Nevada Southern Railway

We went during the «Great Train Robbery» and it was so fun! The actors were hilarious. Was a great time to see a gun fight! Really wish they would have this event again in the future. It’s been a couple years :(Definitely a good place to visit if you have a train-​fan in the family!

Our son has a heart condition, premature very behind but Trains, Railways, fascinates him. This visit opened his mind and learned easily as the lovely friendly volunteers made a cute experience for him and for all the family. The room with the trains running and villages completed perfectly what our son enjoys the most. He stood for over an hour watching all the trains with big curious eyes and a big smile!
God Bless You All that make and keep this part of History so clean, interesting, beautiful, happy volunteers so next generations learn to respect and admire a crucial part of America’s way of Transportation.

Unilocal 100 Challenge 2016, #2 of 100
Choo! Choo! If you are a fan of trains, train enthusiast, history buff, or having little ones then this is the spot for you. We drove out from SoCal straight to this spot a few days before xmas.
If you are looking for a place to escape the madness of the strip you can drive out to Boulder City and observe life out in the desert.
We came up to ride the Santa train. Very inexpensive to ride the train, $ 6 per person. It gets extremely busy during this time of year. Parking is a nuisance and it is a challenge to enter the parking lot. I am sure it is not like this other times of the year but you need to use extreme caution around the parking lot because of all the traffic. We literally pulled up, parked the truck, and jumped on the train. We were lucky enough to find 2 open seats and had to put our 2 small children in our laps. It was only a 30 minute ride but it was not fun holding a 7 year old in my lap, especially in a cramped space. The ride is not heart pounding and will not get that adrenaline going. The views are nice and the train is decorated with the likes of xmas. The main attraction is Santa and his entourage. My kids were lucky enough to get a pic with jolly ol fellow but there were others that he did not have time to visit with. There were a lot of families monopolizing Santa’s time and that wasn’t cool. I just feel people need to be more considerate of others. I made sure my kids were ready to go and snapped a few pics and let St Nick move on.
I would recommend to ride the Santa train if you do not mind being cramped into a small train car and wait in a long line to get on. The museum itself is cool but small. If you have visited the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA or Travel Town Railroad in Los Angeles then I would say it’s about a ¼ of the size. They do have a cool model trains to check out across the parking lot. You need to check on the hours because they are open on specific weekends. They do have a nice little gift shop.
There are the Nevada Live Steamers next to the parking lot. These are cool little trains that you straddle. Lots of fun for the kids and big kids like me. The steamers are free to ride but you can leave a donation or purchase a hat. My kid loves his hat and wears it everywhere.
I did meet one of the history experts from Pawn Stars, Dr. Phineas T. Kastle. When we got there and walking to the train he was walking by dressed like he does on the TV show, so I guess that’s his style which is cool. He was super nice and we talked for a minute but had to jump on the train.
Check it out. You could spend an hour or two walking around. Plus there are plenty of places to Unilocal in the vicinity if you are looking for some eats. We didn’t eat in the area because we wanted to check in to hotel. Safe travels!

It was fun. It was cute for the little ones. Seating was completely sold out and a bit cramped. I bought coach pajama train tickets because that’s all they had on sale when I went online. When we went to will call to pick up our tickets I asked if I could upgrade to first class. They said no, there was a wait list for upgrades and no cancellations and yada yada yada. Well, once on the train well after the ride started, we walked past first class to the restroom and guess what we saw… come on, take a guess… yep, you got it-​empty tables with no patrons. After they wouldn’t take my money to upgrade us, we had to stay cramped in couch just to find first class with whole tables completely empty. Bad customer service and just plain dumb that they didn’t want to take our money and make us happy by upgrading us. Also, the website says the tickets are adult pricing so I called and there is no telephone assistance, just a machine that refers you to the website. Also, it wasn’t clear that none of the other trains would be open at night so we got there super early and had nothing to do. Santa was nice and jolly looking, Mrs. Claus was absolutely homely, the cookies were as hard a rock, the hot coco was hot and rich and yummy, no Christmas music until the very end-​one song: Alvin & the chipmunks. Short story towards the end-t’was the night before Christmas. Most of the men working the train cars were about 100 years old and God bless them, they walked throughout the train cars and made conversation and told stories. It was a nice distraction to pass the time. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves. We may do it again one year. They also do a really fun-​sounding Halloween train and Easter train. I hope we one day get to try them!

