NorthPlatte Rail Fest

From NorthPlatte Rail Fest Website:

Rail Fest is an annual event that brings together the best aspects of North Platte, Nebraska and the Union Pacific Railroad -- their people -- into a united spirit of appreciation coupled with a focus on our continued progress together. This year's celebration will be held September 18, 19, and 20, 2015.

Rail Fest celebrates the bond between the Union Pacific Railroad, its employees and our community. It focuses on what the men and women of the Union Pacific Railroad have been working toward for almost 5 generations.

From the earliest times, railroaders have embodied the hallmarks of the best aspects of human character; discipline, punctuality, technical aptitude, adaptation to ever changing technologies and the ability to conform to a complex set of rules and regulations.

The heritage of the men and women of the Union Pacific Railroad has long been a catalyst in moving North Platte forward. For the last 150 years, the Union Pacific Railroad employees in North Platte have contributed to the building of our city and our community.

Nothing symbolizes 'Railroading' more than the sound of steam powered locomotives. "Live Steam" is the hallmark of railroad history and heritage. It symbolizes the strength and the importance of days gone by. Steam was the power that transformed our nation.

A tour of Bailey Yard is the ultimate railfan experience. An opportunity to see the scale and the efficiencies involved in processing over 150 trains and 10,000 railcars a day. There is only one place in the world this happens, and its Bailey Yard.

The focus of the tours is the men and women who make it work. Blending technology with physical skills, safety and education. Few people realize the amount of freight that moves through Bailey Yard, and consequently, the tremendous amount of goods and equipment that must be maintained and transported to keep America growing.

Measuring about eight miles long and up to three miles wide, Union Pacific Bailey Yard is considered the largest railroad classification yard in the world. The tours will allow railroad enthusiasts and visitors from near and far to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse of this modern marvel -- many for the first time.