Tooele Valley Museum & Historic Park

The Tooele Valley Railroad Museum is open to the public from Memorial Day to September.

Hours:

Wednesdays 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Thursdays 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Fridays 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Admission is free.

For more information visit the museum’s website at tooelevalleymuseum.com or call 435.882.2836 or call the Tooele City Parks & Recreation Office at 435.843.2143.

Located at 35 North Broadway, Tooele  |  Utah  |84074

We are approximately 35 minutes west of Salt Lake City, UT.  Take Interstate 80 west to Exit 99 at Lake Point.  Proceed 12 miles south on State Route 36 (Main Street Tooele) to Tooele.  Turn left at Vine Street and proceed east for four blocks to Broadway street.  The museum is on the left.  Parking is available at the museum’s east entrance on Broadway.

The Tooele Valley Railway was built in 1908 to service the International Smelting and Refining Company. The smelter processed lead, zinc and copper ores from 1910 to 1972. The railway delivered raw materials and finished product to and from the smelter, plus served as a commuter train for smelter employees.  The museum’s collection includes priceless photographs of the railway and the smelter’s construction, operation, and demolition in 1975.  The photographs provide a living record of the smelter and life in Tooele Valley during the early 20th Century.  Also inside the museum are artifacts from mining operations and other historically significant events. The museum’s tour guides share with visitors firsthand knowledge of the Tooele Valley Railway, and mining operations in nearby Oquirrh Mountains.

If you harbor an interest in railroading, the Tooele Valley Railroad Museum will get you on the right tract to understanding a good share of the local railroading and mining lore.  The museum is housed in the old Tooele Valley Depot, which is filled with artifacts from the old railroading, smelting and mining days of Tooele County.  The building was built in 1909 to service the 7.5 mile Tooele Valley Railroad, which connected the international Smelter to the Union Pacific. The train served the smelter by bringing workers to it along with ore.  One of the charms of this museum is that retired railroad men and miners take visitors around the site and entertain them with their stories and colorful memories.  The Tooele Valley Railroad Museum is just the place to add to your knowledge of our old time railroads.  With all the equipment and exhibits available, the museum is sure to please every member of your family. 

Come and experience Tooele County’s colorful past at the Tooele Valley railroad and Mining Museum. Opened in 1983, the museum is a repository of artifacts from railroading, smelting and mining.  Listed on the State Historical Register, the museum is housed in the former Tooele Valley Railway Station and features a fascinating display of artifacts that tell the story of the area’s colorful early years.  The museum’s centerpiece is Tooele Valley Railway’s Steam Locomotive Number 11. Built in 1910 by the American Locomotive Company in Brooks, NY, the engine is a 2-8-0 consolidation-type, and was the last operating steam locomotive in Utah when it was retired in 1963.  The locomotive has been cosmetically restored and converted into an interpretive display. Museum visitors are allowed to go inside the locomotive to truly experience one of mankind’s greatest transportation inventions. The locomotive is joined by two wood sided cabooses that were part of the Tooele Valley Railway, plus two passenger coaches and one snowplow.