Golden Spike Tower

Anyone who’s ever loved the railroad or been interested in trains will instantly understand why the Golden Spike Tower gets Buffalo Bill’s Buffalo of Approval. The tower offers the best view in the world of the world’s largest rail yard, the Union Pacific’s Bailey Yard, where every day approximately 10,000 railcars are sorted and sent on to their next destination. The tower also includes multimedia exhibits on the history of the railroad as well as the orphan trains and the North Platte Canteen, but the real treasure here is the volunteers.

Every day you’ll find friendly volunteers, in almost every case a retired Union Pacific employee, manning the tower ready to enlighten visitors about the logistics and choreography that happens every day at Bailey Yard. Visitors will find that these knowledgeable volunteers can explain just about everything that’s happening down on the rail yard and how it affects the big picture of getting raw materials and consumer goods where they need to go. This is no small task either, it’s been said that you can get a pretty good picture of how the entire U.S. economy is doing by paying attention to Bailey Yard because of the sheer quantity of freight that is shipped through this yard.

With everything going on, from the exhibits, to the knowledgeable volunteers, and even the unique gift shop, it’s no wonder that the Golden Spike Tower gets Buffalo Bill’s coveted Buffalo of approval. So if you’re planning on coming through North Platte make sure you stop at the Golden Spike Tower.