The mission of the Truckee Donner Railroad Society is to perpetuate the study and advancement of knowledge of working railroads in the Truckee Donner area with the goal of building a railroad museum to preserve and share what we have learned.

Golden Spike Sesquicentennial

The Truckee Donner Railroad Society is joining with the Truckee Donner Historical Society and the Donner Summit Historical Society to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869. The history of Truckee is intertwined with that of the Central Pacific Railroad, the western half of the transcontinental railroad.

A series of events are planned in the Truckee area to celebrate the Golden Spike Sesquicentennial.  A partial list of these events is presented below. For more details, please see the complete list of events at the Donner Summit-Truckee Golden Spike Celebration Facebook page or visit https://www.goldspike.org/

Truckee River Railroad

All Aboard!

The Logging  Railroad display is interactive in our Caboose museum. At the press of a button, the visitor can initiate a recorded interpretation of the display with lighting directing his attention to individual features as they are discussed.

Live locally? Like Trains? - Fun Opportunity!

The Truckee RR Museum has had over 6,000 visitors annully, and we need your help.   We try to be open weekends and major holidays or about 16 three-hour shifts a month. At present the bulk of the shifts are being worked by just a few docents, each working several shifts a month.

Being a docent is fun, very simple, and does not require a deep knowledge of trains or history.  It just involves being friendly, welcoming the visitor, and sharing what you do know.  Quite often we learn interesting new things from the visitors.  An experienced docent will work alongside beginners until they feel comfortable.

There are also several fun projects in need of someone with writing or graphics skills that are waiting for someone to come along and pick them up. If you have any questions, think you might be able to help, or would like to learn more, please E-mail our museum manager.

Rails, Tales and Trails

While most history writers stick to doing their rambling through dusty tomes, Granite Bay’s Bill George has taken the roadbed less taken to author “Rails, Tales and Trails.” The result of his work is an epic travelogue that starts in Old Town Sacramento and then wends its way over the Sierra as the book follows the route of the Central Pacific (now Union Pacific) through not only Auburn, but lesser known and visited locations such as Dutch Flat, Big Bend and Giant Gap.You can find details at www.transcoshow.com

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We need unrestricted donations to build our fundraising efforts. All contributions are appreciated: