Nearly 40 LARHF members and staff traveled to the Southern California Railway Museum in Perris (formerly Orange Empire), on Saturday, May 25 for a fun day of photography and behind-the-scenes tours. Picture-perfect weather greeted the intrepid group who boarded a charter bus at Metro LA's Gateway Plaza near Union Station and traveled to the sprawling rail museum (Metrolink doesn't operate trains to Perris on weekends yet).
Greeting the LARHF bus at Perris was Santa Fe FP45 108, recently restored to her dazzling 1967 appearance, and Union Pacific E8 942, specially arranged by the SCRM team for LARHF. After a photo session, UP 942 performed a rollby for the group and headed to a car barn. Gary Starre, Asst. Division Manager Operations, led the group to tour various carbarns and equipment typically not open to the public, with a break for a great BBQ lunch served by the LARHF team.
The afternoon was filled with visiting the museum archives, riding Los Angeles Railway cars around the museum loop, and a ride to downtown Perris and return on the museum's main line. Santa Fe 108 was sadly sidelined with a mechanical glitch after her first trip of the day, so Southern Pacific U25B no. 3100 pinch hit for the Warbonnet. This hardly dimmed the spirits of the tour group who enjoyed the museum's amazing collection.
"I have visited the Southern California Railway Museum many times over the past 20 years. I have to say that Saturday's outing was by far the absolute best!" said member Gary Simon on LARHF's Facebook page. "Being with so many wonderful people on the bus and at the museum who share so many interest. The trains are always great, but, the people were even better. Thanks everyone who made this possible, and attended this trip." Thanks to Gary Starre and Bruce Cripe of SCRM, museum volunteers, and everyone who made this fun day possible! View our Field Trips page to see more photos.
In addition, member Gary Simon has posted a great YouTube video from the day -- view it here. More photos & videos can be viewed on LARHF's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages.
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