The California State Railroad Museum is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

in the

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

system of

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States, interpreting the role of the "

iron horse ''Iron horse'' is an iconic literary term (considered by the early 21st century to be transitioning into an archaic reference) for a steam locomotive, originating in the early 1800s, when horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domes ...

" in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in

Old Sacramento State Historic Park Old Sacramento State Historic Park occupies around one third of the property within the Old Sacramento Historic District of Sacramento, California. The Old Sacramento Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. The Historic ...

at 111 I Street, Sacramento. The museum features 21 restored

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

s and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

cars, some dating back to 1862. The "Sierra Scene" shows a large scale mockup of a construction scene high in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

representing

Donner Pass Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada themselves, the pass has a steep approach from the east and a gradual appr ...

circa 1867, featuring the locomotive ''

Gov. Stanford ''Gov. Stanford'' is a 4-4-0 steam locomotive originally built in 1862 by Norris Locomotive Works. Following construction, it was disassembled and hauled by the ship '' Herald of the Morning'' around Cape Horn to California, then up the riv ...

''. Other exhibits show how the influence of railroads changed American society, influencing travel, commerce and daily life, as well as the lives of railroaders and the diversity of people who work on railroads. Changing exhibits featuring photography, ephemera, and artifacts from the museum's collection, add depth and incidental information to the overall story of railroad history. The museum has an extensive educational program for elementary students from across the region to help them learn about railroad history using re-enactments, costumed docents, and including train and handcar rides. The roundhouse area of the museum features a rotating display of locomotives and equipment belonging to the museum. When not on display, these items are stored and worked on at the nearby

Sacramento Railyards The Sacramento Railyards (or Railyard Specific Plan) is an urban infill project of approximately at the western terminus of the First transcontinental railroad located within Sacramento's Central City community, between the downtown Central Busin ...

in the remaining buildings that were part of the original Southern Pacific Shop complex. A large 3-rail O-gauge model train layout is also located in the museum. Adjacent to the main museum building is a reconstruction of the 1870s-era Central Pacific Railroad passenger station and

freight Cargo consists of bulk goods conveyed by water, air, or land. In economics, freight is cargo that is transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. ''Cargo'' was originally a shipload but now covers all types of freight, including tran ...

depot Depot ( or ) may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica * Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica * Depot Island Formation, Greenland Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...

on Front Street, which houses historic and contemporary railroad equipment. In early 2011, the interior remained closed to public use, but is occasionally open for special events. Between April and October, the

Sacramento Southern Railroad The Sacramento Southern Railroad is a heritage railroad owned by the California State Railroad Museum which operates excursion trains on it. The railroad extends from the museum property located in Old Sacramento south along the east bank of the ...

, operated by the museum, takes passengers on a 40-minute, roundtrip route along the

Sacramento River The Sacramento River ( es, Río Sacramento) is the principal river of Northern California in the United States and is the largest river in California. Rising in the Klamath Mountains, the river flows south for before reaching the Sacramento–S ...

on a portion of the Walnut Grove branch of the former

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials- SP) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the ...

. The Sacramento Southern Railroad owns the Walnut Grove Branch right-of-way that extends south from Sacramento along the eastern bank of the Sacramento River. A few miles of track were rebuilt along the

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

near Freeport, California as part of a US Army Corps of Engineers project. The CSRRM hopes to one day have a longer excursion line, perhaps as far as

Hood, California Hood is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. Hood is located on the Sacramento River and California State Route 160 south of downtown Sacramento. Hood has a post office with ZIP code 95639 that was establ ...

. At that location the railroad passengers could disembark the train and take a tourist

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

back up the

to Old Sacramento. In 1992, Railtown 1897 in Jamestown began operating under the museum.

History

The museum has its origins in 1937, when a group of railroad enthusiasts in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

formed the

Pacific Coast Pacific coast may be used to reference any coastline that borders the Pacific Ocean. Geography Americas Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western or southwestern border, except for Panama, where the Pac ...

Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. This organization worked for years to promote the idea of a railroad museum, donating 30 historic locomotives and cars to the California Department of Parks and Recreation to be the nucleus of a State-operated museum in Sacramento. The museum's first facility, the Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station, opened in 1976. The Railroad History Museum was completed in 1981.

Steam-powered A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be tr ...

passenger train service on the

began in 1984, with the Central Pacific Railroad Freight Depot opening three years later.

Railtown 1897 State Historic Park Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, and its operating entity, the Sierra Railway, is known as "The Movie Railroad." Both entities are a heritage railway and are a unit of the California State Park System. Railtown 1897 is located in Jamestown, Ca ...

in Jamestown was added to the museum complex during 1992. The museum became a Smithsonian affiliate in June 2017.

