Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Nice stop. If you do not have kids and are not really into trains, don’t expect to be overwhelmed. That being said they got some pretty cool trains here and you can take rides in them. Cool turn around for trains.

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is located in Jamestown outside of Sonora in the southern gold country Sierra Foothills. The main draw of this popular park is the excursion train pulled by either a diesel or steam locomotive. You may recognize the look and sound of the steam locomotive from Back to the Future Part III as it and the surrounding area were used in filming. The park is back away from the main highway, but there are many signs pointing you to the park.
There is just something about riding behind a steam locomotive. It is just cool. The ride takes you on an hour round-​trip ride through the foothills either in an open or closed car. On this trip, I discovered that the steam locomotive burns recycled motor oil which helps reduce waste. The main depot and roundhouse exhibits are somewhat interesting, but is really just a place to wait for the train ride. Train buffs will enjoy it, but most other people will just look for the restrooms.
There are a lot of fun opportunities in and around Sonora, and incorporating a train trip is always fun. Admission is high, but reasonable for families. The museum does a good job of recreating a classic train experience for everyone.

This well maintained railway park is a must see when in the area. The self-​guided tour is ideal. With a map and a basic explanation of what’s going on, you walk through the park, trains and buildings. We did stay longer than expected. Staff is very friendly. Note: clean restrooms & cute gift shop.
Can’t say anything about the train ride as it was not operated on the (week)day we visited this park.

Enjoyed a pleasant little train ride with my husband and a good friend here. If you’re in the area and you like historic trains, it’s definitely worth a stop. The gift shop is cute and sells delicious Sasaparila soda in glass bottles and there are several nice areas to sit and enjoy it.

This place is very cool. Full of wonderful history– if your into that kind of thing.
We went thinking we would just do the self guided tour since it was a Tuesday and we didn’t expect them to have the tour. But we were in luck. The lady asked if we wanted to do the guided tour and we agreeed and it was great. You get to go into the roundhouse and see the trains close up. One of the trains you are even allowed to get on and take pictures. It was really cool getting to see the old trains up close. Also the guided tour is full of some interesting facts about the place. Our tour guide was named Paul and he was awesome, he knew a lot of great information and told us all about the history of the place.
The trains don’t run in February so we didn’t get to take a train ride but we knew that going in so it was okay. Even when the trains are not running it is still worth a stop.
Definitely take the guided tour if it is available. You won’t be disappointed.
Everyone there was super nice and friendly. I told them I scrappedbooked and they gave me some cool stuff to put in it. They even gave us a recommendation on where we should eat. Great place and great people. Will definitely come back.

We may have robbed ourselves of a better experience by skipping the guided tour, but we were in a hurry and could only make a quick 30 minute stop at Railtown.
The people running the place are quite friendly, and I’m sure we would have loved the guided tour. Maybe next time!
The self-​guided tour is simple enough, you’re provided with a map and basically follow the path from one building to another. It’s very interesting to see the different engines, train parts, and tools in the separate buildings. My favorite part was walking around near the railyard turntable! Would be so cool to see it actually rotating with a train engine on top!
This is a simple, fun, affordable stop while in Gold Country. Give it a go if you’re up for some historic train knowledge :-)

My girlfriend and I were visiting some of her family in the area and since they knew that I liked trains they took us there. This place is a heaven for train lovers, especially the turntable building where steam engines are maintained.
We had the privilege of getting an impromptu private visit by Craig, who is a firefighter and drives steam engines in his free time. He gave us plenty of his time and shared with us his vast knowledge. I can’t wait to be back here!

For two adults, two seniors and a small child the cost is normally too high for us all to ride, but it’s nice that they think of ways for people to save money, such as offering free rides for veterans on Veteran’s Day. With the place mostly run by senior volunteers (apparently?) getting on the train was a bit chaotic (no one knew where to form the line and there were a lot of people ranging in age from seniors to little kids milling around) but the situation resolved itself as everyone settled on the train. The slow-​moving ride at about 45 minutes round trip was just right for a preschooler. I’d prefer it if we didn’t have to look into so many people’s backyards on the train trip, but there’s lots of nice natural scenery around the railway as well. Our docent on the train was very nice, talked just enough, was attentive to everyone’s needs, and gave safety reminders when needed.
The gift store (where you also buy the tickets) is really nice and my child enjoyed the toy railway that’s available for all the small kids to play with. I also like that the store offers items ranging from very cheap to expensive if that’s what you’d like to take away.

