The Southern California Railway Museum is home to over 200 historic railway cars and locomotives from Los Angeles and other places in the West. The museum is 90-acre and is open to the public all year round.^[4]

Perris is named after Fred T. Perris, a chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad. The California Southern connected through the city in the 1880s to build a rail connection between Barstow and San Diego. Although Perris has a history connected to trains and railroads, Perris is also a destination for skydiving, hot air balloon rides, and is a popular location for movies. From the Point Blank to The Bucket List, there are a lot of memorial things in Perris California.^[3] Near the Railway Museum, you will find the Perris Library, and oldtown Perris. Oldtown Perris contains buildings not touched by time. There is the Bank of Perris, the peoples store, Pocket Part at 4th and D street as well as the best tacos in the city at Taqueria 2 Potrillos and a stop for the new Amtrak.

The Southern California Railway Museum has become a place to visit if you have an interest in trains and railway cars. Special Events for Visitors include a Dino train event in April, train rides and visitors can even visit Thomas the Train Engine or ride the Polar Express at the end of the year. The museum is also a party venue with picnic locations, trolley rides, family activities to give their visitors a day of excitement.

On January 25th, 2021, The Southern California Railway Museum reopened its campus, outdoor exhibit, Weekend Train Trolley operations. The indoor exhibit and car barns remained closed in accordance with the orders from the Governor's office and the Health Officer of the County of Riverside. Visitors can book events and activities to learn more about what the Museum has available for them. ^[2]

History

In the early 1950s 14 members of the Southern California Division Of The Electric Railroaders’ Association (SC/ERA) decided to focus on preserving electric rail interurbans and streetcars to eventually create a series of museums. The 14 members named their association the California Division Of The Electric Railroaders’. They said that “their world was slipping away” and they created this museum mostly interested in preserving red cars and yellow cars for local transit operations. The association's first move was to set out to preserve some of the Los Angeles Trolleys. They formed the Orange Empire Traction Company. ^[2]In the beginning most of the members were teenagers but their enthusiasm was put to good use as the club began acquiring trolleys for preservation. In 1958 the Orange Empire Traction company’s first home was at Travel Town. Travel Town was an already established display of retired railway equipment in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. ^[2]Then in 1959, The Orange Empire Trolley Museum found a new home in Perris, California.

The Museum is on an abandoned railroad just outside of rural Perris, California. Their timeline on the website states that “There was no running water, no indoor plumbing, not much of anything but trolley cars and youthful enthusiasm. The early years at Perris were a time of intense activity, though mostly on weekends, as almost all of the participants worked regular weekday jobs. Track was hurriedly extended as more and more trolleys arrived, eventually evolving into a yard arrangement. Buses were replacing Red Car and Yellow Car lines and before long, red cars were stacked four cars high at National Metal and Steel’s scrap yard on Terminal Island along with rows of yellow cars. The last of the “Last Runs” were playing out and it was time for the equipment preservation conscious members of SC/ERA to form a separate organization with the purpose of establishing an operating trolley museum.“ ^[2]The few visitors that found the place thought of it as “the trolley farm” and this moniker would stay with the Museum for years to come.” ^[2]

Collections Restoration Project

The Southern California Railway Museum also restores Locomotives to preserve them for visitors to enjoy. Here are a couple of their restoration projects:

AT&SF (Fairbanks Morse H12-044)

After being in storage for 30 years, the Diesel Shop team invested a lot of time and effort to prove that the SF560 Diesel engine was operable, allowing the restoration project to move forward. Proposed restoration tasks include intensive cleaning, replacing missing or broken windows, handrails and steps, and returning the exterior to its former glory. ^[2]

Pacific Electric 1624

PE 1624 needs to be painted inside and out. When 1624 was retired, the cab interior was painted a light gray. This project to return the cab to its original colors is underway. ^[2]

This year the Southern California Railway Museum will be celebrating its 65th anniversary in Perris California. The Museum has become a loving place in the community. Sharing family friend activities for the community. There are months where the museum is transformed for the community. For a few months it becomes a location for the communities swap meet, in the summer the museum becomes a venue for an antique truck show and every summer the museum becomes a BBQ competition location! For example, this year on May 22nd, "Boots & Brew will be returning, a the event will have BBQ, Unique Craft Beer, and live music." The SC/ERA is inviting competitive BBQ teams to showcase some of their very best BBQ for a chance to win 1st place as well as points toward larger BBQ Competitions like the Jack Danie’s World Championship. In a time where a community hub is needed, the Museum gives its visitors a place to get together, enjoy a piece of history and trains.

Location:

The Museum Charter Members are:

Raymond A. Ballash	Ronald G. Longworth
William J. Bauer	Jeffery P. Moreau
Donald P. Brown	Dean H. Park
Richard H. Burns	Herbert S. Redlich
Kenneth W. Harrison	David Slipher
Norman K. Johnson	Patrick L. Underwood
Harvey S. Laner	James W. Walker Jr

[2]

Perris

Southern California Railway Museum

History

Collections Restoration Project

The Museum Charter Members are:

Related Links: