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October 20, 2021

What a Great 11th Annual Festival!

Next Festival - Mark Your Calendars
October 7-9, 2022

Henceforth, the Central Coast Railroad Festival weekend will start on the first Friday of October. Yes, some things will continue to start before that and may even go beyond that, but the "main events" will start on that first Friday.

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

2021 Highlights

While not a record-breaker for nunbers of people, it was something of a triumphant return to some semblance of normalcy where many folks enjoyed events, displays, presentations, layouts, etc. from northern Santa Barbara County to Paso Robles during the weekend of the 2021 Central Coast Railroad Festival.

Photos: You can find photos from this year's Festival indexed here.

Many thanks to Bob Chaparro of the Model Railroads of Southern California for coordinating the fantastic model layout tour! 29 railroads at 17 locations from Paso Robles to Lompoc were on the tour, and hundreds of enthusiasts got to see some fabulous railroads. Photos of three layouts.

Many thanks to the SLO County Library system that handed out railroad goody bags at all their locations in September 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.

We welcomed Norgrove Railway to the family of CCRRF Participants this year. Their beautiful new 600mm-gauge (just under 2') railroad along El Campo Road is coming along wonderfully and folks got a chance to see that progress up close and personal. Photos.

We also welcomed the Dana Adobe & Cultural Center in Nipomo to the family of CCRRF Participants this year. Their back yard has a segment of the Pacific Coast Railway which is walkable. See photos and story.

Hopefully you made it to the Oceano Depot to not only see that original Southern Pacific depot and tour the office, waiting room, and business center but also see the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association's layouts set up inside. Photos.

Of course, on Saturday, there was a great deal of activity at the host location, the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Talks, exhibits, model trains, vendors, new displays and exhibits, Operation Lifesaver, food, etc. For the details of the happenings and photos at the Museum, go here.

Festival Host

San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum

Many Thanks! to our
2021 Major Sponsors

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

Festival Featured Hotel and Sponsor 2021

Lamplighter Inn & Suites, SLO

Promotional Partners 2021

City of San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo Library

Media Sponsors 2021

KSBY-TV6

Participants 2021

Amtrak
Central California Coast Garden Railroad Society
Central Coast Trains
Central Valley Model Works
Dana Adobe & Cultural Center
Doc Burnstein's Ice Cream Lab
Model Railroads of Southern California
Norgrove Railway
Oceano Depot
Operation Lifesaver
Orange County 'N' Gineers
Paso Robles Pioneer Museum
Railroad BBQ Co
San Luis Obispo County Library
San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association
San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum
South Street Roundhouse

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 finally, many thanks to you for your interest in the Central Coast Railroad Festival! Hope to see you again very, very soon.

Many Thanks to Dave Congalton, KVEC

We greatly appreciate being interviewed on the Dave Congalton Show (KVEC Radio) the Wednesday before the big weekend of the Festival. The 30-minute conversation was great, we covered most of what the Festival was all about, and website traffic incresed by 65% during the following 24 hours.

Santa Claus at RR Museum December 4th

Santa Claus visits the Museum on Saturday, December 4th! Watch for details on the Museum's Schedule of Events page. The SLO Railroad Museum is open every Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Garden Railroad Runs in Oct/Nov

The Central California Coast Garden Railroad Society (CCCGRS) has train runs currently scheduled for October 23rd and November 6th, both in Santa Maria. To stay current with CCCGRS activities, it's best to visit their online calendar. By the way, several of the members' railroads are described with photos and text on the CCCGRS website - here.

Latest Friends-of-SMVRR Newsletter

The Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad will be posting their latest newsletter, Fall 2021, any day now. This issue includes the winning photos from their recent photo contest. All their newsletters are here.

San Fernando Valley Model Layout Tour

It's a distance, but if you're in reach of the San Fernando Valley on October 30, 2021, you might want to take advantage of another Model Railroad Layout Tour organized by Bob Chaparro of the Model Railroads of Southern California. Here are the details (PDF).

2022 SLO Train Day & CoastRail

The SLO Railroad Museum is planning to hold the 2022 SLO Train Day in May 2022. That event will include the inaugural CoastRail in San Luis Obispo as well. Similar to WinterRail (which ran in Sacramento for decades and is now in Oregon), CoastRail will be a time for railroad photography and videography presentations. Watch the SLORRM website for details.

Railroad Modeling Clinics

Modeling clinics have returned to the SLO Railroad Museum, typically 4th Saturdays at noon. As scheduled, clinic details will be posted here.

Danny the Diesel Locomotive Hauls Rocks

The SLO Railroad Museum has a second children's book out, Danny the Diesel Locomotive Hauls Rocks, intended for ages about three to six. It's free to view and download, but a donation of $10 will help continue Museum programs for our younger visitors. It's here: Danny the Diesel Locomotive Hauls Rocks.

Oceano Depot

The Oceano Depot is open every Sunday 1-3pm. This Southern Pacific Railroad Station was the center of most of the commercial and transportation activities in South San Luis Obispo country from 1904 until the 1950s and retired from service in 1973. It has been moved 400 yards north of the original site and is being restored by volunteer efforts for its new role as a community center. Here's their Facebook page (while the website is being revamped).

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.

We'll Announce Your Event(s)

Does your group have a railroad-related event (or two) to add to our next announcements email? Email the info to: addevent@ccrrf.com. Think several months out...

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