Westward Bound
Traveling on the Transcontinental Railroad.
This FREE program is available for 4th or 5th grades only. This program does not include admission to the Museum. It takes place inside the passenger station in Old Sacramento.
About Westward Bound
Westward travel on the Transcontinental Railroad represented a triumph against time for nineteenth-century travelers. First-class tourists expected a luxurious travel experience, while emigrants wanted safe passage to start their new lives in California. Set on the site of the 1876 Central Pacific Passenger Station in Old Sacramento State Historic Park, Westward Bound explores what it was like to travel on the Transcontinental Railroad and how it made the transportation of people and goods easier, safer, and cheaper than ever before.
The total program time is a little over 2 hours. The classroom portion takes 1 hour and the train ride takes 45 minutes, not including boarding time. There will be a short break in-between. There is also a digital version of this program.
Spring 2026 schedule: Tuesdays, March 3 – May 12, 2026.
About the Program
Be a Telegrapher: Telegraph operators needed special skills to send important messages for trains on the Transcontinental Railroad. Students learn how to send and receive telegraph messages like telegraphers from the 19th century!
Letters From the Train: Transcontinental Railroad travelers marveled at the sites they saw as they traveled West on the train. They wrote letters describing their amazing adventure. Can you guess what they saw by filling in the blanks of traveler’s letters? Your answers may surprise you!
Who Traveled on the Transcontinental Railroad? Nineteenth-century travelers rode the train for work, pleasure, and to start new lives. When travelers’ trunks get mixed up in baggage claim, students discover what those travelers brought with them on their journeys west.
What was the nineteenth-century travel experience like? Find out by exploring our Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station and ride a historic train after your program.
Reservations
Group sizes are limited to 45 total individuals. This includes teachers, students, and chaperones. If your group is larger than 45, you will need to reserve multiple slots.
Please note that trains depart promptly and will not be held for a late group.
Please contact the Group Desk if you need assistance.
Reservation Updates
2025-2026 school year reservations are now CLOSED
Please contact the CSRM Group Desk if you need assistance, or to book a summer school field trip
2026-2027 school year reservations will OPEN in September
Self-Guided Field Trip
Westward Bound does not include admission into the Museum. If you would like to add entrance into the Museum, book our Self-Guided Field Trip
A tour guide is not provided and this does not include a train ride.
Book a Self-Guided Museum Visit
Already have a field trip booked?
View Teacher's Guide What do you need to know before you go?
Train Ride Information
Westward Bound participants will be supplied with tickets for a train on the same day. Groups reserving the A Block will receive tickets for the 11:30am train. Groups reserving the B Block will receive tickets for the 10am train.
Participants should arrive 30 minutes prior to the departure time.
These historic rail cars are not accessible and cannot accommodate wheelchairs. All passengers must be able to climb a narrow set of stairs to board. Please contact 916-445-5995 for questions about accessibility on the train.
Please contact the CSRM Group Desk if you cannot make the train ride so the slot can be opened to another group.
This program already includes a train ride. Additional reservations are not necessary.
Field Trip Guidelines
A minimum of 1 adult chaperone should be present for every 10 students. Chaperones are responsible for the care, safety and actions of group members while visiting the Museum. Please remember, chaperones must remain with their groups for their entire visit to the Museum.
A brief, mandatory orientation by staff will help students and chaperones remember museum guidelines and enhance the learning experience.
Plan a time and place for your group to meet after the visit.
The Westward Bound program does not include admission to the Museum.
