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September 3, 2023

Content

• Railroad Festival: Just a Month Away!
• Friends of SMVRR Excursion September 22-24
• Two Railroad Photo Contest Deadlines Approach
• Model Layout Tour Details Posted
• BBQ Dinners and Online Auction
• Festival Coloring Contest September at SLO Library Branches
• Keep Those Cameras at the Ready
• Swanton Pacific to Pacific Coast Railroad
• PCRR to Receive two SP Commuter "Subs"
• SP 4274: Last Trip Over Donner Pass
• Turntable Rides in Sacramento
• Thank You! 2023 CCRRF Sponsors
• 2023 CCRRF Participants
• Area Railroading Opportunities
• Want Your News/Event Promoted? (It's free)
• Want to Subscribe? (It's free)

Railroad Festival: Just a Month Away!

It'll be here in no time! October 6-8, 2023! While some adjustments may be made between now and then, you can see flesh on the bones of this October's Central Coast Railroad Festival. The overall Festival schedule is here. The schedule at the SLO Railroad Museum is here.

Friends of SMVRR Excursion Sept. 22-24

From the Friends' website: "Take a trip to the Huntington Library and stay at the historic Huntington Langham Hotel in Pasadena September 22-24, 2023. Experience a part of the gilded age and the railroad barons with a weekend trip to Pasadena with a two-night stay at the opulent Huntington Langham Hotel. On Saturday we will tour Henry and Arabella Huntington's vast estate which is now the Huntington Library." Ride Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner from SLO to LA Friday morning and return by motorcoach on Sunday. Details here. Friends Membership required. Registration and full payment due 9/4/23. Rob Himoto, President of the SMVRR, talked about a similar 2014 trip in a Parlor Car Chat on 2/20/21, here.

Two Railroad Photo Contests:
Deadlines Approach

Two railroad-related photo contests are underway in the central coast area! Details for each are here: SLO Railroad Museum Photo Contest (deadline: 9/15/2023), and the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad Photo Contest (10/1/2023 deadline).

Model Layout Tour Details Posted

The details of this year's CCRRF Model Railroad Layout Tour have been posted. Train layouts, public and private, are open at various times across four days, Thursday through Sunday of the Festival. There are about 30 layouts at 20 locations. Again, many thanks to Bob Chaparro and the Model Railroads of Southern California for organizing this annual self-guided tour. Detailed Tour (PDF). These details are subject to change, so check back as the event approaches.

BBQ Dinners and Online Auction

Pre-ordering for BBQ dinners (by Railroad BBQ Co) and Online Auction bidding are now open until October 1st for the BBQ and until October 6th for the Online Auction. This is a fundraiser for the SLO Railroad Museum that culminates at the Festival. Details are here.

Railroad Festival Coloring Contest
September at SLO Library Branches

Festival Coloring Contest Sheets are available at all SLO Library locations during September. The prize in the Coloring Contest is round-trip Amtrak tickets for five people from SLO to Santa Barbara and back on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner. The deadline to submit a Coloring Sheet (at any of the Library locations) is September 30th. Ages 0-12. The winner will be drawn from all entries on October 7th at the SLO Railroad Museum at 2:15pm. A rail-guide for the SLO-SB trip is here. The full SLO Railroad Museum schedule for the Festival weekend is here.

Keep Those Cameras at the Ready

We'd love to have you submit photos from this year's Central Coast Railroad Festival (any/all venues, any/all times) to the CCRRF's webmaster: webman@CCRRF.com. We'll use many of them on the CCRRF website, crediting the photographer. You're welcome to submit photos any time during or after the CCRRF weekend.

Swanton Pacific to Pacific Coast Railroad

A few weeks ago, NBC Bay Area did an informative story on the Swanton Pacific's move to the Santa Margarita Ranch. The story is here.

PCRR to Receive two SP Commuter "Subs"

The Pacific Coast Railroad (PCRR) recently announced that they will be receiving some other vintage equipment, this time from the Fairgrounds in San Jose. The donation includes two former Southern Pacific Commuter Suburbans ("Subs"), each 72-feet in length, along with rail and ties to go with them. See more at the PCRR's Facebook page.

SP 4274: Last Trip Over Donner Pass

Your CCRRF Chairman stumbled onto a 14-minute video documenting the last run of Southern Pacific #4274, a cab-forward articulated locomotive (4-8-8-2), over Donner Pass in 1957. The trip was organized by the California-Nevada Railroad Historical Society (1939-1962) whose archives are now in the California Historical Society's repository. The video is in the archives of the Western Railway Museum. The video can be watched on YouTube: here. More about these amazing cab-forwards is available here. Photo: a Southern Pacific Cab Forward on the SLO Railroad Museum's model railroad (HO).

Turntable Rides in Sacramento

The California State Railroad Museum is offering a "spin" around their turntable through the month of September on select days. It's a new form of a "round" trip, they say. More info here.

Thank You! 2023 CCRRF Sponsors

If you'd like to join this list, Contact Us.
KSBY-TV6
Major sponsor.
SLO New Times
Media sponsor.
To Shiny Rails
Major Sponsor. Jamie Foster's blog of his rail adventures; just for fun.
Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo
We join with one another here, not around a single set of beliefs, but in shared promise and purpose. Supplying overflow parking for the SLO Railroad Museum on Saturday.
City of San Luis Obispo
Hosting the model layout at the Downtown SLO Library.
San Luis Obispo Library
Handing out Coloring Contest Pages across SLO County.

2023 CCRRF Participants

This year's Central Coast Railroad Festival (CCRRF) is scheduled for October 6-8, 2023. If you'd like to be on this list of Participants, confirm your participation by contacting: Conductor@CCRRF.com.

• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum (SLORRM), Host
• CCRRF Model Layout Tour (This Year's Details)
• Model Railroads of Southern California
• Orange County 'N' Gineers
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum's 2023 Photo Contest
• Central Coast Trains
• Railroad Vendors and Exhibitors on the Platform (@SLORRM)
• Central California Coast Garden Railroad Society
• Central Coast Model Railroad (@SLORRM)
• Railroad BBQ Co. (@SLORRM)
• SLO Model Railroad Association
• Oceano Depot
• Rock-n-Roll Diner
• Grover Station Grill
• Santa Maria Valley Historical Society Museum
• Ted Waterhouse (music, @SLORRM) (New in '23)
• Paso Robles Pioneer Museum
• Dana Adobe and Cultural Center
• Jack House and Gardens
• Dallidet Adobe and Gardens
• Hands-On Model Railroad Layout (@SLORRM)
• Operation Lifesaver (@SLORRM)
• Halter Ranch Vineyard/Railroad (New in '23)
• Railroad Modeling talk by Bob Chaparro (@SLORRM)
• "Point San Luis Lighthouse" by Kathy Mastako (@SLORRM)
• "History of the SMV Railroad" by Rob Himoto (@SLORRM)
• San Luis Obispo County Library
• Pacific Coast Railroad Company (New in '23)
• Santa Maria Valley Railroad (@SLORRM)

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. Be sure to check with any of interest to you to verify their open status and schedules.

Want Your News/Event Promoted?

Do you have a Central Coast railroad-related event or news item to add to our next broadcast email? It's free! And it doesn't have to be part of the Festival itself (could be any time throughout the year). Email the details to: addevent@ccrrf.com. The next issue will likely be in a month or so. See the Announcements Index for past e-blasts.

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