Orange Empire Railway Museum - Background

Background

The collection focuses on Southern California's railroad history. It houses the largest collection of Pacific Electric Railway rolling stock in the world, much of it rescued from scrapyards after the discontinuation of their passenger operations.

Two early Los Angeles narrow gauge streetcars from the Los Angeles Railway run each weekend on the half-mile long, dual gauge "Loop Line". A passenger-carrying diesel or electric freight train with open gondolas fitted with benches and at least two cabooses runs on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long, standard gauge mainline that was once a part of the transcontinental main line of the Sante Fe Railway (to San Diego). Its main line stretches from south of the museum northward to the junction with BNSF Railway, where the historic Perris Depot on State Route 74 stands. The BNSF Railway spur is in active use, and the railroad grants permission for OERM trains to use the spur for special events. A Pacific Electric interurban "Red Car" also operates on the mainline on selected weekends, but the line electrification ends a block south of the depot. Streetcars and locomotives are selected on a rotating basis. The museum maintains a steam locomotive in operating condition and its use is scheduled for each third Saturday, September through May, certain special events and major holidays.

Admission to the OERM and parking are free except for special events, but a ticket must be purchased to ride on the museum railway. The ticket is valid for unlimited rides on the train and streetcars.

Tours of the grounds, static exhibits and shops are self-guided. A picnic area is located near the main entrance as is an interactive railroad "signal garden." Built between 2000 and 2001 and utilizing a combination of standard railroad signal relays and custom microprocessor controls, the garden's first phase included:

• Two restored Magnetic Flagman grade crossing signals, both upper- and lower-quadrant
• Safetran V20 tri-light block signal, a new signal originally installed on the Southern Pacific Coastal Route and removed from service for standardization purposes by its successor, the Union Pacific Railroad
• Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicators which were miniature semaphores designed to warn maintenance crews of oncoming trains
• Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicator as used by the ATSF; this was little more than a pair of electric lamps and colored lenses
• Grade crossing warning bell ca. 1910. This is a large, bronze bell with an electromagnetically driven clapper which alerted motorists to the approach of a train. It stood at an SP grade crossing in nearby Anaheim until the early 1960s when it was donated to the museum
• Union Switch and Signal relay cabinet, ca. 1940 and used to house the electronics powering the exhibits

The display has since been expanded to include modern grade crossing signals, a US&S semaphore which once was mounted on a signal bridge spanning the Pacific Electric Watts Line and a century-old US&S banjo signal, used for both grade crossing protection and train control and one of only three known to exist. The others are on display at the Baltimore and Ohio Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.