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February 2, 2019

What a Great 9th Annual Festival!

Next Festival - Mark Your Calendars
First Weekend of October 2019

If you'd like to participate in any way, please Contact us.

2018 Highlights

A record number of people enjoyed events, displays, presentations, layouts, etc. from northern Santa Barbara County to Paso Robles during the weekend of the Central Coast Railroad Festival.

How about another rousing ovation for Bob Chaparro of the Model Railroads of Southern California for the fantastic model layout tour! 29 Railroads at 21 locations from Paso Robles to Santa Ynez were on the tour, and hundreds of enthusiasts got to see some fabulous railroads. Some photos...

Many thanks to the SLO County Library system that provided railroad storytime reading at all their locations leading up to the Festival. They also made available the community room at the downtown SLO branch for the Orange County 'N' Gineers layout display and display of all the children's artwork created during the Library Reading Times.

The Daylight Division of the Pacific Coast Region/NMRA held a limited train meet at the SLO Vets Hall during the Festival.

Hopefully you made it to the Oceano Depot to not only see that original Southern Pacific depot but also see the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association's layouts set up inside.

Did you take either the beer or wine excursion on the Amtrak Coast Starlight over Cuesta Grade to Pomar Junction Winery or BarrelHouse Brewing Company?! If not, catch one of the 2019 wine-rail dates now posted: wine rail details. Beer Train Excursion dates have also been set for 2019: beer train details.

Of course, there was a great deal of activity at the host location, the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Talks, exhibits, model trains, artists, photographers, Amtrak, Operation Lifesaver, play area, music, food, etc. For the details of the happenings and photos from the events, go here.

Festival Host

San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

Many Thanks! to our
2018 Major Sponsors

Amtrak
Santa Maria Valley Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
City of San Luis Obispo
KSBY-TV6

Festival Featured Hotel and Sponsor

Sands Inn & Suites, SLO

Promotional Partners 2018

City of San Luis Obispo (TBID and PCC)
San Luis Obispo Library
San Luis Obispo Vacations
Arts Obispo

Media Sponsors 2018

KSBY-TV6
SLO Tribune

Participants 2018

BarrelHouse Brewing Co.
California Rare Fruit Growers
Central California Coast Garden Railroad Society
Central Coast Trains
Central Valley Model Works
Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab
Model Railroads of Southern California
Oceano Depot
Operation Lifesaver
Orange County 'N' Gineers
Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery
Railroad Historic District
San Luis Obispo County Library
San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association
San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
Santa Maria Valley Railroad
Santa Maria Valley Railway Historical Museum
SLOCo Pedal Taxi ("Pedicab")

Feedback/Ideas

If you have any feedback - good, bad, or indifferent - that you'd like to share with us, please email it to Feedback@CCRRF.com. Additionally, we welcome ideas for new activities, requests to participate, etc. Tell us anything you think will help make future Central Coast Railroad Festivals even better.

Thank YOU!

And last but not least, many thanks to you for your interest in the Central Coast Railroad Festival! Hope to see you again soon.

Railroad BBQ Co

We've got our first new Participant for the 2019 Central Coast Railroad Festival: Railroad BBQ Co. Classical and Avante-garde Santa Maria Style BBQ; offering catering services throughout San Luis Obispo County. They'll also be at SLORRM's SLO Train Day on May 11, 2019 (details).

Field Trip:
Santa Maria Valley's Electric Railroad

On February 23, 2019 beginning at 10am, the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad will explore the electrified branches of the Pacific Coast Railway and, ideally, gain some insight to the sometimes conflicting published material about them. Details and RSVP info.

What's Up at the SLO Railroad Museum

The SLO Railroad Museum is open every Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Watch for special displays and events, like Kids FREE Admission when wearing a costume on Halloween, Santa's visits, SLO Train Day, and more. Museum website. And here's their Schedule of Events.

2019 SLO Train Day set for May 11

Event activities at the historical Freighthouse include running model trains, kids' activities, all manner of railroad displays with interpretation, as well as various presentations and tours. We'll be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the transcontinental railroad completion at Promontory Summit, Utah on May 10, 1869. We'll also be celebrating the contribution by the Chinese and the Irish in building our railroads. Details.

BSA Railroad Merit Badge

On Sunday, March 10, 2019 the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum will be offering their 6th Railroad Merit Badge Class and Sign-Off Day. This class gives local Boy Scouts of America an opportunity to earn their Railroading Merit Badge. Details.

Model Railroad Days

April 5-7, 2019 at the Oceano Depot from 10am-4pm each day. Presented by the SLO Model Railroad Association (SLOMRA). See the Depot, different gauges of model trains running, and a swap meet table for great bargains! Admission is free, donations are welcome.

2019 Wine-Rail Excursions Posted

Don't miss out on a 2019 Wine-Rail Excursion from SLO, over the Cuesta Grade by train, a fun evening of wine tasting and music at Pomar Junction Winery, then back to SLO. Seven Fridays available from April through October. June 21st is already sold out. Details.

Beer Train Excursions, too

We've also posted 2019 Beer Train Excursion details.

Southern Pacific Railroad Arrives in SLO

Don't miss this talk by Andrew Merriam at the SLO Railroad Museum on May 4, 2019 at 11am. May 4th marks the 125th anniversary of the SPRR's arrival into SLO on May 4, 1894. Details.

New/Updated Rail Route Guides

The "San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara rail route guide" has been updated, and a new "San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles rail route guide" is now available (click on the underlined titles). These guides are courtesy of the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad.

Historic Railroad District Walking Tours by SecretSLO

Join SecretSLO any 3rd Saturday of the month at 2pm for a guided walking tour of SLO's Historic Railroad District: details.

SLO Railroad Museum Fundraising Dinner at the Bitter Creek Western Railroad

Saturday, June 29, 2019, 5pm. A great opportunity to enjoy train rides, cocktail hour, "Surf and Turf" dinner, wine pairings, and silent auction at the Bitter Creek Western Railroad: details.

Friends of SMVRR Posts Latest Newsletter

Periodic newsletters from Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad report on past activities, highlight upcoming events, and cover interesting historical and current tidbits. The December 2018 newsletter was just posted. Friends' Newsletters.

Central Coast Trains

We do have a full-service model railroading store in our county! Central Coast Trains of Atascadero is a small family-owned model train store that specializes in customer service and special orders. If you want it, they'll do whatever they can to get it for you.

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.

Year-Round Calendar

A Central Coast Railroading Calendar offers up-to-date listings for all rail events in our area: CCRRF.com/calendar.html.

Do you have a Central Coast railroad event to add to our next broadcast email? Email it to: addevent@ccrrf.com.

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