Yellowstone: The Train Station explained

You’re lucky if you’ve never heard the Duttons talk about their favorite dumping ground — here’s everything you need to know about Yellowstone’s Train Station.

Anyone who’s crossed the Duttons has likely taken a little trip to the Train Station. The mysterious locale is mentioned plenty of times throughout the show, and those who go there often don’t come back.

Given how much of Yellowstone is occupied by dirty dealings and scheming foes, those ranch hands hit up the long black train several times over. It’s a location just as important as the Dutton Ranch itself, especially with the amount of Yellowstone villains who end up there.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Train Station, including where it’s located and the list of all the Yellowstone characters who’ve been sent there.

The Yellowstone Train Station explained

The Train Station in Yellowstone is an area of juryless territory in which John Dutton and his posse dispose of dead bodies without fear of being caught.

Here’s how John Dutton describes it in Yellowstone Season 5 Episode 8: “It’s the trash can for everyone who’s attacked us. It lays in a jurisdictional deadzone in a county with a population of exactly zero. Hence, no jury of your peers and no court for a change in venue.”

Because of a legal technicality, this piece of land (located near the Dutton Ranch) wouldn’t be held under the same criminal laws as anywhere else. No residents live there, and since there’s no “jury of your peers”, you could not be trialed for any crimes committed within that territory.

For the Duttons, the “Train Station” is what they call this place. The code name allows them to discuss between themselves how they are going to get rid of their enemies and dispose of the evidence cleanly. Their Train Station is a cliffside by the road, with a steep drop from which they can throw bodies and personal belongings.

What is the Train Station’s actual location?

The Train Station is a fictional location within the show, but it’s likely based on the real-life “Zone of Death”, which is found in the Idaho section of Yellowstone National Park.

It’s about a 50-square-mile radius, which falls under a similar constitutional loophole. In theory, one would be able to commit a major crime in this area without facing conviction, much like the Duttons do.

This is all because the land extends beyond Wyoming and into Idaho, and the federal government has exclusive jurisdiction over the park. This means that anyone accused of committing a crime in this area could not be convicted by an “impartial jury of the State and district.” (Put simply, it’s all to do with the land being in an area that doesn’t have a clear jury definition.)

The Zone of Death is in the southwest corner of Yellowstone park, and can be seen highlighted on the map below:

Google Maps

All the Yellowstone Train Station deaths

It’s implied that the Duttons have been using the Train Station for generations, so there’s no way of knowing the total number of victims, but there are seven characters seen being taken to the location in the show.

Here is everyone who was taken to the Train Station in Yellowstone (in chronological order):

• Rowdy (dead)
• Fred Myers (alive — killed at the Train Station)
• Walker (alive — was allowed to walk free)
• Wade Morrow (dead)
• Clint Morrow (dead)
• Chester Spears (alive — killed at the Train Station)
• Garrett Randall (dead)

Walker is the one person taken to the Train Station who was allowed to walk away with his life. This is thanks to Kayce, who allowed him to leave under the promise of never returning to Montana (back in Season 2.) However, when Walker later makes a reappearance in Season 3, he’s lucky to be accepted back onto the ranch, and goes on to prove himself as a valuable member of the crew.

For more Dutton action, check out our guides to the Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 release date, 1923 Season 2, and Yellowstone 2024.