We had purchased tickets to the Santa Train last year, and really had a great experience when we went, however, i could not say the same for this year!
I had bought tickets for the Santa Train well in advance for December 5^th at 10:00am. Once i picked up my tickets at «will call», i asked the gentleman where the lines for boarding formed. He explained that anywhere there was a stool, would be a boarding area. I was the first person lined up since i had arrived about 9:15am, to ensure i would be able to get seating together for my family and friends. (total of 8 people) i chose to line up at the first stool i came to, which was located right behind the Dining car.
As time drew closer to the 10am boarding time, myself and several other people who were in line near me began to question why there were so many lines forming. The woman behind me thought there should have been only two boarding areas, and there were in fact three stools, therefor three lines. She was told as well to line up where ever there was a stool. I questioned TWO other people over the coarse of my 45 minute stand in line, and BOTH confirmed if there was a stool there, it would be a boarding area.
5 minutes before boarding, someone came and closed the door to the Dining car, which sent nerves running through me and all the people around me who had been waiting. There was an ROTC gentleman had walked by at that moment and i asked him why they had shut the door. He was not really informative, however stated he did not think this was a boarding area. At this moment, we noticed that they were starting to board behind us. I asked him if he could address this concern and perhaps have someone board us from this door. He went down to the other boarding area, however did not seem phased, nor did anything to help.
I then took it upon my self to walk through the caution area, at which point i boarded the train, leaving my party standing by the Dining car. I explained to the gentleman the situation and that we had been there for 45min standing in line, only to have the door shut on us. He did not seem interested and told me to go ahead and have a seat somewhere. I was able to reserve and hold my seats so that my family and friends were able to sit together.
We were seated towards the front of the train, and since Santa started making his way from the rear of the train, by the time he reached our car, we were nearly back to the station. I felt his time with my daughter was extremely rushed as he tried to great the remaining passengers. I feel the organization and preparation from the individuals who run this event, was much better last year than this year. I have not decided if this is an event i will continue to do again in the future.

If your kids are into trains, take them here. We made it over to Boulder City this past weekend for the 13^th annual Santa Train and I plan on making it a yearly tradition. I definitely recommend purchasing tickets online at least a week in advance as they always sell out. However, if you miss out on boarding Santa’s train, there is a museum and several free activities to make your trip worthwhile. Riding the live steamers (a collection of small trains built and run by a group of hobbyists) was actually more memorable for my daughter than the actual Santa train, and it was free. You can show your appreciation by leaving a donation to help with train and track maintenance.
The Santa Train costs $ 6 per person. I purchased three tickets in advance. I was only able to use two on the day of the event, and asked the cashier if she would be able to pass my third ticket along to another hopeful passenger. Instead, she happily refunded $ 6 to me, a nice surprise. It’s about a 30 minute ride that travels a few miles out before returning to the station in reverse. We sat in the last car, which cut short our visit with Santa as he made his way to the back as the train reached the station. He still had time to take a photo with each family while a long line of people waited to board the next train. This is a popular event, but it never felt crowded and wait times were short.
Visiting in December also gives you the opportunity to see an original steam engine from 1875. I was told that the Eureka & Palisade is the oldest running locomotive in the country, and you can even go for a free ride while you’re here!

We used to ride this train every weekend when my son was younger. Even my parents enjoyed this. We would buy the season pass. What a lovely thing to do with family. The workers are knowledgeable and polite. I think we will go again this weekend.

