Las Vegas started as a railroad town in 1905. The San Pedro-Los Angeles & Salt Lake railroad, Ran between San Pedro-LA-LV & Salt Lake. was owned by the Govenor of Montana & his brother. Lots were sold in prime locations, near the now Fremont & Las Vegas Blvd. for up to $1.700.00, and became a tent city over night in 1905. In 1921 Union Pacific purchased the railroad, with a Mission style depot at the now Union Plaza site.In 1940 The Mission style was demolished, and a new modern Streamline depot was built at the same site. In 1970 the new depot was demolished for the building of the Union Plaza hotel casino, which was completed in 1971.Passenger train service continued, with the depot inside the hotel at the rear entrance, the platform was a couple mintues outside the rear entrance. Amtraks Desert Wind ran daily service from 1979 untill 5/12/1997. A new train has been planned for many years, bullet train, new routes ect. but no passenger trains have run thru Las Vegas since 1997.
Kay and I had relatives in Denver, so we took the Desert Wind once every few years from LA to Denver from 1980-1997. I would give Kay a heart attack, when we stopped in LV. They would announce DO NOT leave the platform, as we only will be stopped in LV for a few minutes. I would be the first one off and run into the casino, find a open BJ table play one hand for 25.00, then run to the Shrimp Cocktail stand, go to the front of the line yelling my train leaves in one minute, but two shrimps, and run back to train, usally just a minute before it left the station. If I won, no time to cash, We went to LV with friends driving, so I could cash in then. Kay would be so mad, I had a back up plan, told her I'll fly to Denver and see you at my sisters, I never had to do that. Boy those shrimp cocktails sure tasted good. One sad note only two trains a day at LV, the agent worked two 4 hr.split- shifts, and was selling tickets up to train arrival, so couldn't get out to platform, so a real nice older retired fellow Henry, would volunteer his time and be on the platform twice every day, helping people stand at the right spot to get on train, and answer questions, well on day a 25yr old drunk passenger was trying to get on the train, and he was near the sleeping car, Henry told him to get on the coach car right behind, the drunk got mad and punched Henry in the face real hard, which killed Henry. Ofcourse, the drunk went to jail. I knew the agent, and she really never got over the incident.