Trains were another important part of McGill. The Northern Nevada Railroad was brought here to move the raw ore from the mine in Ruth at Copper Flats (now Liberty Pit) to the Concentrator Plant at McGill. The ore was loaded into railcars and shipped passed Ely to McGill. The first train load of raw ore arrived at the concentrator on April 15, 1908. Within a short period of time the smelter was ready for processing the blister copper, destined for the east and further processing, was made on August 7, 1908. Nearly eight years had passed since Bartley and Gray’s discovery of the copper ore body at Ruth. In the next 100 years over a billion dollars worth of copper ore would pass across this route. First the train came from Ruth past Ely train yard, to McGill smelter, then on to other destinations in the east. The McGill Depot was finished in1909.
                                   
Photo donated by Nevada State Museum (Ely, Nevada)