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Thursday 10am - 4pm Friday 10am - 4pm Saturday 10am - 5pm Sunday 10am - 4pm

Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum

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Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum

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Welcome to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad & Museum. Diesel, steam, and electric equipment, and a 9,000 sq. ft. museum.
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We are a division of the Iowa Railroad Historical Society, a non-profit 501(c)(3) operating railroad museum located in Boone, Iowa.

10/23/2026

Looking for weekend fall foliage fun? Tickets are still available for some of tomorrow’s rides on the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad!

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, for our added 10:00 AM Pumpkin Express departure. Arrive in costume (encouraged, but not required!) and take a scenic train ride to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch, where children will select their perfect pumpkin before re-boarding the train for the return trip to Boone.

Planning an afternoon trip instead? We also have tickets remaining for tomorrow’s 1:30 PM and 4:00 PM Fraser Train departures!

Reserve your seats online at www.bsvrr.com, or by calling 515.432.4249.

10/22/2026

Welcome to at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad! Today, we take a look back at some of the people of the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern through the collection of Dean Briley.

Our first image shows a group of men on the observation platform of A. P. Wheelock’s business car, FDDM&S Car #7, in 1954. The second shot is from 1955 and shows a group of men on what is labeled as the last trip on the FDDM&S. The third shot is undated but shows a group of department heads posing alongside an FDDM&S car—Dean mentioned this was taken during an inspection trip of the line.

You can ride the rails of the Fort Dodge, Des Moines & Southern Thursday through Sunday at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad, now through October 31. Be sure to visit the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum for a look at more artifacts from The Fort Dodge Line!

10/21/2026

Peak fall color has officially arrived in Central Iowa, and the best seat in the house is on the rails!

According to the latest Iowa DNR Fall Color Report: Maples, cottonwoods, and hickories are at or near peak brilliance. Deep evergreen pines and slow-to-turn green oaks provide a stunning contrast across the hills and river bluffs. Peak color is here this week and this weekend.

Don’t spend the best weekend of autumn looking through a windshield. Climb aboard, sit back, and take in Iowa’s autumn beauty rolling right past your window.

Peak color waits for no one, and weekend excursions fill quickly. Reserve your seats before they sell out: bsvrr.com or 515.432.4249.

Image taken 10/21/26 by Barbara Deats

10/19/2026

We will be making an additional trip to the pumpkin patch! We have added a Pumpkin Express train on Saturday, October 24, 2026 -- a 10:00 am departure. Get your tickets at www.bsvrr.com or by calling 515.432.4249.

Arrive in costume (not required, but encouraged), and take a train ride to the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad’s Pumpkin Patch, where children will select their perfect pumpkin before re-boarding the train for the return trip to Boone.

All aboard!

10/15/2026

Welcome to at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. Today, we travel back to May 1962 with a couple of shots of a bad day for the Fort Dodge, Des Moines, and Southern in Boxholm, Iowa.

10/08/2026

Welcome to another at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. Today, we travel back to early 1984 for a look at a school field trip through the eyes of an eight-year-old, armed with his parents’ Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera and a limited number of remaining shots on a roll of 110 film.

10/01/2026

Welcome to at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad. Today, we travel back to Garden City, Iowa, in the 1950s, where a derailment occurred on the Rock Island—now Union Pacific’s “Spine Line,” running north-south from the Twin Cities to Kansas City. Families could be seen strolling through the derailment site, conducting their own accident investigations. My, how times have changed!

09/23/2026

See Tracks? Think Train!

Rail Safety Week takes place from September 21 to 27, 2026, promoting safe behaviors around railway tracks and crossings across North America.

Key Partners: Operation Lifesaver Inc., local law enforcement, first responders, and major railways like CN, CPKC, and CSX.

Never walk, run, or take photos on or near railway property.

Cross legally: Only use designated, marked crossings and obey all warning lights, gates, and signs.

Act fast if stalled: If your vehicle stalls on the tracks, get out immediately, move away from the tracks, and call the emergency number located on the blue-and-white ENS sign.

09/19/2026

You still have one more day to see Thomas the Tank Engine and Sir Topham Hatt in Boone, Iowa, before they travel back to the Island of Sodor.

Tickets for the final day of the 2026 Day Out with Thomas event at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad are available now at ticketwebdowt.com. The first train departs the station at 10:00 a.m., with the final train of the day leaving at 4:00 p.m. Your ticket is good for a ride behind a full-size Thomas the Tank Engine, admission to the James H. Andrew Railroad Museum, a ride aboard a real electric trolley, the chance to meet Sir Topham Hatt, admission to the Play Pod where you can take part in games and activities, and so much more.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see Thomas the Tank Engine in 2026. Get your tickets at ticketwebdowt.com—we’ll see you tomorrow at the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad in Boone, Iowa!

Address

225 10th Street
Boone, IA
50036

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 4pm
Friday	10am - 4pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm
Sunday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+15154324249

Website

http://www.bsvrr.com/

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