Golden Gate Railroad Museum facts for kids
No. 2472 hauling an excursion train in March 2009
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Schellville, California |
| Reporting mark | GGMX |
| Locale | Sunol, California |
| Dates of operation | 1975–present |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | http://www.ggrm.org/ |
The Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGMX) is a special place in California. It's a non-profit museum that works to save old steam trains and passenger cars. They also teach people about the history of railroads in the area.
Contents
History of the Museum
The Golden Gate Railroad Museum (GGRM) started because of one special train. In 1972, a person named Mike Mangini saw an old steam locomotive called SP 2472. This train had been sitting in a parking lot since 1959.
Bringing SP 2472 Back to Life
In 1975, Mike Mangini got permission to take the locomotive. Volunteers started working on it every weekend to fix it up. They formed a group called "Project 2472." After a lot of hard work, the train's boiler was fixed. In 1990, SP 2472 was moved to San Francisco. Then, on April 30, 1991, the train moved on its own power! It went to Santa Clara and then to Sacramento for a big train event called Railfair '91.
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Moving the Museum's Home
The museum was first located in a place called Hunters Point. But in 2005, the Navy, who owned the land, told the museum they had to move. The museum had to leave by February 2006. So, the GGRM moved its large collection of 12 locomotives and over 25 other train cars. They moved to Sunol, which is where the Niles Canyon Railway is located. The Niles Canyon Railway is run by another group called the Pacific Locomotive Association (PLA).
Some of the museum's collection was sold or given to other train history sites. One of these was the Western Pacific Railroad Museum (WPRM). The WPRM helped the GGRM move their trains. In return, the GGRM gave some locomotives and cars to the WPRM.
A New Home in Schellville
In January 2017, the GGRM announced they would move again. Their new home was to be in Schellville. This new yard was fenced in by late 2018. The big move to Schellville started in March 2020. To get the trains ready, they had to fix brakes and air leaks. They also replaced some of the train wheels.
Today, the GGRM offices are in Redwood City. The museum continues to fix up its collection of trains. They show off these restored trains at special events.
The Museum's Collection
The Golden Gate Railroad Museum mainly collects equipment that was used by the Southern Pacific railroad. This equipment was used for the "Peninsula Commute" service. This service ran along the San Francisco Peninsula between San Francisco and San Jose.
Trains You Can See
The museum has several important locomotives and passenger cars. One of the most famous is the SP 2472. This is a steam locomotive built in 1921. It is currently being checked and worked on.
They also have diesel locomotives like SP 3194. This train was built in 1954 and is still working. Another one is SP 1487, which was originally for the U.S. Army. It was painted to look like an old Southern Pacific train. The museum also has two EMD F7A locomotives, numbers 6378 and 6380, built in 1952. These are also operational.
The museum also has many passenger cars. These include a business car from 1927 and several "Suburban" cars from 1923. These cars were used for the Peninsula Commute service. They also have special "Gallery Cars" from 1956. These cars have two levels for passengers.
Trains That Have Moved On
The museum has also had other trains in its collection that have since moved to other places. One example is the Southern Pacific 4450. This was a diesel locomotive built in 1954. It was later sold to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in 2006. It was taken apart in 2013.
See also
- List of heritage railroads in the United States
- List of museums in California
