Northern Nevada Railway: How railroads helped build Nevada Railroads helped build Nevada in the 1800's. Las Vegas was originally a water stop for steam engines between Southern California and Salt Lake City. and last updated 2020-12-16 13:26:48-05 ELY (KTNV) â Railroads helped build Nevada in the 1800s. Las Vegas was originally a water stop for steam engines between Southern California and Salt Lake City. In northern Nevada -- not far from Great Basin National Park -- thereâs a window into that past, a tribute to steam locomotives -- the Northern Nevada Railway. There are but a handful of working steam locomotives in the US today, but Ely has 3 of them, all surviving relics of the last century.