San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

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Railroad history




People Tracker

  Compilation of Railroad Workers on the Central Coast
Compiled here are over 2,000 names and, when known, certain other information on people who worked in some capacity for a railroad that operated on California?s Central Coast, according to documents deemed to be generally reliable. Last updated 4/29/2022.



Southern Pacific Railroad History

  Southern Pacific Historical and Technical Society
The SPH&TS is dedicated to preserving and disseminating the historical record of the Southern Pacific Railroad and its affiliates. They support railfanning, industrial archeology, and accurate scale modeling of this great pioneer railroad of the western United States.

  Southern Pacific Coast Daylight
Excellent resource covering this iconic train.

  The Worlds Most Beautiful Train by Dr. Walter Rice, Phd.
Reprinted with permision of JournalPlus Magazine & Dr. Walter Rice

  Closing the Southern Pacific Coastal Gap by Loren Nicholson
Reprinted with permision of JournalPlus Magazine & Loren Nicholson

  The Coast Line, A History
The Ferroequinologist, June 1984, Central Coast Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society

  Southern Pacific Coast Daylight Trains between San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles Part 1
Part 1 will be from San Luis Obispo to Ventura. SoCalTrainFan Productions 2019.

  SP2472 @ San Luis Obispo in 1994
Newly Digitized VHS Footage from Golden Gate Railroad Museum Member Cris Hart.

  This is My Railroad
About the Southern Pacific RailRoad, 1940

  SLO Railroad History: A walking tour
Points of interest for San Luis Obispo railroad history. A collaboration with the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Check out the History Center’s Railroad District podcast too. Do you have a place to add? Contact us at [email protected]



Pacific Coast Railway History

  San Luis Obispo’s Other Railroad – The PCRy by Dr. Walter Rice, Phd.
Reprinted with permision of JournalPlus Magazine & Dr. Walter Rice

  Pacific Coast Railway Map
PCRy Right-of-Way Map by Frederick Shaw

  Pacific Coast Railway on Film
Diamond Jim, A 1935 Film featuring the Original PCRy (pictured at right)

  The Pacific Coast Railway: Central California’s Premier Narrow Gauge
by Kenneth E. Westcott and Curtiss H. Johnson, ISBN-13: 978-0961546748
Available at the Gift Shop

Pacific Coast Railway Self-Guided Auto Tour
Developed by Michael Maurer and Elliott Marshall.



Union Pacific Railroad

  Union Pacific: History and Photos
At Union Pacific Railroad’s own website

  Union Pacific Railroad
Today…



Santa Maria Valley Railroad

  History of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad
As presented on the website of the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad

  Santa Maria Valley Railroad
Today…

  Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad
Today…



Amtrak

  History of Amtrak
As presented on Amtrak’s website

  Amtrak
Today…



Local Railroad History

  Photos from Unocal of the Avila Beach area
Courtesy of Rob Rossi: Part 1 (PDF, 2.7mb), Part 2 (PDF, 2.6mb). These can be viewed with good clarity at 150% or slightly more for reading the handwritten notes and better picture viewing.

  San Luis Obispo Historical Railroad District Walk of History Tour
A Self Guided Walking Tour by the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum and the City of San Luis Obispo

  San Luis Obispo, A Brief Description from 1931
Economic Geography, V. 7, No. 3, July 1931, Excerpt from Article by John Wesley Coulter

  SLO Railroad History: A walking tour (Cal Poly Library)
Points of interest for San Luis Obispo railroad history. A collaboration with Cal Poly and the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Check out the History Center’s Railroad District podcast too. Do you have a place to add? Contact us at [email protected]

  SLO Historical Railroad Lines and Stations (Cal Poly Library)
Southern Pacific and Pacific Coast Railway lines layered with current and historical topo maps. Contact us at [email protected]

Railroading in the Greater San Luis Obispo Area