Just in case you did not know, Boulder City has a railroad museum. Actually, its official name is the Nevada State Railroad Museum at Boulder City. Formerly known as and most offered referred to as the Nevada Southern Railway Museum.
What we have here is the Union Pacific #844. One of four working locomotives at the museum. This is a type GP-30, was built in 1963 by the ElectroMotive Division of General Motors and ran on the Union Pacific. It was donated to the Museum and refurbished in Union Pacific colors. It weighs approximately 125 tons and has a turbocharged V16 engine that develops 2250 horsepower. (all the geeky details are here)
The museum offers Excursion Train Rides that run every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. from February through early December each year.
Tickets for the 35-minute train ride cost $10 for adults and $5 for children aged 11 and under. The train consists of the locomotive, a diesel-powered generator car providing electricity to the passenger cars, two refurbished closed Pullman cars with air conditioning, an open-air roofed car and a closed car with a lift for handicapped travelers. It has armchairs for seating and a restroom serving all passengers.
The all-volunteer crew is dressed in vintage railroad uniforms. The engineer in his characteristic billed cap and the conductor in his classic black and white suit will visit with passengers before train time. The conductor not only claps your ticket, welcomes you on board, but also provides narration during the trip.
The Nevada State Railroad Museum at Boulder City is a part of the Nevada Tourism and Cultural Affairs. Currently, there are no indoor interpretive, exhibit or display facilities at this location. However, that will be changing in the near future as they prepare for huge expansion! (watch this video for more details)
Nevada State Railroad Museum at Boulder City
601 Yucca Street
Boulder City, Nevada 89005
Phone (702) 486-5952
E-mail: info@nevadasouthern.com
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