Kevin O'Roark, President of the Friends of the Santa Maria Railroad, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation, improvement, and interpretation of the history of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad noted, "This is a win-win situation, where this will expose the citizens of San Luis Obispo County to the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, one of the premier shortline railroads in California. In return this will increase awareness of the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum's efforts in preserving the railroading history of the Central Coast and the preservation of the Pacific Coast Narrow Gauge Railroad in Santa Margarita. The Southern Pacific Railroad, Pacific Coast Narrow Gauge Railroad, and the Santa Maria Valley Railroad are all important in the local history and the railroads contributed to building the communities in the Central Coast."
For more information contact:
Brad LaRose, President
San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum
P.O. Box 13260
San Luis Obispo, CA 93406-3260
Tel: (805) 461-3456
FAX: (805) 781-0554
E-mail: info@slorrm.com
Rob Himoto, President
Santa Maria Valley Railroad Company
628 S. McClelland Street
Santa Maria, CA 93454
Tel: (805) 922-7941
Fax: (805) 922-9554
E-mail: rhimoto@smvrr.com
Kevin O'Roark, President
Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad
P.O. Box 1031
Santa Maria, CA 93456-1031
E-mail: info@friends-smvrr.org
La Condesa Arrives
October 22, 2007
San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum Rail Car Comes to The Santa Maria Valley Railroad
The La Condesa, a 1926 Pullman Observation Car donated to the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum, came to the Santa Maria Valley Railroad on Monday October 22, 2007. Mr. Gordon Crosthwaith donated the La Condesa to the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum in June 2006, It was located in Fullerton for the last 16 years. The move to the Santa Maria Valley Railroad will enable San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum to work on the passenger car to bring it to Amtrak standards. Museum plans are to eventually locate the passenger car on the museum tracks near the former Southern Pacific Freight depot, now being renovated into a museum in San Luis Obispo.
The La Condesa traveled on the rear of Amtrak Pacific Surfliner 799 from Union Station in Los Angeles to Guadalupe this Monday morning. The car was spotted in the Guadalupe yard at noon where the Santa Maria Valley Railroad crew picked it up and brought the car to Santa Maria.
Mr. Crosthwaith purchased the La Condesa in 1970 and ran it for many years for private excursions. The car was originally built for the Sante Fe Railroad as a diner-lounge-observation car, No. 1512. The San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum plans to bring the car up to Amtrak standards so the car can operate in private excursion service once again on Amtrak. Once the car is renovated, the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum has agreed for the La Condesa to be used for the Santa Maria Valley Railroad's dinner excursions.
Brad LaRose, President of the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum, was excited that the La Condesa will be located close to San Luis Obispo. Museum members had to travel to Fullerton to perform work on the car. Vice President Karl Hovanitz and Treasurer David Rohr were both involved with the negotiations with the Santa Maria Valley Railroad and both thanked the Santa Maria Valley Railroad for their assistance.
Rob Himoto, President of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad, commented that the assistance provided to the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum really helps the railroad by introducing the operations of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad to the members of San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Himoto would like to increase awareness that having a local freight railroad is a benefit to everyone on the Central Coast. The SMVRR provides a low cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly mode of freight transportation. In turn he hopes to introduce the residents of the Santa Maria Valley to the efforts of the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum in preserving railroading history on the Central Coast.