Orange Empire Railway Museum
Encyclopedia
Reporting mark
A reporting mark is a two-, three-, or four-letter alphabetic code used to identify owners or lessees of rolling stock and other equipment used on the North American railroad network. The marks are stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with a one-to-six-digit number, which together uniquely...
OERX), 2201 South "A" Street, Perris, California
Perris, California
Perris is a city in Riverside County, California, USA. At the 2010 census, the city population was 68,386, up from 36,189 at the 2000 census. The city is named in honor of Fred T. Perris, chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad...
, is a railroad museum founded in 1956 at the Pinacate Station
Pinacate, California
Pinacate, , was a small settlement east of the Pinacate Mining District in Riverside County, California. It was established when the California Southern Railroad line was built between Colton and San Diego in 1882...
as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum." The museum also operates a heritage railroad
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
on the museum grounds.
Background
The collection focuses on Southern California's railroad history. It houses the largest collection of Pacific Electric RailwayPacific Electric Railway
The Pacific Electric Railway , also known as the Red Car system, was a mass transit system in Southern California using streetcars, light rail, and buses...
rolling stock in the world, much of it rescued from scrapyards after the discontinuation of their passenger operations.
Two early Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
narrow gauge streetcars
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
from the Los Angeles Railway
Los Angeles Railway
The Los Angeles Railway was a system of streetcars that operated in central Los Angeles, California and the immediate surrounding neighborhoods between from 1901 and 1963. Except for two short funicular railways it operated on tracks...
run each weekend on the half-mile long, dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
"Loop Line". A passenger-carrying diesel or electric freight train
Train
A train is a connected series of vehicles for rail transport that move along a track to transport cargo or passengers from one place to another place. The track usually consists of two rails, but might also be a monorail or maglev guideway.Propulsion for the train is provided by a separate...
with open gondola
Gondola
The gondola is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian Lagoon. For centuries gondolas were the chief means of transportation and most common watercraft within Venice. In modern times the iconic boats still have a role in public transport in...
s fitted with benches and at least two caboose
Caboose
A caboose is a manned North American rail transport vehicle coupled at the end of a freight train. Although cabooses were once used on nearly every freight train, their use has declined and they are seldom seen on trains, except on locals and smaller railroads.-Function:The caboose provided the...
s runs on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) long, standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this 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
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
, where the historic Santa Fe depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
on State Route 74
California State Route 74
State Route 74 , a part of the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway, is a mostly scenic highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs from Palm Desert in Riverside County westward to San Juan Capistrano in Orange County.-Route description:...
stands. The BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
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
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
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
- SafetranSafetranSafetran Systems Corporation is a US-based supplier of switch machines, railroad wayside signal systems, rail transit signaling and rail-highway grade crossing active warning systems....
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 RailroadUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... - Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicators which were miniature semaphoresRailway semaphore signalOne of the earliest forms of fixed railway signal is the semaphore. These signals display their different indications to train drivers by changing the angle of inclination of a pivoted 'arm'. Semaphore signals were patented in the early 1840s by Joseph James Stevens, and soon became the most...
designed to warn maintenance crews of oncoming trains - Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicator as used by the ATSFAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
; 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 AnaheimAnaheim, CaliforniaAnaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
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
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
Notable exhibits
- The Emma Nevada is an 1881 Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
2-6-0 "Mogul" narrow gauge steam locomotive purchased by DisneyThe Walt Disney CompanyThe Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
animator Ward KimballWard KimballWard Walrath Kimball was an animator for the Walt Disney Studios. He was one of Walt Disney's team of animators known as Disney's Nine Old Men.-Career:...
and his wife Betty for their backyard "Grizzly Flats RailroadGrizzly Flats RailroadThe Grizzly Flats Railroad was a long narrow gauge railroad in San Gabriel, California, owned by Disney animator Ward Kimball. It was the first full-sized backyard railroad in the United States and was operated from 1942 to 2006.-History:...
" in 1938. Originally built for the short-line Nevada Central Railway connecting Battle MountainBattle Mountain, NevadaBattle Mountain is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lander County, Nevada, United States. The population was 2,871 at the 2000 census. Though it has no legal status as a municipality, it still functions as the county seat of Lander County...
with AustinAustin, NevadaAustin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada, in the United States. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of . U.S...
, the beautifully restored locomotive features Kimball's own artwork on the cab and headlight and was finally fired up in 1942. BoilerBoilerA boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
problems permanently sidelined the Emma Nevada in 1951. Kimball donated the locomotive to the museum and it can be seen today in the museum's "Grizzly Flats" car barn. The love of trains that Kimball shared with Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and fellow animator Ollie JohnstonOllie JohnstonOliver Martin Johnston, Jr. was an American motion picture animator. He was one of Disney's Nine Old Men, and the last surviving at the time of his death. He was recognized by The Walt Disney Company with its Disney Legend Award in 1989...
is credited with the idea of building a railroad in Disneyland. An area in Disney's California AdventureDisney's California AdventureDisney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
theme park is named "Grizzly Flats" in honor of Kimball. At Disneyland, a restored 1902 Baldwin narrow gauge locomotive has been named after Kimball. The Ward Kimball, which entered service on June 26, 2005, is the first locomotive added to the Disneyland RailroadDisneyland RailroadThe Disneyland Railroad , originally the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad, is a narrow gauge railroad at Disneyland, Anaheim, California, United States, that was inaugurated on the park's live television preview on July 17, 1955. This live steam railway was constructed for $240,000; each of the...
since 1959. - The museum's newest locomotive, ATSF 98ATSF 98ATSF 98 is a 1967 General Motors Electro-Motive Division FP45 diesel locomotive once owned by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and is today on permanent, operational display at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California USA....
