Nebraska Scenic Train Rides (2026): A Complete Guide

Last revised: October 2, 2026

Nebraska does not have a full-size scenic railroad in 2026. The Fremont & Elkhorn Valley excursions are gone, and so is the dinner train that left for Baldwin City. What still rolls for visitors this weekend is the Omaha Zoo Railroad, inside the Henry Doorly Zoo. The zoo’s October listing has it on Saturdays and Sundays through October 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and not at all Monday through Friday. After that, the state’s rail ride is Amtrak’s California Zephyr. Museums and an observation tower over Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard fill an afternoon. They do not sell a train ticket.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium's Zoo Train led by 4-4-0 119

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium's Zoo Train. Seen here is 4-4-0 #119, modeled after Union Pacific #119 which was on-hand for the Transcontinental Railroad's completion (built by Crown Metal Products in 1968). Omaha Zoo photo.

No standard-gauge excursion is listed below. The zoo train is a park ride. Long-distance travel: Amtrak.

Nebraska Train Rides at a Glance

Ride	Where	2026 status	Site
Omaha Zoo Railroad	Henry Doorly Zoo, Omaha	Zoo train. Sat.–Sun. through Oct. 4, 10:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Not Mon.–Fri. The listing does not name an engine	omahazoo.com
California Zephyr	Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Holdrege, McCook	Daily Amtrak across the state. Not a charter excursion	amtrak.com

The zoo page can change the last day. Confirm before you go. Compiled October 2, 2026.

State Rail History (Brief)

President Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act on July 1, 1862, and the Union Pacific broke ground in Omaha on December 1, 1863. Territorial governor Alvin Saunders turned the first shovel. The road built west from the Missouri River and met the Central Pacific at Promontory Summit, Utah, on May 10, 1869. For years the Chicago & North Western was Union Pacific’s preferred link from Omaha to Chicago. In 1955 that preference moved to the Milwaukee Road. The Burlington, later the Burlington Northern and now BNSF, covered the state with branch lines the Union Pacific never matched. The California Zephyr still uses that Burlington route. It does not stop at North Platte, Kearney, or Grand Island. Those towns are on the Union Pacific.

The photograph at the top is Burlington 2-8-2 #4960 on a fan trip, holding the siding for the Nebraska–Kansas City Zephyr. Meriden is in Illinois. The engine’s own page is Burlington #4960.

Related: Railroad history · Transcontinental Railroad · Iowa · Kansas.

The Zoo Train

Board at Omaha Depot, near the zoo’s north entrance, or at Kenefick Station in the Scott African Grasslands. For this revision the zoo has the train on Saturday and Sunday only, through October 4, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday it is not running, because the zoo is still short of qualified crews. The October page does not name a locomotive. Do not go expecting steam unless that day’s listing says so. This is a ride around the zoo. It is not a line-haul scenic railroad.

Not a 2026 Excursion

The Fremont & Elkhorn Valley no longer runs tourist trains. The dinner equipment left for Baldwin City years ago and became the Kansas Belle, which has also ended. Track has come up. A first piece of rail-trail, about three miles from Hooper toward Highway 77, opened in June 2026. Do not book a Fremont dinner or a Fremont excursion. The Stolley Park Railroad in Grand Island is a park train, and the city closed it for the summer of 2026 to realign the track and replace the tunnel. The announced aim was a return in the summer of 2027. That is a target, not a ticket.

Museums & the Bailey Yard

The Durham Museum, at 801 South 10th Street, is Omaha Union Station. Gilbert Stanley Underwood designed the 1931 Art Deco building. It is a history museum, not a departure point. The Golden Spike Tower in North Platte is an observation tower over Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard. The view is the point. Preserved Union Pacific steam in town, 4-6-6-4 #3977 at Cody Park and 2-8-0 #480 at Memorial Park, does not run. A small Chicago & North Western depot museum at Wakefield, in the 1925 Omaha Road station at 101 East 1st Street, is open on select days. Grand Island’s Stuhr Museum and Kearney’s Trails & Rails Museum each display a Union Pacific 2-8-0. Neither sells a ride.

Excursions Next Door

Iowa: Boone & Scenic Valley, including the Bass Point Creek High Bridge. Confirm the power.
Kansas: the Abilene & Smoky Valley. The Flint Hills Express is October 3 and 10. Santa Fe 3415 is in the shop.
South Dakota: the 1880 Train between Hill City and Keystone.
Missouri: the Branson Scenic Railway.

Planning Tips

This weekend: the zoo train, Saturday or Sunday, if the listing still shows it. It is inside the zoo.
Across the state: the California Zephyr. Omaha, Lincoln, Hastings, Holdrege, and McCook are the Nebraska stops.
North Platte: the tower and the displayed steam. Amtrak does not stop there.
Fremont and Grand Island: no excursion ticket, and no Stolley Park train, in 2026.

Seasonal & Related Reading

National tourist trains · Fall foliage · Christmas trains · Amtrak · California Zephyr
Neighbors: Iowa · Kansas · Missouri · South Dakota

Always verify schedules on the operator’s website before you travel. American-Rails.com does not sell tickets.

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