My kids and I love this place we take a train ride at least once or twice a year. The price is affordable for pretty much ever budget

This is definitely a great place to take the kiddos to. They have a lot of retired trains on display, a roomful of awesome train set/​display that is constantly running. While you are waiting for your train ride, you can go on a lil tour ride, which is pretty neat. They give you a little bit of history while you ride. This place has lots to do, plus every first of the month they have a smaller train that you can ride, it is located by the parking lot toward the bottom. This place runs on donations so every little bit counts. Its pretty awesome the guys that work/​volunteer have such a great passion for keeping this place open, you can literally see the kid inside of them gleaming with joy. So if you like trains, or the kids this is definitely a place you wanna visit.

Don’t go out of your way for this ride. Very short, no explanation surrounding the sights and right along the highway. If you have time to kill and have kids (or overgrown kids) that love trains, go for it; but it was rather anticlimactic IMHO.

The Southern Nevada Railroad Museum was awesome! Totally blew my son’s mind. Friendly staff. Free admission, great exhibits and most importantly a REAL Diesel Union Pacific Train that you can ride on. Ride tickets are $ 10 for 12+ $ 5 for 11 to 4 and 3 and under are free. Great way to spend an hour.

Been here a few times-​once in the Summer, and the other handful of times were to ride the Santa Train. This event is quite popular during the Holidays, so be sure to purchase tickets online ahead of time! We keep missing out on the night time Pajama Train (a la Polar Express) but the daytime rides are just as fun!
We rode the Santa Train for $ 5 a person, I believe. Definitely reasonable. The volunteers who ride in each car are friendly, there is Holiday music being played overhead, and Santa and Mrs Claus visit each train car before the (short) ride is over. My son was more than pleased as the Santa who was on the train was the same one who visited his school! He even asked Santa if he had visited _​_​_​_​_​_​_​Elementary and Santa confirmed that he was indeed there. Santa takes the time out to visit each group and pose for photos. We received another year of a son believing in the magic of Santa, all due to coincidence. Great experience with each year we’ve attended!
Small gift shop has cute souvenirs that are reasonably prices. Lines are organized. Love it!

Been here twice and had a really good time. Today they had the great train robbery going on with a lot of period actors. Ride is relaxing and the museum with different locomotives and cars is unique. Great fun for $ 9.

Great place to take the kids or visiting relatives. My nephews love trains, so they love taking a trip up to boulder for the train. Prices are good and they offer $ 1.00 off coupons. They offer four different departure times each saturday and sunday. On the earlier times, you can actually get a 2^nd ride on the tracks with a rail car to see the trains and tracks they are working on. There is plenty of room on the train, both indoor and outdoor cars are available. The staff is very friendly, and will remind you constantly of upcoming events. This is a great spot off the strip to relax and enjoy a short train ride.

This is one of the places my boys always look forward to. It is an old railway from the building of the Hoover Dam that has been converted into a historical train museum. There are various examples of choo-choo’s here dating back from the early steam engines up to the giant diesels. You can explore an old mail coach and view an extensive model train exhibit in one of the air conditioned coaches. There is a small yellow passenger train ride, which is free, that takes you through the «bone yard» where other unfinished train restoration projects lie wait for future funding.
The main feature here is on weekends they have a fully functional train that takes 2 40 minute rides down the tracks. It has overhead covered coaches where you can feel the wind and there are air conditioned enclosed coaches with restroom facilities also. It takes you through boulder city on down towards the tip of the hill where you can almost see Las Vegas and then back. TIckets to ride this train are 10 $ for adults and 5 $ for kids.
We always have to tell our 3 y/​o that Thomas is sleeping in the train repair station because he works all week long, lol. The kids enjoy this much more than we could’ve ever expected. So we are now annual members of the «Friends of the Nevada Southern Railway» with a years worth of train rides for the whole family, yay! No matter what — our kids hit us up for a toy train in the gift store. I step & trip on numerous trains of every color in our house now.
It’s a fun place you’ll like it!

Everyone is really friendly here.
My kid loves trains and on the first and third saturday they have rideable miniature trains for the kids to ride he loves it.
The big train ride is just long enough for kids.

