California State Railroad Museum

The California State Railroad Museum is a museum in the state park system of California, United States, interpreting the role of railroads in connecting California to the rest of the nation. It is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park at 111 I Street, Sacramento. The museum features 21 restored locomotives and railroad cars, some dating back to 1862. The “Sierra Scene” shows a large scale mockup of a construction scene high in the Sierra Nevada representing Donner Pass c.  1867, featuring the locomotive Gov. Stanford. 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 in the remaining buildings that were part of the original Southern Pacific Shop complex. A large 3-rail O scale 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 depot 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, operated by the museum, takes passengers on a 40-minute, 6-mile (9. 7 km) roundtrip route along the Sacramento River on a portion of the Walnut Grove branch of the former Southern Pacific Railroad. 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. Past plans for the excursion ride included expansion on its former right of way to Hood, CA, but were scrapped in favor of a mixed-use paved recreational trail known as the Del Rio Trail project. In 1992, Railtown 1897 in Jamestown began operating under the museum.

In recent years the museum has begun expanding their digital resources. Of note, the museum has several digital exhibits (https://www. californiarailroad. museum/education/digital-exhibits) and a museum podcast Roundhouse Crosstalk(https://www. californiarailroad. museum/explore/podcast).