Western Railroad Discussion > Train watching at North Platte/Bailey Yard?

Hi, I am seeking advice on good ways to see trains at the Bailey Yard area in North Platte NE. I'll be driving thru the area in June and expect to have a few hours for a stop (not an 'all day' thing). What are your thoughts about the tower for seeing some yard action and maybe grabbing a few pics/videos?

I understand there are some kind of tours in September, what are those like? (however I'm not so much interested in a 'gift shop' or 'history lesson' type of experience.)

Thanks in advance,
Ed

When we were there, we watched from a park downtown. But go up in the tower for sure. That's the best view.
Lynn

Definitely go to the Gold Spike Tower. It is worth the price for a ticket. We checked many areas east and west of N Platte and the best location to park and watch trains is Hershey, which is just a few miles west of Bailey Yard.
4 main line tracks there and you can park at a grade crossing in Hershey just a few yards east of the main highway crossing in downtown Hershey. A Sheriff dept officer stopped by to check on us, and was happy that we were watching trains. Recommended good places to eat in N Platte. They like railfans around N Platte.

gmojim

The tower is great!
I don't think they need to charge as much as they do.
But its cool.

Posted from Android

upheritage6 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The tower is great!
> I don't think they need to charge as much as they
> do.
> But its cool.
>
> Posted from Android

Agreed, the tower is great. Has an open deck several stories up (six I think) and an enclosed deck with large windows one floor above.

Lets see, a ticket for an adult is $7, for students & seniors (55+) $5 and under 5 free.

Discounts for AAA, Military and UP employees.

The last time I visited, a few years ago. The ticket allowed for in and out for the same day, so you could visit in the morning, go to lunch in town and return until closing time if you want to.

Not bad at all for the price.

The park area down town is a nice place to watch trains trackside. As I recall, the park is the site of the North Platte Canteen.

Bob



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/22/17 20:43 by up421.