The South Coast Railroad Museum in
Goleta, California
Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...
is a showplace for the
Goleta Depot, a preserved 1901
Southern Pacific Railroad train station
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing s ...
. The museum also features the Goleta Short Line, a
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, ...
miniature railroad
Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale.
The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcar ...
, a Southern Pacific caboose, and a model train set in a panorama of the cities of Goleta and
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...
.
The depot is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
and on the
California Register of Historical Resources
The California Register of Historical Resources is a California state government program for use by state and local agencies, private groups, and citizens to identify, evaluate, register and protect California's historical resources. The register i ...
.
History
The Southern Pacific closed the Goleta passenger train depot in October 1973. Various preservation efforts led to the depot being physically moved to its current location at Lake Los Carneros County Park in November 1981. After 11 months of restoration, a dedication ceremony of the Goleta Depot as a Santa Barbara county landmark took place on October 10, 1982.
Ownership of the Goleta Depot was subsequently transferred from the preservation society that had had the depot moved, to the Institute for American Research, to develop the site as a living museum in 1983.
A
new train station with a concrete platform and open-air shelter opened nearby in 1998 for Amtrak trains.
Nearby attractions
The South Coast Railroad Museum is located next to Lake Los Carneros with walking trails and bird watching, the historic
Stow House at Rancho La Patera, and other points of interest.
[John Dickson's Santa Barbara Attractions Guide: Stow House]
/ref>
See also
* History of Santa Barbara, California
The history of Santa Barbara, California, begins approximately 13,000 years ago with the arrival of the first Native Americans. The Spanish came in the 18th century to occupy and Christianize the area, which became part of Mexico following the M ...
* List of museums in the California Central Coast
The Central Coast (California), California Central Coast is an area roughly spanning the area between the Monterey Bay extending through Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, San Benito County, California, San Benito County, Monterey C ...
* National Register of Historic Places, List of Properties in Santa Barbara County, California
Further reading
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References
External links
South Coast Railroad Museum official website
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Railroad museums in California
Goleta, California
Museums in Santa Barbara County, California