Notable locomotives

Steam locomotives

California State Railroad Museum interior

* Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 2925 - Stored, a

4-8-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles and four trailing wheels on two axles. The type w ...

type built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944. * Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 1010 - The locomotive was used in the record breaking 44 hour and 54 minute Walter E. Scott's ''

Scott Special The ''Scott Special'', also known as the ''Coyote Special'', the ''Death Valley Coyote'' or the ''Death Valley Scotty Special'', was a one-time, record-breaking passenger train operated by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (Santa Fe) fr ...

'' between Los Angeles and Chicago in 1905. It was used on the segment of the trip between

Needles, California Needles is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert region of Southern California. Situated on the western banks of the Colorado River, Needles is located near the Californian border with Arizona and Nevada. The city is a ...

, and

Seligman, Arizona Seligman ( yuf-x-hav, Thavgyalyal) is a census-designated place (CDP) on the northern border of Yavapai County, in northwestern Arizona, United States. The population was 456 at the 2000 census. Geography Seligman is located at (35.328199, − ...

. * Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 5021 - Stored, a 2-10-4 type built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944. * Central Pacific No. 1 ''

'' - Cosmetically restored, a 4-4-0 type built by

Norris Locomotive Works The Norris Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that produced nearly one thousand railroad engines between 1832 and 1866. It was the dominant American locomotive producer during most of ...

in 1862. * Granite Rock No. 10 (Operating as the excursion train ride for the California State Railroad Museum at Old Sacramento, California) a

USATC S100 Class The United States Army Transportation Corps (USATC) S100 Class is a 0-6-0 steam locomotive that was designed for switching (shunting) duties in Europe and North Africa during World War II. After the war, they were used on railways in Austria, ...

0-6-0T built by

Porter Porter may refer to: Companies * Porter Airlines, Canadian regional airline based in Toronto * Porter Chemical Company, a defunct U.S. toy manufacturer of chemistry sets * Porter Motor Company, defunct U.S. car manufacturer * H.K. Porter, Inc., ...

in *1942. Occasionally visits other railroads such as the

Niles Canyon Railway The Niles Canyon Railway (NCRy) is a heritage railway running on the first transcontinental railroad alignment (1866, 1869) through Niles Canyon, between Sunol and the Niles district of Fremont in the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area, ...

* Northwestern Pacific 112 - Stored, a 4-6-0 type built by

ALCO The American Locomotive Company (often shortened to ALCO, ALCo or Alco) was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969. The company was formed by the merger of seven smaller locomo ...

in 1908. Sole surviving NWP locomotive. * North Pacific Coast Railroad 12 Sonoma

North Pacific Coast 12 ''Sonoma'' - Cosmetically restored, a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

4-4-0 type built by Baldwin in 1875. Sole surviving NPC locomotive, and one of only three surviving Baldwin 8/18C class narrow gauge 4-4-0s. * Central Pacific No. 3 / Southern Pacific No. 1 '' C. P. Huntington'' - Cosmetically restored, a 4-2-4RT type built by

Cooke Locomotive Works The Cooke Locomotive and Machine Works, located in Paterson, New Jersey, manufactured steam railroad locomotives from 1852 until it was merged with seven other manufacturers to form American Locomotive Company (ALCO) in 1901. History The firm wa ...

in 1863. * Central Pacific No. 233 - Stored, awaiting restoration. A 2-6-2 tank engine built by Central Pacific's Sacramento Shops in 1882. Donated 2001 by the

Pacific Locomotive Association The Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc. (PLA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the physical aspects and atmosphere of Pacific Coast railroading during the period from 1910 to 1960. The Pacific Locomotive Association ...

. *

Southern Pacific 2467 Southern Pacific Railroad 2467 is a preserved 4-6-2 “Pacific” type steam locomotive. Built by Baldwin in 1921, No. 2467 was used by the Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Southern Pacific Railroad to pull Passenger train, passenger trai ...

- Display. Restored to operation by members of the

in 1999, a 4-6-2 type built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1921. On 10-year loan from PLA pending FRA-mandated boiler work. *

Southern Pacific 4294 Southern Pacific 4294 is a class " AC-12" 4-8-8-2 Cab forward type steam locomotive that was owned and operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad (SP). It was built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in March 1944 and was used hauling SP's trains o ...

- Cosmetically restored, a 4-8-8-2 type built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1944. Sole surviving "Cab-Forward" locomotive. *

Union Pacific 4466 Union Pacific 4466 is an steam locomotive built in October 1920 by the Lima Locomotive Works for the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) to perform switching chores and transfer runs. History Revenue service UP 4466 spent most of its career in Cheyen ...

