Stephanie W.
Yelp
On Monday, April 15, 2019 I went to the Nevada State Railroad Museum located right next to the Carson City Chamber of Commerce on South Carson Street. It is really an expansive facility, with a main building, another display/maintenance building, a train departure building, a quail crossing, a park, and even a canine comfort rest area (no humans allowed except if accompanied by a dog).
When you first walk in the main building, there is a gift shop to your right. They have every souvenir imaginable in it. I enjoyed that as much as the museum. They have pressed penny passports for $4.95 and the machine is outside the store in the entrance. [A pressed penny (also called and elongated coin) is a penny that is flattened and elongated into an oval shape, then embossed with another design. They are used as souvenirs and are available at many museums, amusement parks, landmarks, etc.]
The gift shop had old-time posters which made me laugh, such as "Beware of card sharks, pick-pockets, fancy women, and shifty politicians". They also sold genuine railroad spikes for $2.95/$4.95, wooden nickels, collector's pins, toys, books, postcards, and clothing. Postcards were only $0.35. The woman who ran the store was very knowledgeable and friendly.
I also talked to the volunteer at the front of the museum. He said that admission to the museum is free on Nevada Day, which is the last Friday of October.
There is a section upfront for used books for sale, the proceeds of which benefit the museum.
This museum can also stamp your Lincoln Highway passports, in addition to the Carson City Chamber of Commerce next door. (Lincoln Highway runs across 13 states in the US, coast to coast, from Lincoln Park in San Francisco to Times Square in New York City. The Nevada portion is on US Route 50, and is known as the Loneliest Highway in the World.)
At the front of the maintenance building, they have a railroad handcart; the kind where two people push the handle up and down to make it move on a railroad track. You can ride it if you like (if museum staff accompanies you). Inside, it is huge, They have some train cars which you can go through, as well as all sorts of motors, lanterns, and other historic railroad artifacts.
I did not go no a train ride, but I am told it goes around the property three times, and takes about 40 minutes.
I am thinking about becoming a volunteer here because I love the museum so much. I am definitely going to come Easter Sunday for their Second Annual Easter Egg-stra Special Express (https://www.yelp.com/events/carson-city-second-annual-easter-egg-stra-special-express?utm_campaign=www_event_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)). There is also one on Monday, April 22, 2019 (https://www.yelp.com/events/carson-city-second-annual-easter-egg-stra-special-express-2?utm_campaign=www_event_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)).