Nevada Southern Railway

Do you have children who love trains? Or maybe you are a train fanatic yourself. If you find yourself in Southern Nevada and haven't visited Nevada Southern Railroad Museum, then you are missing out. It is perfect family outing, definitely kid-friendly, and there is much to see and do! Be sure to add Nevada Southern Railway on your "Places to Visit" list.

Located in Boulder City, Nevada about 25 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip via I-515 S and I-11 S you can experience a train ride, visit their outdoor museum, ride a rail explorer, or attend one of their customized special experiences or events they offer.

Train Ride

You can take a 35-40 minute journey on the tracks of the Boulder City branch of the Union Pacific Railroad which was completed in 1931 to deliver supplies, materials, and equipment for the construction of the Hoover Dam. This ride features a preserved former Union Pacific, number 844, which became famous for necessitating the renumbering of steam locomotive 844 to 8444 from 1962 to 1989. It weighs approximately 125 tons and has a turbocharged V16 engine that develops 2250 hp. It was donated to the museum and refurbished in Union Pacific colors. The train goes from the Boulder City Depot to the I-11 bridge, just past Railroad Pass Casino and Hotel, then returns back to Boulder City Depot. You can ride in one of their air conditioned, historic, 100 year old coaches, enjoy the open air car, or ride in the caboose.

As of right now the trains run on weekends only, and operating three trains per day, at 10:00 A.M, 12 P.M. noon, and 2 P.M. Saturday and Sunday only. You can purchase tickets on the day of your train ride. Usually they do not offer advance tickets, they just ask that you please arrive at the train depot a minimum of 20 minutes before departure time. They also ask no food or beverages on the trains although, water is fine. If you do want to bring lunch to eat after your train ride they do have a picnic area for you to sit and enjoy your food.

Admission for Train Ride (Regular weekend rides):

• Adults (12 & Up): $10.00
• Child (4-11): $5.00
• Children (3 & Under): FREE
• Special Event: Pricing Varies
• Groups 12+: $7 per Adult.
• Cab Rides: $35.00 per person; subject to engineers approval.
• Caboose Rides: $20.00 per person

Museum

The museum's regular hours are 9:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M., 7 days a week, and closed on Nevada Holidays. The museum is staffed by over 100 volunteers to help perform a variety of tasks from engineers, brakemen, conductors, and car attendants to mechanics who keep the trains and equipment in good shape. There are currently no indoor interpretive, exhibit or display facilities at this location, they only offer the Outdoor Pavilion Exhibit. The Outdoor Pavilion Exhibits includes a steam and diesel locomotives, a vintage caboose and Railway Post Office car that you can step into.

If you visit on the weekends, make sure to visit the Model Railroad car, and Live Steamer trains. Note that hours of operation are subject to change due to staffing availability.

The location of the model train displays is actually inside a 1914 UP Chair Car, that they remodeled inside to include two model railroads, HO Scale and O Gauge, as well as other displays. As mentioned above the operating the display trains depends on volunteer availability, but is generally open on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the year

The Live Steamer Trains are real steam engines that you can able to ride and made to delight any and all train lovers. With over 2000 feet of tracks just south of the main platform, rides are FREE on designated "run days" which are currently the second and fourth Saturday of each month (except January, July and August) from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M.

Rail Explorer

I personally have not ridden the Rail Explorer yet but I have seen others ride it and have heard awesome stories. Taking a tour with the Rail Explorers is definitely a different experience like never before. You're probably wondering what exactly is the Rail Explorer?

A rail explorer is a pedal powered vehicle that rides on railroad tracks. They have 4 steel wheels, hydraulic disc brakes, pedals for each seat, and are comfortable, fun and easy to ride. Although the rail explorers require pedaling, the magic of steel wheels on steel rails makes the experience very different from riding a regular bicycle. There is no need to carefully watch the road ahead, there is no need to steer and riding is hands free making it easy to take photographs and video as you roll along. You have the option to choose either the Tandem Rail Explorer, which is designed for 2 people or Quad Rail Explorer, that fits up to 4 people for your ride. And if you choose to ride solo they have single rider 'VIP Seats' available.

Pricing varies depending on tours and event. You can view them here.

More To Do

Nevada Southern Railway offers a variety of events and things to do for everyone to enjoy. One other activity they offer are cab rides with the engineer and the brakeman where you get to experience riding in the front. Another activity they have is where your child can be engineer for an hour where it allows your child to control one of the locomotives.

Have a birthday, wedding, or special event you're planning and love trains? Nevada Southern Railway offers a program called "Charter the Train" where you can choose to rent out the Dining Car. The dining car can seat up to 48 people and also has a kitchen with refrigerators and food preparation counters. For more information and pricing on Charter the Train click here.

If you a teacher looking for your next destination for a field trip, Nevada Southern Railway offers it. Take your students to ride the rails and experience history dating back to the 1930’s during the time the train rails were laid by the Union Pacific Railroad to service the Boulder Dam Project. For pricing and more information click here.

To stay up to date with Nevada Southern Railway's activities you can view them here.

To view Nevada Southern Railway's Event calendar you can check it out here.

For More Information

Have more questions or needing more information about Nevada Southern Railway? Click here.

Address: 601 Yucca St. Boulder City, NV 89005

Telephone Number: (702) 486-5933

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://nevadasouthern.com

Facebook: Friends Of Nevada Southern Railway

If you are looking to get out of the city and enjoy a nice train ride, Nevada Southern Railway is your next stop.

Check out our first train ride here.