Nevada State Railroad Museum Boulder City — Attraction in Boulder City

The Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City offers a delightful journey into the rich railroad history of Southern Nevada. Located just a short drive from Las Vegas, this outdoor museum brings the past to life with its well-preserved locomotives, passenger cars, and a scenic 7-mile train ride along the historic Boulder Branch Line, originally built to support the construction of the Hoover Dam. The 45-minute excursion, available on weekends, lets visitors choose between air-conditioned Pullman coaches or open-air cars, providing a comfortable yet authentic experience. The volunteers, who run the museum with palpable enthusiasm, enhance the visit with their knowledge and stories, making it a family-friendly outing that appeals to both train enthusiasts and casual explorers.

Beyond the train rides, the museum boasts an impressive collection of railroad artifacts, including a 19th-century private business car, a railway post office, and a miniature 7.5-inch gauge railroad that’s a hit with kids and adults alike. The open-air display pavilion, free to explore daily, showcases the equipment alongside informative exhibits about the region’s rail heritage and its connection to the Hoover Dam. Seasonal events like the Halloween Express and Santa Train add a festive twist, drawing crowds with their charm. While not a high-tech spectacle, the museum’s simplicity, coupled with the dedication of its staff, creates a nostalgic and educational experience that’s well worth a stop for anyone visiting Boulder City or the nearby...

The train of terror during Halloween is a complete robbery and waste of time. If I could rate it zero stars I would. It’s described as an hour and a half on and off train experience which is misleading . 30 minutes of that off the train experience is spent walking back to your car since the train doesn’t stop where you get on. There are 8 actors along the train route and the majority of other actors are pre teen kids. There is zero production quality or costume budget whatsoever. The music played on the train is from AM1400 and doesn’t fit the theme at all. There is nothing scary about this train ride and it is a complete money grab. Do not waste your time or money.

Edit because the owner responded… I understand it’s ran by volunteers and is a fund raiser but most haunted attractions are ran by volunteers and put together a much better production. 70.00 plus tax for general admission for two people at a minimum is an absurd amount to pay especially for something as misleading as “train of terror”. I’d highly recommend editing your marketing of this as the only thing terrifying is how much you charge and then as an added slap in the face make the patrons walk back to their cars in the cold and dirt. Also if you sit on one side of the train you see nothing. Maybe some of the large profits you make on a nightly basis should be put toward props and a legitimate story line. Whoever organizes this and feels it’s ok to mislead and rob all these people...

I just wanted to leave a review of my experience riding the Santa Train last night, 12/09/22. All of the workers (volunteers?) were INCREDIBLY kind, friendly, joyful and brought so much magic to the experience.

But the standout STAR was Laura. She went above and beyond to make sure my son and I had a tremendous experience last night. There were a series of events that occurred and I was so worried that we wouldn’t be able to make the Train, but Laura and the team assured me that we would ride the train that night. She kindly even gave us directions to an amazing house down the road with a beautiful Christmas light display.

The ride to Santa was so fun, even the adults around me were laughing and singing. Some of the workers walked up and down making sure to engage with all the passengers. We also got a cute little story as well as cheerful music.

Santa at the rail yard was AWESOME. My son is 3 and really thought that we were at the North Pole. We took pictures with Santa, ate cookies and drank hot cocoa. And given some super nice gift bags. And then everyone got into a huge “snowball” fight and right in the middle of it, IT STARTED SNOWING! My kid was in wonderland!!!

On the way back, we even got see the inside of the caboose!

It really, truly warmed my heart and filled my son and I with the Holiday spirit. I am most definitely going to make this our family tradition. Thank you so much to the Nevada Southern Railway for organizing this...