First opened to the public in 1976, the California State Railroad Museum complex is one of Sacramento’s largest and most popular visitor destinations. Over 500,000 visit the Museum annually, with guests traveling from throughout the world to experience this world-renowned facility.
The California State Railroad Museum complex consists of six original, reconstructed, and new buildings completed at a cost of $30 million. The primary exhibit building, the Railroad History Museum, totals 100,000 square feet. Completed at a cost of $16.1 million, it opened in May 1981.
With over 225,000 square feet of total exhibit space, the buildings within the California State Railroad Museum complex use stimulating exhibits, enthusiastic and knowledgeable docents, and beautifully restored railroad cars and locomotives to illustrate railroad history in California and the West.
Throughout the main Railroad History Museum building, 21 meticulously restored locomotives and cars and numerous exhibits illustrate how railroads have shaped people’s lives, the economy, and the unique culture of California and the West. Included are a Pullman-style sleeping car, a dining car filled with railroad china, and a Railway Post Office that visitors can actually step aboard.
A visit to the California State Railroad Museum is a not-to-be-missed experience that will be enjoyed by persons of all ages and abilities. But there’s a lot more to see and do in Old Sacramento and the Capital City, too!