This Train in Nevada Goes Right Under the Total Annular Eclipse in October — How to Get on Board
Hop aboard the Nevada Northern Railway in Ely, Nevada, for the Solar Eclipse Limited ride to see the total annular eclipse this October.
Jason Bath/Courtesy of Nevada Northern Railway
Set your calendar reminders for Oct. 14, 2023. That’s when lucky skygazers in western parts of the U.S. will be able to observe the next annular solar eclipse. Actually, it has little to do with luck and everything to do with careful planning. If you’re keen on experiencing the rare astrological phenomenon for yourself, let Northern Nevada Railway (NNRy) help lay down the tracks. The mobile museum is offering tickets to see the spectacle from one of its historic early 20th-century locomotives. All aboard the Solar Eclipse Limited.
The railway, which is also designated a National Historic Landmark, is located in Ely, Nevada — smack-dab in the “path of annularity.” That means from this vantage point, during the eclipse, the sun will briefly look like an ultra-bright ring of fire. But unlike other parts on this path – swinging in a southeasterly direction from coastal Oregon through Corpus Christi, Texas – there’s relatively little cloud cover here in October. Your chances of an unobstructed view are quite high in Ely.
Kevin D. Grant/Courtesy of Nevada Northern Railway
The Solar Eclipse Limited will leave the station at 7:30 a.m. and head to a viewing area outside of Ely in Keystone, which is also in the path of annularity. Passengers will be joined by NASA-affiliated interpreters and provided with special eclipse-viewing glasses. Tickets are $60 per adult, $51 for seniors, and $30 for kids up to 12.
“Riding the Solar Eclipse train is a once in a lifetime experience,” promises Mark Bassett, the president of NNRy. “Nowhere else can you ride a National Historic Landmark railroad to see an eclipse! It ties together the heavens with history.”
In addition to the Solar Eclipse Limited, the railroad also hosts several events in the nights leading up to the big show in the sky. On the evenings of Oct. 12 and 13, passengers can hop aboard a Sunset, Stars, and Champagne ride to enjoy panoramic views of the sunset from high above Steptoe Valley. On the return, a nocturnal ceiling emerges to reveal one of the most unperturbed views of the Milky Way available anywhere in the Lower 48.
But if you can’t make it anywhere near the path of annularity this October, try to keep a sunny disposition; a total solar eclipse is returning to the U.S. on April 8, 2024. This one runs across such a vast swath of the nation that it's been dubbed “The Great American Eclipse.” It even has its own website, which is worth checking out, because, like we said, it’s all about careful planning.
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