South Bay Historical Railroad Society facts for kids
Santa Clara Depot interior, 22 September 2012
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| Founded | May 10, 1985 |
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| Founder | Robert Dolci, Ed Peterman, Bill Trudeau, & Doug Gross |
| Type | Public-benefit corporation |
| Focus | Railroad museum, Historic preservation, Model railroading |
| Location |
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| Origins | San Jose Society of Model Railroaders |
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Area served
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South Bay |
The South Bay Historical Railroad Society is a special group located in Santa Clara, California. They run the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History. This museum is inside the historic Santa Clara Depot. They also look after the Santa Clara Tower and two other buildings.
The Santa Clara Depot is super old! It's the oldest train station on the entire West Coast.
What You Can See at the Museum
Inside the Edward Peterman Museum, you'll find lots of cool things:
- A library full of railroad books and information.
- Displays with old train artifacts.
- Two big model train layouts. One is HO scale and the other is N scale.
- A boardroom that people can rent for meetings.
The museum is open at certain times for visitors. You can visit on Tuesdays from 5 PM to 8 PM. It's also open on Saturdays from 10 AM to 4 PM.
Trains Passing By
The train tracks in front of the depot are very busy! They used to be part of the Southern Pacific Railroad and are now used by Union Pacific. This area is called the Coast Line. It's also near UP's Newhall Yard, where freight trains are put together and crews change.
Both passenger and freight trains zoom past the depot. These include:
- Caltrain
- The Altamont Corridor Express (ACE)
- Amtrak's Capitol Corridor
- Amtrak's Coast Starlight
- Many different freight trains from Union Pacific.
Special Events
The museum also hosts fun events! The Northern California Bluegrass Society (NCBS) and the South Bay Historical Railroad Society team up. They sponsor a free bluegrass and related music jam. This happens at the Edward Peterman Museum on most second Saturdays of the month. It's from 12 PM to 3 PM.
See also
- Caltrain Centralized Equipment Maintenance and Operations Facility
- Locomotive
- Heritage railway
- List of heritage railways
