Union Station in Ogden

Thanks to our reader, Holly Denos,

for giving us a heads up about this really cool historical place!

Ogden's Union Station is a monument to our City's railroading history. It is a symbol of the cultural and economic changes brought to the West by the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Though it is no longer a train depot, the Station continues to attract people from all over the world. Most come to see the John M. Browning Firearms Museum and the Utah State Railroad Museum/Eccles Rail Center with its display of two of the largest locomotives ever manufactured anywhere. They stay to see the Natural History Museum and the Browning Kimball Car Museum, to visit Gallery at the Station, to shop at Gifts at the Station or Zephyr Station (model railroad shop), to have lunch at Union Grill and to enjoy the beauty of this old railroad town.

You can read the history of Union Station in Ogden HERE.

The Union Station in Ogden is home to three fantastic museums:

• John M Browning Firearms Museum
• Original models of firearms designed by John M. Browning are displayed. These include rifles, shotguns, pistols, machine guns, and cannons. Most familiar firearms, both sporting and military, are included in these inventions. The basic mechanisms of many modern firearms were first invented by John M. Browning, America’s Gunmaker.
• Utah State Railroad Museum
• Visitors to the Utah State Railroad Museum at Union Station are treated to a variety of interactive and pictoral displays and artifacts illustrating the construction of the transcontinental railroad. As visitors enter the Railroad Museum they pass under timbers used to construct the historic Lucin Trestle across the Great Salt Lake. The Maintenance of Way exhibit includes a rail handcar and a locomotive cab.
• Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum
• The automobiles on display are examples of the Golden Age of motorcar history. Vehicles range from a 1901 single cylinder Oldsmobile to a 1930 16 cylinder Cadillac. Running boards, huge fenders, oversize matchlit headlights and rumble seats are reminders of an extravagant era.

There are a few different ways to experience the musuems:

• Free tour: Walk around and see a limited number of trains and exhibits for free.
• Pay the visitors fee: $5 adults, $4 seniors, and $3 children. Group rates are also available.
• Pay one low price and experience three musuems at once: John M Browning Firearms Museum, Utah State Railroad Museum, and Browning-Kimball Classic Car Museum. All three are located at Union Station.

Our reader, Holly Denos, had this to say about the museum:

"We went there about a year ago. There is an awesome display of old railroad engines and rail-cars. It is like only one of 3 in the entire country and it's free (self guided tour) or you can pay $4 and get a guided tour that includes a train museum also.You can see the actual train cars for free, but some of the really old or fragile one's INTERIORS are locked up and can only go inside them if you purchase the full guided tour.  If you do purchase the tour it includes all parts of the old train cars (this display is outside of course because they are actual retired rail engines and train cars), a model train area (inside the building), some antique cars (inside guilding) and a gun collection (also inside building). If you don't purchase the tour you still get to see most of the trains, climb up inside the cabs and stuff.  Since my girls didn't want to see a model railroad, a gun collection and antique cars, we just went for the "free" option.  We did miss out on seeing the inside of a couple train cars that the doors are locked. (like the medical car, not everything in there is "nailed" down and I'm sure they don't want all these antiques just walking off.) But it was still fun and very educational."

Union Station
2501 Wall Ave
Ogden, UT

We have also added this to our "What To See In Utah" page.

This is one of the "must visit places" on my list! Stay tuned to Enjoy Utah! for a future post and/or video post about Union Station!