Announcement Email

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February 15, 2025

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2025 Dates are Set: October 3-5, 2025

The 15th Central Coast Railroad Festival has been scheduled for Friday-Sunday, October 3-5, 2025. Savvy Festival folks will realize this means that the Model Railroad Layout Tour will start on Thursday, October 2nd. The detailed Festival schedule is usually published during the Summer.

"All Aboard!" for 2025 Participants/Sponsors

Now's the time! The sooner you get on board the more promotion we'll be able to do for you and/or your organization throughout the year leading up to the Festival. To participate, all you need do is offer a rail-related or rail-themed activity or venue to the public sometime over the weekend of the Festival (October 3-5, 2025). You may charge a fee, or not. We encourage you to offer something special to Festival attendees, but that is not required. There is no fee for being included in the Festival schedule and promotion. See the 2024 Schedule to get an idea of what can be done. If you're interested, email the Conductor@CCRRF.com. Likewise, if you're interested in sponsoring some part of the event, also email the Conductor@CCRRF.com to learn about sponsorship opportunities and benefits.

Already Signed-On for 2025:

Friends/SMVRR Upcoming Events

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) and the Friends of the SMVRR have two events coming up soon. First, the SMVRR in conjunction with the Hancock Family will hold a Centennial Celebration Ceremony on February 26, 2025 at 11am at 625 S. McClelland Street in Santa Maria. Captain G. Allan Hancock bought the railroad "off the courthouse steps" in February of 1925. A reception will follow at the Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum (616 S. Broadway, Santa Maria). Second, the SMVRR's Annual Take Out BBQ Lunch and Employee Get-Together is set for Saturday, March 1, 2025 from 11am to 3pm at the SMVRR Offices at Osburn Yard. The company store will be open. Meals must be purchased by February 26th at the Friends website. Two more events coming up later include a talk, "Women and Railroading on the Santa Maria Valley Railroad," at the SLO Railroad Museum on March 20th; and the Friends' 10th Annual Dinner Gala on May 17th. (There's a photo of SMVRR/Amtrak at left on the webpage.)

April Photo Charters at Pacific Coast and Norgrove

SteamCharters.com is making two Railroad Photo Charters available this April in San Luis Obispo County. April 4 is at the Pacific Coast Railorad at Santa Margarita Ranch. April 5 is at Norgrove Railway in Arroyo Grande. Details are here: Pacific Coast, and Norgrove. This is a unique opportunity to photograph and video these operating steam railroad facilities in a photo-charter environment. Hosted by Dak Dillon Photography.

Oceano Depot Closed for Improvements
Opens March 1st

The Oceano Depot will remain closed until March 1, 2025. From their website: "The Oceano Depot will be closed to the public January 1st- March 1st 2025. We are doing maintenance, refurbishing exhibits, and repairs to the building and grounds. These improvements to our beloved landmark will ensure that it is in the best condition to serve the residents and visitors to our Depot. Exciting new exhibits and displays. The bricks that were ordered are all in now and will be placed very soon. Look for the notice on that. See you in March!"

SLO Railroad Museum Does Scouting Merit Badge

The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum offers a class to obtain your Scouting Railroad Merit Badge, usually twice a year. The next class is scheduled for March 16, 2025, 12pm to 4:30pm. See their Merit Badge webpage.

Pacific Coast Region NMRA Convention
San Luis Obispo, March 27-30, 2025

The Pacific Coast Region NMRA Convention will be held here in San Luis Obispo, March 27-30, 2025. Indoor and outdoor layout tours, clinics, and excursions are scheduled in the planning, which include: a guided Amtrak trip over Cuesta Grade, Bitter Creek Western Railroad, Norgrove Railway, the SLO Railroad Museum, Pacific Coast Railroad, and Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Portions of the convention will be available virtually as well. Visit the PCR Convention 2025 website.

Pacific Coast Railway
Locomotive Model Sponsorship

The SLO Railroad Museum is in the process of completely renovating and upgrading their Pacific Coast Railway (PCRy) exhibit. A key part of this exhibit will be models of long gone Pacific Coast Railway Locomotives. These models are being designed and built by Jack Erhart. He is painstakingly researching all available drawings and photos to recreate these locomotives. The first two PCRy locomotives, the Avila and the John Harford have already been completed and are on display in the new exhibit. Jack is currently working on the third PCRy locomotive, PCRy #101. As you might imagine, materials and equipment to make these models are expensive; please consider donating. Details are on the Museum's Make a Donation webpage.

Niles Canyon Railway Speeder Rides March 29th

Here's a chance to blend a trip to Niles Canyon Railway with a ride on a speeder. Motorcar Operators West is teaming up with the railway to make this day possible. There will be four runs available throughout the day: 9am, 10:30am, 12:30pm, and 2pm. One day only! Tickets go on sale late February or early March. Details... (There's a photo at left on the webpage.)

More Pacific Surfliner Trains Coming in March

Two more Surfliner trains are scheduled to go into service in March with a third train being added in November, according to a January 15, 2025 article posted in Yahoo News. A $27 million federal grant went to the LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency for these improvements which will bring the system closer to hourly service at the various station stops from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.

Model Railroad Days at Oceano Depot
March 29-30 and April 5-6

The Oceano Depot and the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association invite you to the 2025 Model Railroad Days at the Oceano Depot. Enjoy the scale model rail action and browse the swap meet tables for good deals on equipment. Fun for the whole family. Free Admission. Free Parking. Each day 10am-4pm. Oceano Depot, 1650 Front Street, Oceano.

CA's BEST Central Coast Trains Revealed!

Check out this TSG Multimedia video production! In this program, host Paul Deis takes us on an adventure as he visits more than a dozen model and full-scale railroads and interviews the people who run them. Here's the YouTube video (posted 12/28/2024, 37 minutes).

Photo Essay: Goleta Depot

Back in December, AvoidingRegret.com did a photo essay on the Goleta Depot, otherwise known as the South Coast Railroad Museum. Here's the photo webpage: Some Choo-Choo Cheer for the Holidays at South Coast Railroad Museum.

Rose Parade Float: "Our Garden Railroad"

The Downey Rose Float Association won the Founder's Award in the Tournament of Roses Parade this year for its float "Our Garden Railroad." Here's the article with photo: Downey Rose Float Association wins Founders Trophy for best self-built float. (There's a photo at left on the webpage.)

13 Women Kept SLO Railroad Running

David Middlecamp wrote a recent "Photos From the Vault" article for the Tribune: These 13 women kept SLO's railroad running during WWII. "A man's job — but I can do it."

Santa's Visit to the SLO Railroad Museum

Check out these photos of Santa's Visit to the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum back on December 7, 2024.

Station Highlight: San Luis Obispo

Did you catch the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner's Station Highlight: San Luis Obispo? Among the noted "Things to Do" are: exploring the Railroad District, visiting the SLO Railroad Museum, discovering Downtown and the Mission, the Farmers Market, countless wineries, surrounding towns and beaches, and more. Check it out. (There's a photo at left on the webpage.)

Area Railroading Opportunities

There's a plethora of railroading going on in our area (broadly speaking, in some cases). Check out this Index of Area Railroading. Be sure to check with any of interest to you to verify their open status and schedules.

Want Your Rail-Related News/Event Promoted?
It's Free!

Do you have a Central Coast railroad-related event or news item to add to our next broadcast email? It's free! And it doesn't have to be part of the Festival itself (could be about any organization at any time throughout the year). Email the details to: addevent@ccrrf.com. The next issue will likely be in a month or so. We have about 940 subscribers and about 1500 Facebook followers.

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