2022 Railroad Festival at the Museum


Central Coast Railroad Festival


For a complete Central Coast Railroad Festival (CCRRF) Schedule (including events at other venues at other dates and times), click here.

Parking is limited at the Museum. Additional free parking is available Saturday ONLY about four blocks south of the Museum along South Street at the Unitarian Church, 2201 Lawton Avenue (see an aerial view). A narrow entrance-only driveway is off Lawton and the main parking lot in/out driveway is off Meadow. It's less than 10 minutes to walk.

3-Day Schedule

This schedule is subject to change so please check back as the Festival approaches. Last updated 10/3/22.

Friday, October 7, 2022

 
2pm-6pm
Festival Information Headquarters ONLY (no special activities or exhibits). Regular admission: $5/adult, $3/child (4-15), members free. The Central Coast Model Railroad will be open.
 
 

Saturday, October 8, 2022

 
10:00 AM
1. Museum Opens, $5/adult, $3/child (4-15), members free
2. Operation Lifesaver table
3. Model Layout Open (CCMR)
4. Bob Wilson's hands-on model railroad layout
5. Music by South Street Roundhouse on the Platform
6. Railroad Vendors and Displays on the Platform
7. Trackside demonstrations
8. Kids' Train Table and Play Area
9. G-scale Layout on the platform by Will Kastner, member CCCGRS 10. EPIC (Engineering Possibilities in College) display of output from Glen Matteson's summer program at Cal Poly, Light Rail Transit Route Design Lab
 
 
10:30 AM
Presentation to Winning Photographers, see the Photo Contest Winners
 
 
11:00 AM
Presentation: "Freight Car Placards" by Bob Chaparro. The history and use of freight car placards up to the use of United Nations hazardous materials numbers in the mid-1980s.
 
 
11:30 AM
Railroad BBQ Co., food service until 2pm. Payments accepted: cash, Venmo, and Velle. No credit cards.
 
 
12:00 PM
Presentation: THE SAN LUIS OBISPO & SANTA MARIA VALLEY RAILROAD #1, THE "AVILA" - THE FIRST STEAM LOCOMOTIVE TO ARRIVE IN SAN LUIS OBISPO (8-8-1876). A short historic presentation and the unveiling/donation of the 1/10th scale locomotive model built by Jack Erhart, Modeler and Donor, and Brad LaRose, SLORRM Curator. Immediately following will be a short second presentation and the unveiling of a major Pacific Coast Railway Locomotive #101 historic artifact. Brad LaRose, SLORRM Curator, and donor Robert Sponsel and Patricia Chidlaw.
 
 
12:00 PM
Wine Tasting in La Cuesta, while supplies last. Enfold Wines will be tasting their award-winning 2015 GSM (Grenache/Syrah/Mourvedre). For more information about Enfold's history and philosophy, visit the Enfold Wines website. La Cuesta is the 1926 Pullman Observation car alongside the platform.
 
 
12:39 PM
Today's Amtrak Train Activity just off the Museum platform
12:39pm Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner northbound arrives
3:11pm Amtrak's Coast Starlight southbound arrives/departs
3:37pm Amtrak's Coast Starlight northbound arrives/departs
4:22pm Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner southbound departs
 
 
1:00 PM
Presentation: "Why the SPRR Chose SLO" by Marilyn Darnell, local historian and author. She'll shed light on how the Southern Pacific Railroad was convinced to whistle their way into SLO on May 5, 1894, the festivities that followed, and what rail service meant for the community, the state, and the nation. In 2019 the History Center of SLO County presented Marilyn Darnell the Award for Preservation as Jack Family Biographer and Preservation Volunteer for her Local History Scholarship. She presently volunteers as the Historian of the Octagon Barn for the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo that was built in 1906. Marilyn is busy documenting the more than 100 years of dairy history of San Luis Obispo County and has just released a book on the subject called "When San Luis Obispo was COW HEAVEN" that is for sale today and she would be happy to sign it for you.
 
 
2-4 PM
Pickup pre-ordered BBQ Dinners and Online Auction Winnings, ends promptly at 4pm. Details...
 
 
2:15 PM
CCRRF Coloring Contest Winner Drawing, contest details. Congratulations to Quinn A.!
 
 
4:00 PM
Museum Closes
 

Sunday, October 9, 2022

 
10am-4pm
Festival Information Headquarters ONLY (no special activities or exhibits). Regular admission: $5/adult, $3/child (4-15), members free. The Central Coast Model Railroad will be open.
 
 

South Street Roundhouse




Bob Chaparro's Presentation


Train Simulator


















Festival Sponsors - Thank You!



Major Sponsor: KSBY-TV6


Media Sponsor: SLO New Times

Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo
Overflow parking for the SLO Railroad Museum

To Shiny Rails
Contest Sponsor: Coloring and Photos

City of San Luis Obispo
Community Room at SLO Downtown Library

San Luis Obispo Library
Goodie Bag and Coloring Contest Host

2022 Photos


Photos are by Gary See unless noted otherwise.


The first PCRy model by Jack Erhart, "Avila," was revealed during the 2022 Railroad Festival.
See the Avila Photo Album to follow along.


Bob Wilson's Hands-On Layout at the Museum.


Photo Contest Winners.


Central California Coast Garden Railroad Society table at the Museum. Photo by Will Kastner.








Marilyn Darnell Presentation












Railroad BBQ Co














Bob Chaparro Awarded for handling the CCRRF Model Layout Tour