Sacramento Southern Railroad (California State Railroad Museum)
Sacramento, Sacramento County, California. Vintage excursion train.
Details
- Where
- 930 Front Street, Sacramento, CA. Directions
- When
- March 15th soft opener with weekend departures at 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM, and 2:30 PM; from April, Saturday-Sunday departures at 10 AM, 11:15 AM, 1:00 PM, 2:15 PM, and 3:30 PM; Friday trains Memorial Day through Labor Day 11:15 AM, 1:00 PM, and 2:15 PM.
- Season
- Saturdays and Sundays from April thru mid-October; Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
- Getting there
- Trains depart from the Central Pacific Passenger Station at the corner of Front and J streets in Old Sacramento.
- Fees
- Coach Adult $18, Youth (6-17) $10, Child under 6 free, Members free; First Class Adult $25, Youth (6-17) $15, Child under 6 free.
- Hours
- Saturdays and Sundays 9 AM – 4:30 PM; limited schedule days 10:30 – 3:30.
- Access
- All passengers must be able to climb a narrow set of stairs to board the coaches. Due to limited aisle widths, wheelchairs, mobility devices, and strollers are not permitted on the coaches.
- Walk-in or reserve
- Online tickets can be purchased up to 30 minutes prior to departure.
- Phone
- (916) 445-5995
- Managed by
- California State Railroad Museum.
- Established
- 1984.
A 45-minute, 6-mile round trip from Old Sacramento Waterfront along the Sacramento River in our fleet of historic railroad cars.
Notable Events
- 1906Work on the line, which begins at I and Front streets in Sacramento, commenced. tile.loc.gov
- 1909The section to Freeport was completed and service between Sacramento and Freeport commenced. tile.loc.gov
- 1912The line reached Walnut Grove. tile.loc.gov
- 1916The Sacramento Southern Railroad Company was dissolved; the line, known as the Walnut Grove Branch Line, was controlled by the Southern Pacific Company. tile.loc.gov
- 1929The line was extended to Isleton. tile.loc.gov
- 1932Passenger service ceased. tile.loc.gov
- 1971A devastating flood destroyed much of the railroad; the line became impassable and customers turned to trucking. californiarailroad.museum
- 1972Severe flooding caused extensive damage to the lower portion of the line and washed out a section of track north of Isleton. tile.loc.gov
- 1978Southern Pacific picked up the final train of empty freight cars and exited the picture. californiarailroad.museum
- 1978The final revenue run occurred; twelve days later two locomotives gathered the cars stored on sidings and returned them to Sacramento. tile.loc.gov
- 1982To celebrate the new museum's anniversaries, the first commemorative excursion trains operated on the Sacramento Southern, run by the Pacific Locomotive Association with Southern Pacific's help. californiarailroad.museum
- 1982The California State Railroad Museum began operating excursion trains along the Sacramento waterfront from Old Sacramento to Miller Park. tile.loc.gov
- 1983Conceived by a group of local railroad enthusiasts, the Excursion Railroad Project was created and led completely by an all-volunteer railroad operation crew. californiarailroad.museum
- 1984The Railroad Museum's first official season of excursion train rides on the Sacramento Southern kicked off, departing from Track #3 of the Central Pacific Passenger Station. californiarailroad.museum
- 1997The Sacramento Southern first introduced Granite Rock steam locomotive No.10 to pull the excursion trains each season. californiarailroad.museum
- 2015Out of service since 2011 for extensive boiler repairs, the 1942 H.K. Porter oil-fired steam engine returned to service on the Sacramento Southern. californiarailroad.museum