central coast rail spectacular

Today is a travel day from either Southern California or Northern California to San Luis Obispo by Amtrak passenger train. You also have the option to drive to San Luis Obispo if you choose. Amtrak's southbound Coast Starlight departs Oakland at 9:09am and arrives in San Luis Obispo at 3:24pm. You can also board this train at Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, Emeryville, San Jose, or Salinas. If you are coming from Southern California you have the choice of using the northbound Coast Starlight which departs Los Angeles at 9:51am and arrives in San Luis Obispo at 2:52pm. You can also board this train at Van Nuys, Simi Valley, Oxnard or Santa Barbara. Additionally Amtrak operates two daily Pacific Sufliner trains between San Diego and San Luis Obispo in each direction. You can board these trains at 29 different stations. Check with Amtrak for the timetable and details.

Upon arrival in San Luis Obispo we will first visit the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum where we will have a special reception. If both the northbound and southbound Coast Starlights are on-time they meet at San Luis Obispo. After our visit to the railroad museum we transfer to our lodging for check-in at the La Quinta Inn & Suites downtown.

🍽 none

In the morning we first visit the Norgrove Railroad which is located in Arroyo Grande which is 14 miles south of San Luis Obispo. The Norgrove Railway is a 2-ft. narrow gauge line that supports the Norgrove Garden Vineyards and Orchards. The railroad has a total of eight steam locomotives and six diesels. Included in the roster is the “Buckeye”, a rare 0-4-0T locomotive built by O&K in 1935 of Germany and which worked a mine in Rhodesia. Also the 5240 a WWI-era, 2-6-2 T trench locomotive built by Davenport Locomotive works in 1918. Of the 80 built No. 5240 is the only one that is in operating condition. This railroad has alittle over 3 miles of track.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

Check out the 3 videos of the norgrove railway
by clicking on the links below

Photos Below On The Norgrove Railway

Late morning we travel to near-by Bitter Creek Western live steam railroad also located in Arroyo Grande. Upon our arrival a BBQ lunch will be served before we spend the afternoon playing with the steam locomotives and trains. The Bitter Creek Western Railroad is on 7.5-inch gauge and includes 1.2 miles (9.6 scale miles) of mainline with many sidings and two rail yards across the scenic 7-acre parcel. Railroad facilities include fourteen steaming bays, a hydraulic lift and turntable. Along the route, visitors will find a car barn, bridges, trestles and tunnels. The plan calls for two steam trains and two disesl trains in operation plus over a dozen locomotives on display.

Check Out The 2 Videos Of The Bitter Creek Western Railroad
By Clicking On The Links Below

Photos Below Are Of The Bitter Creek Western

Mid-afternoon we now travel to Santa Margarita which is about 30 miles north of Arroyo Grande and home to the Pacific Coast Railroad which is located on the Santa Margarita Ranch. The Pacific Coast Railroad follows a narrow-gauge loop around the ranch's 14,000 acres, offering wide-open views of the surrounding meadows and mountains. The railroad includes three engines, as well as four 5/8 scale passenger coaches from the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad dating back to the 1950s. We will have our own charter train pulled by steam and stage a number of photo run-bys over the line. This railroad has several steam and diesel locomotives and a very unique antique railcar.

You Might Want To Check Out The Videos Of
The Pacific Coast Railroad By Clicking On The Links Below

Photos Below Are Of The Pacific Coast Railroad

The Swanton Pacific Railroad Society operated an historic one-third scale, 19 inch gauge, railroad at the Swanton Pacific Ranch in Davenport, California 15 miles north of Santa Cruz, California.

Swanton Pacific Railroad (SPRR) equipment and facilities included:

* Four steam locomotives and one original passenger car from the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition's Overfair Railway in San Francisco.
* Reconstructed cars made of Overfair Railway parts and equipment from the 1975 Calistoga Railroad
* GE U25B Diesel locomotive 1:3 replica and cars built in 1963 by the Keystone Light Railway Products Company in Pennsylvania
* Roundhouse, turntable, car barn, machine shop, and workshop
* Four full-size cabooses

In 2020 the site was damaged by the CZU Lightning Complex Fire. The wildfire scorched tracks, historic buildings and three of the original engines. On December 2, 2022, the landowner, Cal Poly University, announced "the railroad does not fit within the strategic intent of the land, explaining its decision to abandon the efforts to rebuild the railroad. The railroad was permanently closed. Now the remaining equipment is in storeage at the Pacific Coast Railroad. We will be allowed to view and photograph this equipment.

Photos Below Are Some Of The Equipment From The Swanton Pacific Rr

Late afternoon we return to our hotel in San Luis Obispo and evening at your own leisure to relax and get some dinner.

After breakfast at the hotel we travel to Paso Robles which is 30 miles north of San Luis Obispo. We have a charter train waiting for us on the 15 inch gauge Halter Ranch Railroad which will take us through the rolling hills of the Halter Ranch Vinyards. The roster includes 3 locomotives, 8 passenger cars, 1 caboose, 2 flat cars and a ballast car. Currently the route covers 3.25 miles of 15-inch gauge track, that is strategically placed to highlight the beauty of the estate.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK OUT THE VIDEOS OF THE
HALTER RANCH VINYARD RAILROAD BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS BELOW

Photos Below Are Of The Halter Ranch Vinyard Railroad

After our visit to the Halter Ranch Railroad you are welcome to reboard the Coast Starlight for your journey home, at Paso Robles if you like. The southbound Coast Starlight departs at 1:57pm for Los Angeles and the northbound train departs at 4:15pm. You can also ride our charter motorcoach back to San Luis Obispo and reboard the train there. The southbound train departs at 3:37pm and the northbound at 3:05pm. Also the Pacific Surliner departs at 4:12pm for Los Angeles and on to San Diego.