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Golden Spike Tower

1249 N Homestead Rd, North Platte, Nebraska 69101 USA

31 Reviews
$$
Reasonable
Closed Now
Opens Fri 9a
  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Wifi
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Learn more about this business on Yelp.

“Tower overlooking world’s largest railroad classification yard”

If you’ve ever driven I-80 across Nebraska, you already know… It can get a little monotonous. Not to say the gentle, rolling hills aren’t pretty, but after several hours on the highway, it starts to get a little old. Just off the highway in North Platte, however, you’ll find a little surprise: the world’s largest rail yard and the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center. Golden Spike Tower is a fitting name for the observation tower since just up the road (or rail, I guess we should say?) is Omaha, NE, where officials drove a golden spike into the ground to commemorate the east and west portions of the Union Pacific rail lines meeting. (Central Pacific, you may remember, did the same thing in Sacramento, CA.) Although the “gold spike” was placed in Omaha, it’s actually here outside North Platte where the east/west lines meet as part of Bailey Yard, the largest rail yard in the world. The Golden Spike Tower is the result of a nearly 20 year vision started in the 90s after the Union Pacific’s old viewing platform started to deteriorate and local leaders decided the magnificence of Bailey Yard could wow tourists with a birds-eye view. The tower finally opened in the summer of 2008. Outside the tower, you’ll find a flag flying for each of the 23 states serviced by the Union Pacific Railroad along with commemorative bricks and a vintage dining car. Once restored, the dining car will be just as it was when it served meals to rail travelers several decades ago. The lobby of the tower features a modest exhibit with the history of Union Pacific along with a gift shop to buy everything from books to coffee mugs. Of course, the real draw is the observation deck. An elevator takes you 7 stories up for an impressive view of the massive Bailey Yard. Named for Union Pacific president Edd H. Bailey, Union Pacific Railroad's Bailey Yard manages 10,000 rail road cars every single day on its 2,850 acre spread. While the world’s largest train yard today, the yard’s history can be traced back to a single train in the mid-1800s. Chosen for its close proximity to good water, a necessity back in the steam days, the first train came through in 1866. By 1867, Union Pacific’s Chief Engineer, Grenville Dodge, had constructed a large shop and winter quarters, enough to begin running main line operations through North Platte. The railroad changed North Platte forever and even attracted some famous people, all eager to use the railroad. By the late 1800s, Buffalo Bill Cody made the town his home base. For the next several decades, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show traveled the country by train and wagon, becoming an American icon. The town and rail yard also played a major role in WWII, helping ship war products across the country. The North Platte Canteen even provided more than 6 million soldiers with food as they made a short stop in town. Passenger rail service finally stopped in 1971, but everything other than people still flows through the yard at a staggering rate.  If you’re looking for a quick stop along your I-80 road trip, the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center will give you a view for miles and miles as it lingers over the flat, open spaces of central Nebraska. -Roadtrippers Why Golden Spike? Because North Platte, Nebraska is where east meets west on Union Pacific's rail line-just as east met west in Promontory Summit, Utah, when the Transcontinental Railroad was built. Both Union Pacific and Central Pacific building from Omaha, Nebraska, and Sacramento, California, respectively met and drove the golden spike to open up the west.  The idea of the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center was first conceived in the mid-1990s as Union Pacific's viewing platform was falling into disrepair. Community leaders thought it a good idea to erect a tower that would allow visitors to get a birds-eye view of Bailey Yard. The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center opened on June 26, 2008. The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center features a courtyard proudly flying the 23 flags representing each state Union Pacific Railroad serves. The Memorial Brick Pavilion honors members of our community, employees of Union Pacific and others with commemorative bricks embossed with the name of the person for which the brick was purchased.     On the grounds of the Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center is a vintage dining car currently being renovated. When completed, the car will take you back to the romance of passenger trains with both the look and feel of a real railroad dining car with all the amenities.   Truly a once in a lifetime experience: The Golden Spike Tower and Visitor Center-more trains than you can keep track of!

Read More >
Photo of Jennifer F.

Reviewed by
Jennifer F.

Stopped here after reading some reviews from Yelp and trip advisor. This is an amazing piece of history as well as an important part of transportation of goods across the country. It's amazing how... Read more

Photo of Brian P.

Reviewed by
Brian P.

Clean, modern and well maintained. That's a lot more than you can expect from most of the tourist traps positioned along I-80. Our kids (who claim they like trains) were bored in 30 seconds... Read more

Photo of Belanca R.

Reviewed by
Belanca R.

Everyone at this tower was super friendly. All of the employees were nice and informative about everything there. We only paid $10 for our ticket to go up the tower and it was a very pretty view.... Read more

Golden Spike Tower

1249 N Homestead Rd
North Platte, Nebraska
69101 USA
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Hours

Closed Now
  • Sun - Sat: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Pets Allowed
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    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
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    Credit Cards Accepted
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