train rides) and shop for gifts and souvenirs in the Gift Shop. Open daily, except Tuesdays, starting at 8 a.m.; Friday and Saturday nights open till 6:30 p.m.; Sundays till 4 p.m. Starting in July, the Nevada Northern Railway Museum will be open daily – 7 days a week.
(PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST)

For information about the Pony Express Territory, please visit www.ponyexpressnevada.com or call 1-888-359-9449.

The Pony Express Territory welcomes the media to its new online press room http://ponyexpressnevada.com/pony-express-media-room.html.

ABOUT THE PONY EXPRESS TERRITORY

Nevada's Pony Express Territory sits on 17 million acres of wide open space with 150 years of rich history, rugged undisturbed nature and black night skies. The Territory is where the Pony Express riders once galloped along its main trail, now Highway 50, connecting the six adventurous towns of Dayton, Fallon, Fernley, Austin, Eureka and Ely. Twenty years ago Life Magazine designated this section of Nevada State Highway 50 – “America’s Loneliest Road” as it winds itself thru the 1,840 miles of land called the Pony Express Territory. For more information, visit www.ponyexpressnevada.com or call 1-888-359-9449.

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