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.

A Special Invitation Saturday May 18, 2013

TDRS is sponsoring a program we think will interest both our members and the general public. Entitled "Contemporary Views Along The First Transcontinental Railroad," it is a collection of photographs with narration by photographer Richard Koenig. Mr. Koenig is following the footsteps of Hart and Russell, the Central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad photographers who documented the original Pacific Railroad construction. His goal is to give the audience the strongest connection possible to this 19th century engineering marvel through the remaining visual evidence of the human-altered landscape. The program will be begin at 7:00 PM on Saturday May 18 in the in the Community Room in the new terminal building at the Truckee Tahoe Airportlocated at 10356 Airport Road. Admission is free but donations will be appreciated.

Would you like to learn about railroading in the Sierras?

The Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad museum is hosting a Sierra Narrow Gauge Conference from Tuesday, June 18th through June 21st. Speakers include Truckee Donner Railroad Society members Nelson Van Gundy discussing the Hobart Mill railroads and Jerry Blackwill discussing DL Bliss's Truckee to Tahoe narrow gauge railroad. More information is available at their website: June 18-21, 2013.

Since very early on, railroads have played a major role in the development of Truckee. America's first transcontinental railroad, which was finished May 10th, 1869, established an important train yard in downtown Truckee. Logging railroads connected this vital artery with the nearby mills and forests to provide much needed lumber to a growing country. As tourism grew, a tourist railroad linked Truckee to the shore of Lake Tahoe, connecting the country to one of its most beautiful resources.

Truckee Railroad Museum

iWe've begun a major upgrade of the Logging Railroad display, making it interactive. When completed, 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.
This upgrade, enabled by the Brewster Foundation grant announced last fall, is providing valuable experience in modern museum technology that we can apply to upgrades of our other exhibits and to the planning of future museums.

Live locally? Like Trains? - Fun Opportunity!

The Truckee RR Museum has had over 12,000 visitors in the 21 months we've been open, 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 contact Don Davis 530-582-4271 or by E-mail at ddavis@ltol.com

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

Book Sale 2013 See our huge inventory
over 800 books now on sale $15 ea plus shipping

Truckee Railroad Museum
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The Bookstore
See the books available from TDRS and help support the society.

Railroad Paintings

Other local museums

Donner Summit Historical Society

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