is a 1967 EMD FP45EMD FP45The EMD FP45 is a cowl unit type of C-C diesel locomotive produced in the United States by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. It was produced beginning in 1967 at the request of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, which did not want its prestigious Super Chief and other passenger...
diesel locomotiveDiesel locomotiveA diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
. Featuring a 3600-horsepower (2.7 MW), 20-cylinder prime mover and six traction motorTraction motorTraction motor refers to an electric motor providing the primary rotational torque of a machine, usually for conversion into linear motion ....
s, the FP45 was intended for fast passenger service and is geared to run in excess of 90 miles per hour (40.2 m/s) . ATSF 98 is especially notable as being the last passenger locomotive ever purchased by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe RailwayThe Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
and was used on Santa Fe's finest passenger trains, including the Super ChiefSuper ChiefThe Super Chief was one of the named passenger trains and the flagship of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It was often referred to as "The Train of the Stars" because of the many celebrities who traveled on the streamliner between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.The Super...
between ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and Los Angeles. Relegated to fast freight service in 1971 when passenger rail operations were transferred to AmtrakAmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
, the FP45 was donated in operating condition less its air conditioner by the Burlington Northern Santa FeBNSF RailwayThe BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
in 1997, but its size limits its use to occasional demonstration service and special excursions. It is maintained in service-ready condition and is sometimes used on off-property work trains. - Southern Pacific 3100Southern Pacific 3100Southern Pacific 3100 is a GE U25B diesel-electric locomotive now on permanent exhibit at the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, California USA...
is a GE U25BGE U25BThe GE U25B was General Electric's first independent entry into the United States domestic diesel-electric railroad locomotive market for heavy production road locomotives since 1936...
diesel locomotive once owned by the Southern Pacific RailroadSouthern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company, and usually simply called the Southern Pacific or Espee, was an American railroad....
and is the last operating example left in the US. Built in 1963, it became one of three SP locomotives painted in a red, white and blue color scheme in 1976 in celebration of the United States BicentennialUnited States BicentennialThe United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
. Numbered as SP 3100 prior to being donated, this locomotive is used in regular service. Like the FP45, the U25B is certified to run on any railroad, and its two-axle trucks and 2500-horsepower (1.9 MW) prime mover make it ideal for off-property work trains. It is also used to pull passenger-carrying freight cars on weekends and during members-only events, may be operated by museum members under supervision by a qualified engineer. - The Pacific Electric collection consists of over 30 pieces of equipment from the largest interurbanInterurbanAn interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
network in the United States, including local, suburban and interurban passenger equipment, electric locomotives, cabooses, and freight cars. Included are "Business Car" PE 1000 and interurban PE 1001 built in 1913 by JewettJewett-Places in the United States:*Jewett, Illinois*Jewett, Minnesota*Jewett, New York*Jewett, Ohio*Jewett, Texas*Jewett, Wisconsin*Jewett City, Connecticut-People:*Charles Coffin Jewett , an American librarian*Dan Jewett*Daniel Tarbox Jewett, a U.S...
; PE 1299, a 1929 "Business Car" rebuilt from a 1912 PullmanPullman CompanyThe Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...
-built Southern Pacific trailer; three giant "Blimp" interurban coaches; several "Hollywood" suburban cars (featured in the film Who Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger RabbitWho Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
and two BirneyBirneyA Birney or Birney Safety Car is a type of streetcar that was manufactured in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. The design was small and light and was intended to be an economical means of providing frequent service at a lower infrastructure and labor cost than conventional streetcars...
streetcars. - The Los Angeles Railway collection consists of over two dozen pieces of electric railway equipment and is the most comprehensive collection of preserved equipment from any large city streetcar system. Highlights of the collection, which includes examples of nearly every type of streetcar run in Los Angeles in the 20th century as well as numerous work cars, include the "DescansoDescansoDescanso may refer to:* Descanso * Descanso , a genus of jumping spider* Descanso, California, an unincorporated community in the United States* Descanso, Santa Catarina, a town and municipality in Brasil...
", the only surviving street railway funeral car; car 3001, christened by Shirley TempleShirley TempleShirley Temple Black , born Shirley Jane Temple, is an American film and television actress, singer, dancer, autobiographer, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia...
as the first PCC streetcarPCC streetcarThe PCC streetcar design was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful in its native country, and after World War II was licensed for use elsewhere in the world...
in Los Angeles; and several examples of the "California" type of streetcar that utilized a half-open design suitable to the warm climate. Cars are operated regularly over the only 3'6" gauge trolley line remaining in the United States. - Ventura County Railway #2 is a 1922 Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
2-6-2 steam locomotive maintained in operating condition. Originally built to run on coal, the locomotive was converted to oil soon after delivery to its original purchaser, the Southern Pacific Railroad. Last used by the V.C. Ry. on an excursion run in 1959, it was put up for sale in 1962, sold to a private party in 1964 and transferred to the California Southern Railroad Museum, one of the OERM's predecessors, in 1972. The boiler was overhauled to present-day FRAFRAFra is a variant of Friar.FRA may refer to:* Forward Rate Agreement , a financial instrument* Federal Railroad Administration, a division of the United States Department of Transportation...
steam locomotive regulations in 2001–2006; bringing the rest of the locomotive to specifications has been ongoing since its acquisition.
See also
- List of heritage railways
- Perris Valley Historical and Museum AssociationPerris Valley Historical and Museum AssociationThe Perris Valley Historical and Museum Association was founded in 1964 to gather, protect, and preserve the history of the Perris Valley....
- Railroad CanyonRailroad CanyonRailroad Canyon, also known as San Jacinto Canyon, Cottonwood Canyon, and Annie Orton Canyon, lies along the course of the San Jacinto River at the point where the river passes south through the hills from Perris, California, through Canyon Lake, California, then west to Lake Elsinore, California...