Tour – Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum Virtual Tour See what the fuss is about Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum Opened in 2003 Happiest Museum in Nevada County The Railyard Our Gift Shop has lots of Unique Items The Railroad was started by the Coleman Brothers in 1874 The Colemans hired John Kidder to supervise construction of the Railroad After two years of construction, John stayed on as Superintendent of the Railroad John eventually bought out the Colemans and was president until he passed away in 1901 The Kidders were very successful people Entrance to the Museum Gallery Route Map We have a lot of old photos like this one of the Chicago Park Depot We constructed a 3/4 scale model of the depot based on the previous picture Nevada City Colfax The route had a lot of challenges This trestle replaced the wooden one The line also had a lot of tunnels There were a number of accidents Trolley service between Grass Valley and Nevada City was provided Map of one of the proposed routes The Real Route Map Let’s go to the Railyard and see some restoration projects Stockcar #5672 Restoration – In process Tank Car restoration is complete Stub Switch Point Switch Restoration of 1930s Blockcar has been completed Tool Car restoration complete Trucks Recently Completed Westside Caboose – Built in 1940 Passenger Car #56 restoration Passenger Car Damage On Wednesday (11/28) thru Sunday (12/2) three big rain storms hit Nevada County. The strongest storm hit early Sunday and caused an eighty foot section of a pine tree to impact the museum property. The 115 year old passenger car was severely damaged and the railyard was impassible. The restoration team quickly began cleanup and the railyard is now open. Based on the damage to the passenger car, the Museum is assessing whether restoration of the passenger car is still possible. Passenger #52 Restoration in Process Passengecar #52 was obtained from the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Extensive woodworking activities are in progress to replace the floor and bolster up the sides of the Passengercar. This restoration project will take several years. National Railway Grant complete New National Railway Grant for SP NG Boxcar Completed Restoration Complete on 8 Ton Switcher Engine Circa 19 th Century Handcar Velosiped Follow-on to the Handcar 1943 Speeder Acquired Follow- on to the Handcar/Velosiped New Acquisition – Westside Lumber Company Speeder #6 New Acquisition – Westside Lumber Company Snow Plow #2 The Shop Shop Activities Inside the Shop – The Railbus Railbus (built in 1960s) has completed restoration Turntable Constructed – A Very Successful Kickstarter Funding Campaign Railbus rides initiated in June 2016 Railbus Operations Celebrates 10,000th Rider Moriah S., a seventh grader at CORE Placer Charter School in Colfax, was one of twenty passengers to take a Railbus ride while on a field trip to the Museum on Sept. 28, 2018. Much to Moriah’s surprise, she was honored for being the Railbus’ 10,000th passenger. Accompanied by her sister and her mother, she was presented with a railroad hat and certificate commemorating her new celebrity. Volunteers at the Museum say they are very pleased with this milestone; given the short, three year, history of Railbus operations. Recently Refurbished Sara Kidder Railbus added to the fleet Our Pride and Joy – The New Steam Engine The Switcher Caboose #1 New Acquisitions – Westside Tankcars #2 #4 (circa 1930) New Acquisition – 16 FT Westside Caboose built in 1922; restoration complete Swayne Caboose #1 built in 1917 has completed restoration Argent Engine on loan from Northern Queen – Built in 1910 Argent Engine’s newly restored Tender Comparison – Narrow Gauge to Standard Gauge The Survivors: Engine #5 Engine #5 Does Hollywood Steam Car – It’s Animated New Display – Painting of Nevada City Depot (1910) Track Construction Kidder Mansion Model Museum Events Stop by and get a real tour! Scroll to top