The Train Cars

One of the most unique attractions in Nederland is a collection of historic railroad cars that have been given a second life as businesses, gathering places, and tourist attractions. Known simply as The Train Cars, the complex combines local history, railroad nostalgia, and a touch of Old West imagination.

The railroad-themed artwork adorning the cars celebrates one of the most colorful periods in American history. Several murals feature Buffalo Bill Cody and his famous Wild West shows, which toured the United States and Europe during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Buffalo Bill helped create the popular image of the American frontier, while the railroads made it possible to carry performers, animals, equipment, and audiences across vast distances. Together, the railroad and the Wild West show became powerful symbols of a rapidly changing America.

One railcar bears the inscription “Built by Union Pacific 1872,” a reminder of the era when the transcontinental railroad was transforming transportation, commerce, and settlement throughout the West. Whether every detail of the railroad history is preserved exactly as it once was, the collection succeeds in capturing the spirit of a time when trains were the lifeblood of communities large and small.

Rather than allowing old railcars to disappear, Nederland found a way to make them part of the town’s present while honoring its past. The result is a place where visitors can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee while surrounded by artifacts that recall the age of steam locomotives, frontier travel, and the enduring fascination Americans have with the West.

Like much of Nederland, The Train Cars blend history, imagination, and local character. Sometimes the best way to keep history alive is to continue using it in new and unexpected ways.