The railway operated from Oreana (Nenzel) which was located along the east bank of the Humboldt River at an elevation of 4,158 ft (1,267 m) above sea level.
The railroad continued east through the desert where it had to cross the western edge of the Humboldt Range near Limerick Canyon.
1 - Baldwin-built 3 ft (914 mm) 2-6-0 (Mogul Type) built in 1879 is on static display with a few cars and rests above all other trains on an elevated track at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento.
The locomotive was originally built for the Hobart Mills Company and was sold to the Nevada Short Line in August 1913.
The second engine "Francis," was a 2-truck Heisler locomotive built in 1899 for the Borate and Daggett Railroad and was acquired by the NSL in 1916.