San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
The 1894 former Southern Pacific freight house, occupied by the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
Established 2013
Location 1940 Santa Barbara Ave
San Luis Obispo, California
Coordinates 35°16′23″N 120°39′19″W / 35.273175°N 120.655331°W / 35.273175; -120.655331
Type Railroad museum
Website http://slorrm.com/

The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum, in San Luis Obispo, California, was founded to preserve and present the railroad history of California, and specifically the Central Coast, by collecting, restoring, displaying, and operating historic railroad equipment. The museum also maintains a research library, and document and photographic archives, and is developing an oral history program. The museum is open every Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and hosts special events in May and October each year. [1]

The Facility

Opened in 2013,[2] the museum occupies the restored former Southern Pacific Freighthouse (built 1894) at 1940 Santa Barbara Avenue, adjacent to the Union Pacific main line and about one-quarter mile south of the San Luis Obispo Amtrak station. A standard-gauge display track extends along the east side of the building, and a short narrow-gauge display track is on the west side. The Freighthouse contains an exhibit hall and a model railroad depicting the three-foot-gauge Pacific Coast Railway at Port San Luis circa 1920 and the standard-gauge Southern Pacific Coast Line from Surf to Paso Robles, including the Cuesta Grade crossing of the Santa Lucia range circa 1950 (under construction in 2017 but partly operational). There is a children's play area incorporating hands-on train tables and a Museum Store offering railroad books, lanterns, and clothing, and other items. The building, its restrooms, and the model railroad area are fully accessible. The platform along the display track provides a safe place to view and photograph passing and waiting trains.

The collection

On display are express wagons, station furnishings, switch stands, signal components, telegraph equipment, historical and contemporary photographs, a handcar, a velocipede, push cars, mine and orchard railway equipment, and locomotive headlights, bells, and whistles. Library books, documents, and photographs are being cataloged and are available to researchers by arrangement.

Rolling Stock

  • La Cuesta, a 1926 Pullman observation-lounge car originally built for the Santa Fe Railway is undergoing restoration and can be boarded from the Freighthouse platform.
  • Southern Pacific bay window caboose No. 1886 is on the display track and undergoing restoration.
  • A former Southern Pacific tank car manufactured in 1903 (pressed and riveted steel) is on the display track and undergoing restoration.
  • Pacific Coast Railway boxcar No. 706 has been cosmetically restored on the exterior and the interior has been converted to storage and restrooms, accessible from the Freighthouse interior.
  • Pacific Coast Railway boxcar from the 1200 series is undergoing cosmetic restoration and is displayed on the west side of the building.
  • Southern Pacific Class C-30-1 wood-sided, cupola caboose is awaiting restoration and is viewable by docent-led tours in the museum's nearby storage and work yard.
  • Southern Pacific Class B-50-13, outside-braced boxcar is awaiting restoration and is viewable by docent-led tours in the museum's nearby storage and work yard.
  • Southern Pacific subsidiary Pacific Motor Trucking semitrailer is awaiting restoration and is viewable by docent-led tours in the museum's nearby storage and work yard

See also

References

  1. ↑ Glen Matteson, SLORRM board member, secretary, and archivist, April 2017
  2. ↑ Mary Forgione (October 9, 2013). "California: Railroad Museum is San Luis Obispo's newest landmark". LA Times. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
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