The idea of a train viewing platform in Kearney has been discussed in previous Kearney comprehensive plans, but now is the time to seize the opportunity and take full advantage of our unique location on the Union Pacific mainline. Kearney is located on one of the busiest freight rail corridors in the world with an average of around 75 trains per day. Railfans around the world would likely stop here because of the safe, convenient, and busy location Kearney affords.

Many different entities are on board in this grassroots project, including Old Town, Downtown Kearney, Buffalo County Historical Society, University of Nebraska Kearney (UNK) History Department, Kearney Visitors Bureau, and Kearney Chamber of Commerce, among others. The city has given its okay to explore this opportunity in the unused area east of Kearney Junction Park, but we need your help.

Kearney has a unique rail history and heritage and this would serve as a great place to tell our railroad story as well as the history of the immediate area including Old Town Kearney. The Kearney area has many other transportation-themed attractions: Trails and Rails, Kearney Archway, Classic Car Collection, Pioneer Village, so an attraction like this would help increase this collaborative effect.

If you would like to become involved or know someone who would, please contact us at kearneyrailplatform@gmail.com. If you simply decide to support this project with a donation, we can assure you it will be money well spent. Thank you! Please visit us at Circle D Boot & Saddle, 1906 Central Avenue on December 5, 2024 from 9 AM - 5 PM to learn more about this community project. Review information, ask questions and see where your donation is going.