Ron was a great host!!!
Spent $$$ to restore #3 & #2 trains
For one day of running the trains it takes 2 days to fix it up to work again
Lots if knowledge to absorb
Great time here

Ever wondered what travel was like in the 1800’s? Railtown will remind you how blessed we are with the advances made in modern day transportation. I mean 15 miles an hour to travel to New York? Yeah. See you next year! Enjoy a tranquil ride on an authentic steam train. Experience the sllloooowww role through groves of Oak trees, nourished by local streams that were once filled with gold then plundered by gold seekers. Restored in 2010 engine #3 was restored at a cost of $ 2mil. What an original! Seen in more movies that one can remember, for only $ 5.00 you too can be a golden girl or boy in the Wild Wild West! Now that’s a bargain.
If visiting in summer, it will be hot so bring a hat and water! Pets are allowed in the park and on the trains. Just be sure to have them leashed. Don’t forget to bring water for them too. There is plenty of free parking in the lot, or along the residential streets in the area.
Railtown offers more than just a ride on an old train. Take the tour of the station grounds after your ride to learn about the history of Californias gold rush. Learn how one mans misfortune in one state led to his ultimate success in California. Well duh! There are many railroad enthusiasts about the property. On my visit there were people showcasing vintage engines from the turn of the century that were still in operation. Amazing!
Oh! Bring a picnic and sit under one of the many Oak trees for a spell. The sound of the steam train approaching the station platform will transport you in time.

My 3 year old son is obsessed with vehicles and Thomas the Train. We decided to go to rail town for Fathers Day. My son got excited as soon as we pulled up. 15 dollars gets you a 45 min train ride and tour which is about 45 min too. All the tour guides love trains and love their job. Informative tour is entertaining and they are great with questions from adults and kids. Excellent gift shop and facilities. Go early and bring water because it can get hot in Jamestown. My son was begging to go again when we got home!

I recently spent a few days in Jamestown, and HAD to check out this place. A great decision on my part!
I can’t imagine a better place to spend with the kids for the day. Just TONS to do. Let’s start with an operating steam train. No brainer there, so I’m going to move along. Spacious grounds, perfect for a family picnic (or for filming back in the 40’s and 50’s…tons of old westerns were shot here).
Take a walk, and discover the Hollywood museum — a pictorial with artifacts of movies shot here and/​or using the trains in the roundhouse (more on that later). See the steam chimney that blew up in Back to the Future III for example!
You can walk through the bone yard and check out an actual forge — but. by far, the coolest thing to spend your time at is the roundhouse. In addition to where the working trains «sleep» at night, it’s also where they keep multiple steam engines that are in various states of restoration — from fully restored to «holy cow does this baby need some attention». There’s a Shay, a 4−6−0 (which is likely been in every movie that has a steam engine in it), a Baldwin 2−8−0, a Baldwin 2−8 – 2,and a Lima — all waiting for kids (and adult versions of kids) to drool all over them.
DEFINITELY a place to plan on spending the majority of a day at.

Kind of disappointing. The train ride is slow and goes for about 3 miles before turning around. The thing felt like it was about to crumble on the tracks. It was just kind of pointless. It’s also kind of expensive. $ 15 per adult, for 15 minutes of nothing. I expected at least some scenery, but nope, nothing. You just get to look at people’s backyards and maybe a cow. Not worth it. Kids are welcomed and all, but I don’t see how they would be excited for something like this. I’m old though and don’t have any children, so what do I know? It would be a great experience if you are a train enthusiast, which I am not.

DOG FRIENDLY!!! We took our basset hound on the tour of the park. Dogs are free of charge, they can go EVERYWHERE on the park property. Our dog got to go inside some of the historic trains, during the season dogs can also ride on the train! SO COOL!
Our tour guide was the nicest lady! She was very knowledgable about the trains history as well as there functioning! You get to see so much history here!
Great for families with kids (and doggies)! Very hands on and an up close and personal experience! I recommend going first thing when it opens, the first tours are less crowded! We will definitely be coming back for a train ride during the season!

Absolutely great place in the Gold Country. The train is on the tracks and makes one feel that you’ve stepped back in time.
There is an operating roundhouse, one of the few left in the country. Lots of railroad equipment to see.
Very clean restrooms. Quaint gift shop. Large groups can come and have picnics as there is plenty of space for that.
The docents give informative tours and very enthusiastic.

Pretty close to a railfans dream place to visit. Not super strict on where you walk or take pictures from. Bring a tripod for shots indoors as there’s precious little light, oh and bring a REAL camera. Your cell phone is NOT a camera.
Shop tours, train rides, the smell of steam and smoke. Pretty awesome.

