The California State Railroad Museum

Perhaps few other museums rival that of the California State Railroad Museum in terms of displays, visitors, and overall size. The museum, situated in Sacramento, is one of the city’s top tourist destinations, seeing over a half-million visitors annually and it is a testament to just how interesting and engaging railroad museums can be. Given the sheer size of the CSRM collection it will not be possible to cover them all here. However, listed below in this article are many of the museum's most significant and best preserved pieces. Because of the resources available to it, like few other museums across the country, the museum is large enough to have various operating departments. While the museum tends to spotlight and feature historic pieces related to California or the western railroads its main focus is about teaching the public not only California’s railroading history but also our country’s railroading history as well.

A quartet of newer Santa Fe GP60Ms wearing the classic Warbonnet livery and a standard GP60 in the Bluebonnet livery hustle an expedited westbound pig train, #199, through Stockton, California on August 11, 1991.

The history of the California State Railroad Museum predates perhaps every other related facility in the country save for the Smithsonian itself. While the CSRM is a state founded, funded, and operated facility its roots begin in 1937 when local train enthusiasts from the San Francisco area created the Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society in an attempt to preserve and keep alive California's railroad history. By 1976 when the state created the CSRM the Chapter had donated more than forty locomotives and freight/passenger cars to the Department of Parks & Recreation, immediately giving the new museum several display pieces (four years earlier the Chapter also helped to found the San Francisco Cable Car Museum as it had amassed a similar collection of trolley/interurban cars).

Since then, and with the backing of state funding the California State Railroad Museum has become a massive operation, similar in scale to what you will find at the Illinois Railway Museum. Today, it features six originally constructed buildings, more than 225,000 square feet of space for visitors to enjoy, and twenty-one pieces of rolling stock that have been completely restored (they perhaps look better today than they ever did while in operation). Additionally you can find all types of exhibits and historic artifacts located through the property including original railroad china, a replica Central Pacific Railroad freight depot, original hand tools, early signals, and much more.

Rio Grande SD45 #5335 and a quartet of other power start up Donner Pass at Truckee, California with a freight as the train passes apparent helpers waiting to the left on September 22, 1991.

Among the many attractions the museum has includes facilities available for rent if you are interested in having a gathering on location, there are numerous events ongoing throughout the year (which includes things like A Day Out With Thomas, music on the train, the story of Hollywood's relationship with trains, Halloween specials, The Polar Express, and much more), train rides available (powered by 0-6-0T steam locomotive #10 and dressed up as a Central Pacific unit it operates during the weekends between April and September), and you can even volunteer and help the museum not only stay maintained but also work to restore the many pieces of equipment under they have slated to be repaired!  Finally, the California State Railroad Museum features an additional exhibit unique to perhaps only itself and the Illinois Railway Museum, a comprehensive library full of historic information about railroads to both California as well as the country in general.

While CSRM does not allow its books and other material to leave the building the library is open nearly year-round without charge. If you have the opportunity to use the library I would certainly take advantage of it, you won't find many like it anywhere else.  So, if you are planning a visit to the Sacramento area a visit to the California State Railroad Museum. Likewise, if you are perhaps interested in helping the museum in some way please do not hesitate to get in touch with them to see what type of volunteer work is available. For more information regarding the latest events and exhibits going on at the California State Railroad Museum please click here to visit their website. There you can find everything that they offer, which is a lot more than I have listed here.

California State Railroad Museum Locomotive Roster

Steam Locomotives

* AT&SF 0-4-0T #5

* AT&SF 2-6-2 #1010

* AT&SF 4-8-4 #2925

* AT&SF 2-10-4 #5021

* Central Pacific Railroad 4-4-0 #1

* Granite Rock Company Porter 0-6-0ST #10

* Kiso Forest Railway Baldwin 0-4-2T #6

* Mattole Lumber Company Vulcan 0-4-2T #1

* Nevada Short Line Baldwin 2-6-0 #1

* North Pacific Coast Railroad Baldwin 4-4-0 #12

* Northwestern Pacific Railroad Alco 4-6-0 #112

* Overfair Railway MacDermot 4-6-2 #1915

* SP Cooke 4-2-4RT #1 C. P. Huntington

* SP Baldwin 2-6-0 #1771

* SP Baldwin 4-8-8-2 Cab-Forward #4294

* Stockton Terminal & Eastern Railroad Baldwin 2-6-2 #3

* US Army Porter 0-6-0ST #5014

* Union Pacific Lima 0-6-0 #4466

* V&T Baldwin 4-4-0 #12 Genoa

* V&T Baldwin 2-6-0 #13 Empire

* V&T Baldwin 2-4-0 #21 J. W. Bowker

Diesel Locomotives

* AT&SF EMD F3B #347B

* AT&SF EMD F7A #347C

* AT&SF Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 #543

* AT&SF Fairbanks-Morse H12-44 #608

* AT&SF Baldwin DS44-1000 #2260

* AT&SF Alco S2 #2381

* AT&SF Alco RS1 #2394

* AT&SF EMC NW2 #2404

* AT&SF Alco RSD-15 #9820

* AT&SF Alco S2 #2381

* Howard Terminal Railroad Whitcomb 45IE-26B #8

* Klamath Northern Railway Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton SH-2300 #206

* Sacramento Northern Railway EMC SW1 #402

* SN GE 44-tonner #1240

* SN GE 80-tonner #1605

* SN EMD SW8 #2030

* SP Baldwin DRS66-1500 #5208

* SP EMD E9A #6051

* SP EMD F7A #6402

* SP EMD F7B #8219

* US Air Force GE 80-tonner #1655

* US Air Force GE 80-tonner #7367

* US Navy Alco MRS-1 #65-00543

* US Navy Alco MRS-1 #65-00545

* Western Pacific EMD F7A #913

A pair of Union Pacific SD60Ms lead a stack train over Cajon Pass in California on March 8, 1995.

For more reading about one of California’s most famous railroads consider one (or both) of the following books. The Southern Pacific was synonymous with the State of California and the book Southern Pacific Railroad from author Brian Solomon gives a superb general overview of the railroad and its extensive passenger operations, and is filled with excellent photographs (most in color) of the Espee. If you are a fan or have any interest whatsoever in the Southern Pacific you will very much enjoy both publications.  Also, for more information and reading about excursion trains and railroad museums you might want to consider picking up Tourist Trains Guidebook from the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The book lists and reviews over 400 excursions and museums found throughout the country and is an excellent resource, which has received superb reviews by readers, if you're looking for one to visit. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.