Boulder City, NV
Nevada Southern Railway
4.6· 1,483 Google reviews
At a Glance
Source checked 2026-08-15- TypeNevada State Railroad Museum's Boulder City excursion railway and open-air collection
- LocationBoulder City, NV
- Rating4.6 ★1,483 Google reviews
- UpcomingSat, Aug 15
About Nevada Southern Railway
Nevada Southern Railway is the public excursion operation at the Nevada State Railroad Museum's Boulder City campus, distinct from the state museum's Carson City site. Weekend trains travel about ten miles round trip to Paradise Hills in roughly 45 minutes behind historic diesel-electric power and through early twentieth-century passenger cars. The route uses five miles of the original 1930 Boulder Branch Line each way, connecting the ride directly to the rail network that supplied Boulder City and Hoover Dam construction. The campus also includes an open-air display pavilion, model-railroad car, small live-steam railroad on selected Saturdays, museum store and a restoration facility that is not open to visitors.
Choose the Boulder City Rail Visit That Fits
Choose the visit that fits your groupFirst-time riders, families and railfans who want the full-size excursion
Ride the Boulder Branch Line
Choose a live weekend departure for the roughly 45-minute, 10-mile diesel excursion to Paradise Hills and back.
Museum visitors, photographers and travelers building a shorter stop
Explore the open-air collection
Use the low-cost pavilion visit for locomotives, rolling stock and current railroad-history exhibits even when an excursion does not fit.
Families with younger children planning around a published date
Choose a Story Time Train
The dated educational program adds a children's story, coloring page and craft to a train ride; use the individual event listing for the exact occurrence.
Families looking for a non-scary evening event
Plan the Halloween Express
The current 2026 event list publishes family-oriented evening train-and-dance-party dates in October; duplicate same-day time entries are one date, not separate calendar days.
Upcoming Events
Complete official date check
2026 special-event calendar
Reconciled the homepage, hours page, about page, events index, individual 2026 event pages and holiday-trains page. Official blocks conflict on ordinary departure times, and the event feed contains impossible multi-month end dates, so regular rides remain a live-inventory product and event occurrences use only the explicit event date. Rail bikes remain excluded while marked temporarily closed. The holiday page lists Nov. 29-Dec. 21 without a year and cannot safely be expanded into 2026 dates; Santa and North Pole products remain currently listed with live ticketing controlling. Duplicate Halloween time entries collapse to six calendar dates. Check the live official calendar ↗
Plan Your Visit
- WeatherSummer excursion closures respond to extreme desert heat, while named events and live inventory can change ordinary patterns
- Ordinary RidesThe official site currently describes Saturday-Sunday excursions from September through June, with no July-August service because of extreme heat; live ticket inventory controls each date
- Ride LengthAbout 45 minutes and 10 miles round trip between Boulder City and Paradise Hills
- Published Fares$12 adults age 12+, $6 children 4-11, and veterans free with ID on the current ordinary-fare page; special events use separate terms
- Departure ConflictCurrent official blocks disagree between 10:00, 11:30 and 1:00 and 10:00, noon and 2:00; select a live ticket rather than relying on a copied timetable
- Museum PavilionOpen-air displays currently list Thursday-Monday 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m., closed selected state holidays and subject to staffing; adult admission $2 and children free
- EquipmentOrdinary rides use one of the museum's historic diesel-electric locomotives and vintage passenger cars; no specific locomotive or car is guaranteed
- Boarding AccessThe public pages do not document a complete wheelchair boarding chain, lift, securement, platform surface or accessible railcar; call before purchase for the selected consist
- Rail BikesThe official navigation currently labels rail bike tours temporarily closed; do not sell an older seasonal rail-bike schedule as available
Find the Depot
The Trains
The Boulder City collection interprets Nevada railroading with operating diesel-electric locomotives and early passenger cars, plus preserved steam and freight equipment. Current exhibits identify Union Pacific 2-8-0 No. 264, Pacific Lumber 2-8-2 No. 35, Union Pacific wooden caboose 3505, Railway Post Office 2314, a Kennecott Jordan spreader, a Bureau of Reclamation Davenport gasoline switcher and a Six Companies dump car. Exhibit status is not operating status: ordinary excursions are described as diesel-electric, and no gallery photograph guarantees the assigned locomotive or car.
