The Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City is a

railroad museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives (steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling equipment. They may also operate historic equ ...

Boulder City Boulder City is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States. It is approximately southeast of Las Vegas. As of the 2020 census, the population of Boulder City was 14,885. The city took its name from Boulder Canyon. Boulder City is one of on ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

which is an agency of the

Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs The Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs is a state government agency in Nevada that focuses on the promotion and regulation of Nevada's tourism and cultural industries and landmarks. History The department was the result of a merge ...

. The railway is located on the tracks that were installed to support construction activities at the

Hoover Dam Hoover Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on Se ...

. The state obtained the tracks and right of way from the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

in 1985.

Heritage railroad

The museum operates a

heritage railroad A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

which offers passenger excursion trains using historic railroad equipment on a 7-mile, 45 minute round trip. Operations began in 2002, and the museum also offers the opportunity for passengers to ride in the locomotive cab, the caboose and to operate trains (subject to reservations and availability). This ride features a preserved former

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

EMD GP30 The EMD GP30 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois between July 1961 and November 1963. A total of 948 units were built for railroads in the United States and Canada ( ...

, No 844: Mount Hood 90, which became famous for necessitating the renumbering of steam locomotive

844 __NOTOC__ Year 844 ( DCCCXLIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Battle of Mauropotamos: A Byzantine expedition under ...

to 8444 from 1962 to 1989: Mount Hood Railroad 90! . 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. As part of the

Interstate 11 Interstate 11 (I-11) is an Interstate Highway that currently runs for on a predominantly northwest–southeast alignment in the US state of Nevada, running concurrently with US Route 93 (US 93) between the Arizona state line ...

project NDOT has replaced the bridge over US Route 93 that was taken out of service in 1998 during the widening of Highway 93 into

Interstate 515 Interstate 515 (I-515) is a spur route of Interstate 15 in Nevada, I-15 in the US state of Nevada that runs from the junction of Interstate 11, I-11, Las Vegas Beltway, I-215, and Nevada State Route 564, State Route 564 (SR 564) ...

. In April 2018, a grade separation was put in place at the former grade crossing near

Railroad Pass Casino Railroad Pass Hotel & Casino, named after nearby Railroad Pass, is a hotel and casino located in Henderson, Nevada. The casino has of gaming space, with 323 slot machines and six table games, and a William Hill sports and race book. Location T ...

, effectively linking Boulder City and Henderson together.

Exhibits

7½ inch miniature railway

The museum hosts a dedicated group of approximately 15 volunteers who on the second and fourth Saturdays, July and August excepted, provide free rides on the gauge railroad. The miniatures are 1/8th full size and accommodate children and adults easily. The layout is in a constant state of progressive evolution.

References

External links

Nevada State Railroad Museum website, Boulder City

Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway

{{authority control Railroad museums in Nevada Heritage railroads in Nevada Buildings and structures in Boulder City, Nevada Museums in the Las Vegas Valley

Heritage railroad

Exhibits

7½ inch miniature railway

See also

References

External links