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Nevada State Railroad Museum getting new visitor's center

Railroad museum rendering
Posted at 2:00 PM, Jun 08, 2023
and last updated 2023-06-08 17:00:12-04

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new visitor's center could soon be coming to the Nevada Railroad Museum Boulder City.

That's after state lawmakers passed the Capitol Improvement Bill. That bill provided over $23 million to build the center on the grounds of the museum.

"This project allows the museum to expand its educational and preservation missions in ways it cannot presently accomplish while continuing to be a valuable partner in the community," said museum director Dr. Christopher MacMahon. "Railroads have always been about connection communities and in that spirit the visitor's center will have a community connection board that points visitors to activities, points of interest, and other museums in the area."

The new visitor's center is set to be built on the northwest corner of Nevada Highway and Boulder City Parkway.

Museum officials said the new building will include hands-on exhibits, a classroom for visiting students, and weekend educational programs, as well as a research archive. The permanent exhibit explores the role of railroads in Nevada's mining booms, constructing Hoover Dam and Boulder City as well as railroad operations at the Nevada Test Site.

In addition to that, museum officials said the visitor's center will also include a new shaded passenger loading platform for the museum's excursion train rides. The platform will load both standard and narrow-gauge railroad equipment allowing the museum to interpret and offer rides behind a variety of history trains.

Construction is expected to begin in 2024 and open in 2026.