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March 14, 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.

We must have a commitment by July 15th in order to be on the 2025 Poster.

Already Signed-On for 2025:

Reminder of Upcoming Events

Pancake Breakfast at Oceano Depot, March 16th

A "Rise and Shine Breakfast" awaits at the newly re-opened Oceano Depot Museum & Community Center on Sunday, March 16, 2025 from 8-11am. $10 gets pancakes, sausage, eggs, and juice or coffee. It's a fundraiser for the Oceano Train Depot Restoration. Address: 1650 Front St, Oceano.

Visit Pasadena Model RR Museum, March 16th

The Pasadena Model Railroad Museum has an Open House every third Sunday from 1pm to 5pm. They will be open next March 16th. They will NOT have an Open House in April 2025 (maintenance). Despite the name, this 5,000 square-foot layout is not in Pasadena (was originally starting in 1940) but is now in Los Angeles at 5458 Alhambra Avenue. Their railroad is called the Sierra Pacific Lines. $7 for adults, $2 for children, under 7 are free. Cameras are welcome and binoculars or opera glasses are a good idea.

Operating Sessions via PCR/NMRA Convention

Operating sessions are available March 27-29 for attendees of the PCR/NMRA Convention in San Luis Obsipo. These include the Free-mo Layout with four operators per session at the Embassy Suites March 28th, six operators per session at the Oceano Depot all three days, and six operators at the Central Coast Model Railroad (at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum) on March 28th. Details...

Family Day at Dallidet Gardens, April 5th

Join in a day of family fun with music, food, and family activities! Learn about plants, animals, and the history of San Luis Obispo with games, art, and more. Don't miss the late-1800s, horse-drawn, street railcar out in the gardens! Saturday, April 5, 11am to 3pm. 1185 Pacific Street, SLO. Adults $20, Kids $10. More info...

Roam the PCRy at Dana Adobe on April 26th

On Friday, April 26th, from 10am to 2pm, Dana Adobe and Cultural Center is offering Pay-What-You-Want hikes that include hiking along the Pacific Coast Railway's right-of-way!

Celebration of Life: Diane Marchetti, April 27th

With heavy hearts, the SLO Railroad Museum announces the passing of Diane Marchetti on February 4, 2025. To celebrate the beautiful life she lived, we invite you to a "Celebration of Life" on Sunday April 27, 2025 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Diane was an integral part of the railroad museum in its earliest days eventually becoming museum manager which she continued until her final day. More info...

Completion of Arroyo's Pacific Coast Rwy Kiosk

An historical kiosk in Arroyo Grande (AG) focusing on the Pacific Coast Railway (PCRy) was created by past AG City Councilman Chuck Fellows years ago. The Kiosk is located at the "Y" intersection of East Branch St. and Crown Hill St. near the old route of the PCRy tracks at the east end of the AG Village. For several reasons, its progress was stalled and never completed. The project is now being revived with the goal to complete the kiosk and surrounding area by early this fall. Official unveiling ceremonies and historical presentations will be planned during the Arroyo Grande Valley Harvest Festival on the weekend of September 26th and 27th and during the Central Coast Railroad Festival (CCRRF) the following weekend in October. Various community partners, historical organizations and the City of Arroyo Grande will be involved with the completion of this historical attraction. Organizers are now soliciting input, volunteer support, and funding to complete this project. For more information or to get involved, contact CCRRF Founder Curtis Reinhardt at curtis@curtisreinhardt.com or 805-773-4173. [Photo on webpage version]

SMVRR and OmniTRAX Join Forces

On March 12, 2025, OmniTRAX announced its acquisition of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) as a joint venture. "The Santa Maria Valley Railroad plays a critical role in California's supply chains and this acquisition is another key step in the expansion of the OmniTRAX Rail Network," said OmniTRAX EVP Nathan Brown. He continued, "Our agreement with Coast Belle Rail Corporation marks our first rail joint venture acquisition." Here's the OmniTRAX announcement.

20% Off Midweek Surfliner Fares thru 4/30/25

The Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency recently announced 20%-off midweek (Tue-Thu) rail travel through April 30, 2025. Use promo code V567 at pacificsurfliner.com/save. Read the full Breaking Travel News article.

CCRRF.com Celebrated 16 Years Last Week

On March 8th, our website, CCRRF.com, celebrated its 16th birthday. The site was up and running within a few weeks of the Central Coast Railroad Festival's first organizational meeting held on February 18, 2009 by Curtis Reinhardt at the PG&E building off Highway 101 near the Avila Beach exit. Much of the historical text and photos on the website was removed last year in order to streamline getting the site ADA compliant. If you're looking for any of that "old stuff," you may contact Webman@CCRRF.com. He'll do his best to help you.

Live Webcam at SLO Railroad Museum

There's a live webcam at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum watching over the tracks to the north and east of the Museum. Check it out!

Photo/Travelogue: LA-to-SLO on the Starlight

A couple years ago, Anna Haines wrote a piece for Business Insider, "I took a $40 Amtrak ride through California, and the views were so stunning that I barely noticed the lack of Wi-Fi." Most of the photos are interior shots of the Coast Starlight.

Video: Unloading Tank Train at Camp Roberts

Bruce Morden has a YouTube video of tanks being unloaded from a train at Camp Roberts back in 2018: Camp Roberts Military Train Unloading.

Paso Councilmember named LOSSAN Vice Chair

Paso Robles Councilmember Fred Strong has been named vice chair of the Los Angeles – San Diego – San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) Rail Corridor Agency. LOSSAN manages the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train service. See the article: LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency Announces 2025 Board of Directors Leadership.

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?
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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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