NOTE: In an effort to protect public health and the safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff as the state responds to the continued threat of COVID-19, California State Parks is temporarily closing the California State Railroad Museum and its associated facilities within Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

For a limited time, visitors to the California State Railroad Museum have a special opportunity to see a 251,000-pound rotary snowplow from the Museum’s impressive collection along with a compelling new exhibit titled “White Out! A Collision Course with Nature.” The SP MW205 (formerly known as SP 715) snowplow on display was built in 1920, converted to electric in 1958, retired by Union Pacific in 2004 and was donated to the Railroad Museum in 2008. Since then, the historic snowplow has been housed in the Shops in the Sacramento Railyards except for short-term displays at the Railroad Museum each winter.

In addition to the eye-catching rotary snowplow currently on display, the exciting new “White Out!” exhibit also includes the following: descriptive interpretive panels, a backlit and visual panel array, compelling video with historic footage of a rotary snowplow in action, an exhibit case that features a visual representation of water content of “Sierra Cement,” a large sculpture (of foam cubes representing snow) that arcs from the snowplow to the third floor and showcases the amazing power of the snowplow, plus a fun and interactive element where visitors can get actively involved to move snow off tracks.