We couldn’t have showed up on a better day. Although it was VERY hot (typical) there is a handful of cement benches in the boarding areas that are covered with shade. There are several trains that are on display and even though it says «Keep Off» I see/​saw Rule Offenders hop on anyway to get that perfect pic. Anyway, there is also a tiny gift shop that sells water and snacks from what I can see as I didn’t go inside.
Mother Nature was showing off in such a spectacular way. Storm clouds were heavy throughout the valley that was pretty evident as we rode the approx 40 min round trip train ride. There are three different cars to ride in: one with cushy seats and ceiling fans – fully covered; one completely open-​air and wood/​park bench seating; and lastly table benches lined up in the middle with panel-​less windows. We almost sat in the enclosed car as it was pretty hot and we have been sweating already so Hubster went to check it out but reported that it smelled musky so we chose to sit in the open air one to cool off and also to watch the lightning show and rain literally pour down on Vegas. It truly was an impressive natural sight to view.
It’s safe and the staff make efforts to make sure you’re comfy cozy. Little Man had a jolly good time and is excited to come back again for the Halloween ride. Also they have a smaller/​mini train that you can ride/​straddle for donations. That doesn’t start until the 3^rd weekend of September. We attempted to walk down to the track but we were stopped by one of the workers. But I think he only stopped us so he could promote it lol
This is also a quick drive to Downtown/​Historic/​Main Street BC. So I would also recommend the quick drive down Nevada Way to check it out also after the train ride.

This is such a cool place and Ive been here several times. This past time we went for a Day out with Thomas. I would highly recommend if you have small kids that you attend this event.
In general the museum is small and theres not much to see, but the train ride on an old-​fashioned locomotive is not to be missed. The only problem is theyre only open on weekends, for limited times. So check the website before heading out.
The thomas event, however, cost the same as a train ride, included a train ride, but also had lots of fun activities for the kids including an art tent, a balloon blowing clown, a game area, and a HUGE thomas mini railway for kids to play with. Plus sir topham hat was there, and if you visited several locations you got a free gift (stickers, but who cares? The kids loved it). There was also a thomas store with hard to find thomas items.
Sign up for the museums email newsletter to get notices of special events. They also offer other things throughout the year such as a santa claus train, and the facilities are rentable for special events.
Finally, its entirely run by volunteers, mostly older gentlemen who love the history of trains and are very knowledgable.
A great day out with the kiddoes :)

When people ask me what I like about Nevada, I always make it a point to seperate the Strip from the rest of the state, I alike the natrual attributes of the state.
This exhibit opens you up to how hard the workers’ conditions were when building the railroad. Its a beautiful thing to see this part of Nevada on a warm clear day. You are actually reminded that this state is beautiful.
Take your kids, great way to enjoy a Saturday a. m/​early afternoon.

My nephew love trains. And saying that he loves trains is quite an understatement.
Seeing the smile on his face thewhole time playing with the model trains, riding the trains, anything/​everything trains was PRICELESS!
My family had planned this event and, honestly, I was like «Santa Train? In Vegas?»
I didn’t ask too many questions, obviously, but, since I was off that day, I went.
It took about 30 mins to drive to Boulder City which for me is a road trip in itself.
We had an hour before the «train ride» so, we got to check out the museum they had. It was crazy to think that this was someone’s hobby because they had full blown towns with 3, sometimes, 5 trains going at the same time. One of the towns even had a mini replica of a McDonald’s!
I had a chance to even buy a few stocking stuffers for the kiddies. And by stocking stuffers, I mean, toy trains… duh.
As we waited in line for the train, a line quickly formed behind us. Lemme tell you that I’m glad we were 1^st in line because there were soooooooooooo much people. Didn’t realized how into trains people were! lol
It was great to get first dibs on seats on the train considering I didn’t want to sit in the outdoor section of the train… it was freeeezing ballz out!
It was a short ride but, any time seeing the kiddos all happy and excited is always worth it. They even had Santa and Mrs. Clause take pics with the kids! It was great.
All the workers are volunteers and tickets only cost $ 5. If it wasn’t so far, I’d love to come here with friends. Its an experience, to say the least.
It’s something you would never expect right outside of Sin City.