- Displayed, an 0-6-0 type built by

Lima Locomotive Works Lima Locomotive Works was an American firm that manufactured railroad locomotives from the 1870s through the 1950s. The company took the most distinctive part of its name from its main shop's location in Lima, Ohio. The shops were located between ...

in 1920 which operated at the museum until 2001. * Virginia & Truckee 12 ''Genoa'' - Baldwin-built 4-4-0 type constructed in 1873. Currently on loan to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Reportedly in operational condition, though it has not run since May 1979. * Virginia & Truckee 13 ''Empire'' - Baldwin-built 2-6-0 type constructed in 1873, cosmetically restored to its original appearance. Mirrors placed around the engine provide museum visitors with an amazing panoramic view of all sides of the locomotive at once. *

Virginia and Truckee 18 Dayton The Virginia and Truckee 18 ''Dayton'' is a historic standard gauge steam locomotive on display in Sacramento, California. It spent its working life on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. The locomotive was placed on the National Register of Hi ...

- 4-4-0 built by the Central Pacific locomotive shops in Sacramento in 1873. On loan from the Nevada State Railroad Museum
Virginia & Truckee 21 ''J.W. Bowker''
- Baldwin-built 2-4-0 switcher constructed in 1875; sole surviving example of this type. On Loan to the Nevada State Railroad Museum. * Nevada Short Line No. 1 - Baldwin-built narrow gauge 2-6-0 (Mogul Type) constructed in 1879; on static display with a few cars and rests above all other trains on an elevated track; last time it was run was in 1939-40 for the Golden Gate International Exposition on daily reactments of the 1869

Golden Spike The golden spike (also known as The Last Spike) is the ceremonial 17.6-karat gold final spike driven by Leland Stanford to join the rails of the first transcontinental railroad across the United States connecting the Central Pacific Railroad ...

ceremony.

Diesel locomotives

* Amtrak 281 - Operational, an

EMD F40PH The EMD F40PH is a four-axle B-B diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division in several variants from 1975 to 1992. Intended for use on Amtrak's short-haul passenger routes, it became the backbone of Amtrak's ...

built in April 1978. Only 1 of 3 Amtrak F40PH(R) locomotives preserved, not counting No. 406, which was converted into an NPCU in 2011 and now used on Amtrak's exhibit train. * Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 347C - Operational, an

EMD F7 The EMD F7 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive produced between February 1949 and December 1953 by the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors (EMD) and General Motors Diesel (GMD). Although originally promoted by EMD as a freight-h ...

built in 1949. Sole surviving AT&SF F7 locomotive that was not converted into a

CF7 The Santa Fe CF7 is an EMD F-unit railroad locomotive that has had its streamlined carbody removed and replaced with a custom-made, "general purpose" body in order to adapt the unit for switcher, switching duty. All of the conversions were perform ...

. * Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe 9820 - Stored, an

ALCO RSD-15 The Alco RSD-15 is a diesel-electric locomotive built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO) of Schenectady, New York between August 1956 and June 1960, during which time 75 locomotives were produced. The RSD-15 was powered by an Alco 251 16-cy ...

"Alligator" built in 1959. * Sacramento Northern 402 - Operational, an

EMD SW1 The EMD SW1 is a Diesel locomotive#Diesel–electric, diesel-electric switcher locomotive built by General Motors Corporation, General Motors' Electro-Motive Diesel, Electro-Motive Corporation (later Division) between December 1938 and November ...

built in 1939. * Southern Pacific 1000 - Stored/Awaiting restoration, an EMD SW1 built in 1939, the first diesel fully owned by SP. * Southern Pacific 5208 - Operational, a BLW DRS66-1500 built in 1949. * Southern Pacific 6051 - Operational, an

EMD E9 The E9 is a , A1A-A1A passenger train-hauling diesel locomotive built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division of La Grange, Illinois, between April 1954 and January 1964. 100 cab-equipped A units were produced and 44 cabless booster B units ...

built in 1954. Sole surviving SP E9. * Southern Pacific 6402 - Stored, an EMD F7 built in 1952. * Southern Pacific 6819 - Operational, an

EMD SD45T-2 The SD45T-2 is a model of diesel-electric locomotive built by EMD for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Like the later SD40T-2 it is colloquially nicknamed a tunnel motor. 247 total units (including the original EMD/SP joint venture working Prototy ...

built in 1972. * Western Pacific 913 - Operational, an

built in 1950.

References

External links