Railtown 1897 State Historic Park

Cheap entrance fee of $5. Great tour. Walt really knew everything about the museum. After our tour we were able to wander through and see whatever we wanted to. Highly recommend

Nice historic place to visit with kids. There is a train ride with 20$ per adult and 15$ per kid (kids 5 and under are free), ticket includes ride and tour of the site. Staff is really friendly and nice. There is parking available and a small park with benches. If you are near Jamestown this can be an item on your list to visit if you have kids.

This place is always a worthy side trip if I'm passing through the area. Even better when the steam engines are running (down for repairs currently), but for the measly $5 admission the included roundhouse tour is well worth it. Special thanks to our guide Austin on this last visit, his encyclopedic knowledge and enthusiasm about the railroad's history was first-rate. Also don't forget to check out the movie prop shed! It's a shame that the old wooden movie coaches aren't open for viewing, it would be great to be able to walk through them. Everybody is always super friendly here though which makes the experience that much better. There's an abundance of free parking around too.

What a cool place! The gift shop has a red button under the guest book. Push the red button to make the model strain start and travel around the shop! Walt was our docent, and he was so much fun to talk to and listen to stories about the railroad history and its future. The workshop is really cool with all the big tools and equipment!

I loved this place!!
But I like history and all these old things.
I'm always excited to see how much work and time people invested to restore the old locomotives and to run this place .

Saying all these, my teens were not that happy , they don't understand yet the beauty of the old things.

This is a very small park. It costs $5 to go look around. There was a sign offering $20 train rides but I didn’t go on it.
The trains are spread out and there’s a few rooms of old equipment you can check out. There isn’t a lot here but worth checking out if you’re in the area.
You can go around solo or ask for a guided tour.

A unique experience that you and your family will enjoy! Railtown 1897 provides unique opportunities to get close and personal with steam engine trains. For $15 you can ride the train and learn some interesting historical facts about the area.

Finally got to take a train ride, it was short and sweet. Can't wait to go back! Volunteers and staff were very friendly and helpful. Cute little gift shop. Clean restrooms.

Good place to walk around by yours self or walk round with a guide, lots to see ,proper work shops with projects on the go ,lot of outdoor things to see ,shop & restrooms ,some trains do run on special days contact site

Fun little side excursion! Five dollars, and I was able freely wander around the grounds to see some really cool bits of history, some background on the mass quantity of movies that have worked with their trains and see them in action as well. I didn't inter the ct with a lot of people, but those I did speak to were very nice and knowledgeable. They have a nice little gift shop that has a wide array of books, toys and assorted memorabilia that's quite reasonably priced.while I didn't this go around, one can also purchase a ticket to ride on the train, which has a regular schedule and takes about 45 minutes round trip.

Kids love trains! Several to see and Walter the host for the roundhouse tour is a gem. The staff in the gift shop are very nice as well.
Plan on about an hour to hour and a half here. I recommend visiting the Covers Apple Ranch not too far up the road. They have a great bakery, restaurant, petting zoo and pumpkin patch on site....oh, did I mention they have a train ride there too?!!?

Enjoy the day visiting both of these great places!!

I've passed this "Railtown 1897" sign in Jamestown so many times in the 20 years I've lived in the valley. My son loves trains, so I decided to look it up and see what it had to offer. As soon as I saw that the cars were pulled by a real steam engine I knew I HAD to take him and the family. Absolutely loved it! The store has so many collectors items, the museum, although small, was very informational. On our train ride they gave us sarsaparilla and it was some of the best I've had. They have a path where you can walk to the wheelhouse and a nice picnic area where you can enjoy lunch with the family. The staff was so friendly and helpful, They made the experience so great that we bought the membership so we can return any time. Because of the membership we're now able to go to the Sacramento train museum and ride the train at the museum for free! If you want a great family outing, this is the place for you 🤗

We love this place! The museum is awesome but the true pleasure is in getting to take a ride in these old beautiful cars! This time we made it for the Polar Express event, and we could very easily see why it's ranked one of the best! The staff and volunteers put on a wonderful event that both my kids and us adults enjoyed! Highly recommend this!

Growing up in Stockton I had visited a few times growing up and loved the trains here, but bringing my kids for the Polar Express was truly special. We had a party of 7 ranging from 7 months old to 96 years old. Everyone had a great time. They helped my 96 year old grandmother on and off the train with a movable lift which was awesome and beyond expectations. The performance they put on was joyful and a great way to kick off the Christmas season. My 3 year old son loved dancing with the volunteers in the train car. We will definitely be back. If interested definitely book your tickets as early as possible due to heavy interest for the event.

I can't say enough about this place. Go. Just go and have yourself a time.

The gift shop is one of the best in the state, if not the best. The guides are all so good. The grounds are well maintained. The train ride is very fun.

If you don't enjoy yourself, you might want to check your pulse.

Awesome trains, great prices, friendly staff. Excellent for families. Take in the history lesson to be appreciated here.

My husband, two dogs and I took the $5 tour on a Tuesday afternoon and we had a great time. Austin, our tour guide, knew so much stuff about all the locomotives. I had no idea that so many Hollywood movies feature trains that are stationed at this place!

Amazing. Once you get to this landmark, you won't want to leave. Especially once you find out how many TV Shows and Movies were filmed here within the past so many decades. It is landmark 1,053 on the California registered list. I'd recommend going on a weekday instead of the weekend. The fee for adults is $5, which isn't bad at all. Well worth it! (note to self, add photos later.) (March 13th, 2022)

We had an absolutely wonderful experience at the Railtown 1897 State Historic Park! The volunteers were energetic, outgoing, and highly informative. The ride was very enjoyable (we reserved the party car for our party of 10. Do not miss the tour (departs about 15 minutes after your train ride), you may not be able to see the train used in Back to the Future unless you take the tour, plus it is packed with awesome information and up close encounters with historic engines. Bring a camera on both the train ride and the tour. The grounds have lots of shade and places for a picnic. I could not recommend this place more, it truly is an awesome experience for the entire family (the kids get extra special attention on the tour).

A great place if you like trains. This is not a very big site. Everything can be done within an hour or even an hour and a half. There's a lot of vintage trains including original steam engines from movies and television shows. The souvenir shop is geared towards children but has some coffee mugs and shot glasses. Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. During the pandemic, the tour on the rail car can be a wait if it's crowded. What we liked most about it was it was quiet, had lots of open space for sitting, taking In the views and it had lots of original buildings and trains from the time period. Lots of parking options and it's easy to find. It's also still an active freight line for the local lumber mills.