History
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad built the Boulder Branch Line and Boulder City rail yard for the dam project.
Major Hoover Dam construction ended and the Six Companies construction railroad was abandoned.
The Bureau of Reclamation's government railroad use continued until powerhouse construction was completed.
Nevada's Boulder City railroad museum operation entered its modern public excursion era on the preserved branch.
The museum published dated Story Time and Halloween trains while a new visitor center remained part of the evolving campus.
See full history
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad built the Boulder Branch Line in 1930 to connect Las Vegas with the new Boulder City rail yard, where material for Hoover Dam was staged. Federal and Six Companies lines continued toward Black Canyon and construction plants. The contractor's line was abandoned after major construction ended in 1935; the Bureau of Reclamation used the government line until powerhouse construction finished in 1963. Today's museum occupies the former rail-yard site and sends excursions over five preserved miles of the original branch, using its collection to connect mining, agriculture, logging, mail, community development and the dam project.
Around the Depot
Begin with Boulder City's preserved branch and open-air railroad collection, then follow the same dam-building story in two independent places. The free Boulder City/Hoover Dam Museum ranks first at about 1.2 straight-line miles; the federal Hoover Dam Visitor Center ranks second at about 7.3 miles and requires a separate security, parking and ticket plan.
Getting There & Staying Nearby
Optional trip extras from our travel partners.
Rent a Car
Compare the attraction location with your airport or lodging before deciding whether a rental car fits the trip.
Compare rentals on Discover Cars →Bookings made through this link support usatrainrides at no extra cost to you.
Tours & Activities near Boulder City
Tours
Guided tours, day trips, and things to do around the area, bookable in advance through Viator.
Browse nearby tours →Bookings made through this link support usatrainrides at no extra cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is the train ride?
The museum describes a 10-mile round trip between Boulder City and Paradise Hills lasting about 45 minutes.
When do ordinary trains run?
The official site currently describes Saturday-Sunday excursions from September through June and no July-August service because of heat. Exact dates and times must come from live inventory because official timetable blocks conflict.
How much are ordinary rides?
The current fare page lists $12 adults age 12+, $6 children 4-11 and veterans free with ID. Named events use their own prices and terms.
Is the train wheelchair-accessible?
The public pages do not document the complete boarding route or accessible car features. Call the Boulder City campus before purchase about the platform, steps or lift, securement, seating and restroom plan.
Does the train use steam?
Ordinary excursions are described as diesel-electric. Preserved steam locomotives and the separate 7.5-inch live-steam railroad do not make the full-size ride a steam excursion.
Are rail bikes available?
Do not rely on older seasonal schedules. The current site labels rail bike tours temporarily closed.
Is this the Carson City museum?
No. This guide covers the Nevada State Railroad Museum's Boulder City campus and Nevada Southern Railway excursion, not the separate Carson City museum.
Sources & Verification
Source-checked August 15, 2026. This free profile has not yet been claimed or confirmed by the operator.
- Official homepage for current excursion season, timetable block, fares, address and temporary rail-bike status
- Official about page for the 10-mile route, 45-minute duration, diesel equipment, pavilion, live steam and campus facilities
- Official hours page for the conflicting timetable, seasons, fares and display-pavilion rules
- Official 2026 event list for Story Time, visitor-center and Halloween occurrences
- Official Hoover Dam Construction exhibit for the original branch, three construction railroads and surviving artifacts
- Official Nevada Built By Rail exhibit for collection identity and preserved equipment
- Exact licensed Nevada Southern Railway and Boulder City museum image pages