The train ride itself is OK. The scenery is a bit featureless, for the first leg the locomotive *pulls* the carriages (bit odd), and the level of commentary varies by docent. The ‘skunk train’ locomotive ride in Fort Bragg, CA is better (but significantly more expensive).
The round house tour, though, is unique & interesting, especially for those who enjoy history and engineering. Our tour guide was a nice kid, perhaps a bit sedate. Oh, and buddy, mention ‘Back to the Future’ first, not last :-P
Being at Railtown at the end of the day, we got a bonus treat: Watching Engine No. 3 being parked inside the round house via turntable.
PS — The senior citizen volunteers at Railtown are great. One of them entertained us all with his [banjo] playing.
PPS — Actually, they weren’t all senior citizens. Engine No. 3’s engineer was a younger woman, the first female engineer in its +100 year history.

The operating train line was the main attraction. Not only for visitors like me, but for film studios which used this location for numerous movie shoots over the generations like «Duel in the Sun», «High Noon», and «Back to the Future 3».
The ride was on an old steam locomotive which pulled a long Pullman passenger car and freshly painted red cupola caboose. The $ 10 ticket gains access to a ride in the Pullman where we could stand at the open back door of the car and watch the tracks roll below us. The short, 6-​mile ride to nowhere and back took 45-​minutes.
There is a lesser $ 5 admission to see only the grounds without the train ride. The train depot is mostly filled with gift shop and waiting areas. The site has a small and old roundhouse with a turntable. Allow more time if taking a tour of the roundhouse which we skipped during our 90 minute visit.

After spending 2 days at Calaveras Big Tree SP we packed up and headed for Railtown 1897 SHP, it’s only 1hr away so easy to get there. Used the GPS and didn’t get lost.
FREE parking, we got there early so got to park in the main lot, otherwise there’s more on a side road. Buy your tickets for the train ride as soon as you get there, it’s $ 15pp adult price ($ 5 park admission, $ 10 train ride). Charge it! No AAA or Senior discount — boo!
On Mother’s Day & Father’s Day you can get a chocolate candy bar for your mom or dad. That’s so nice. Popcorn is available-.25c for small bag, $ 1 for large. Helps out the State Park.
We did the 11am first train ride of the day. Board like 10 min beforehand. If you have more than one person with you try to get some on the left side of the train & some on the right, cuz the train only goes 3 miles forward, then the engine goes to the front & you don’t get to get off at that stop. Luckily, the family on our left asked if we wanted to switch so we got a slightly different view on the way back.
Then we did the Roundhouse Tour — see other trains in an old building, meh.
Self-​guided walking tour — not much really, but we did it. Some of the stuff we saw already, it’s really a small place.
Separate bathrooms available. Out the double doors of the store on the Left-​side.
Good for kids or train folks.

Wooo Wooo! Chugga Chugga Chugga…
I didn’t know what to expect from Railtown 1897, but was taken aback with the fact that you are right in the middle of a working train depot with trains blowing smoke and whistling… beautiful scenery… beautiful trains. Really fun train ride for $ 13 (includes access to the Roundhouse tour) and the museum areas.
We got there early (before it opened). I was with my dad, a certified curmudgeon who likes trains, and a 4 year old ready to see some TRAINS!!! fully equipped with his Thomas the train whistle and toy set and his mom. I was prepared to be bored, but woah… I didn’t expect to be immersed in this incredible world of trains…
A conductor saw us looking around with the 4yr old pointing to trains and took us through the roundhouse, opening up a huge door with a sliding wooden lock outside to the center area where a 100+ year old steam train just pulled out of the building. I keep wanting to call it a barn, but it’s a «Roundhouse». Apparently, if you watch Thomas the Train, you know that, because the 4year old knew lol. What a sight to see the shiny black train roll out, with steam blowing from the horn and fire glowing underneath. We were in awe — all of us, all train lovers now. And then the train pulled onto the track behind a little lake — so serene and pretty.
The Roundhouse tour was informative. I liked seeing the inside of the building with the old movie trains and tools everywhere. Not really recommended for younger kids who don’t have the patience to stand and listen for a while. It’s not a typical «museum» — so watch the kids carefully — things are grimy and rusty, with metal parts, puddles, and uneven floors.
The 40 minute train ride was great — kind of like the Disneyland train, but going through golden rolling hills and farmy areas, overlooking the river. They had open areas where you could sit and look out or closed in areas where you could open the windows.
$ 0.25 popcorn! Great gift shop — they have everything (including all of the Thomas the Train items).
All in all loved the experience. I really hope they don’t close down this park, because there were a lot of people there later on and it was a great experience for the young and … not so young.