Join Us for a Day of Volunteering and Fun on October 19, 2024 Goleta, CA – The South Coast Railroad Museum is excited to announce the return of its Community Workdays, a beloved tradition that invites local volunteers to help maintain the museum’s grounds, exhibits, and the iconic Goleta Short Line. After several years...
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This article originally appeared in the “Goleta Depot Dispatch,” Volume 9, Number 2, September 1989. It has been transcribed and preserved here to share the story of how a dedicated community effort brought the wig-wag signal to life at the Goleta Depot. May 1989 marked a long-awaited milestone for the South Coast Railroad Museum...
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This article originally appeared in the “Goleta Depot Dispatch,” Volume 9, Number 2, September 1989. It has been transcribed and preserved here to share the exciting discovery of a significant piece of Goleta Depot’s history. Until recently, none of the artifacts and furnishings that decorated Goleta Depot’s freight office were original to the building....
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This article originally appeared in the “Goleta Depot Dispatch,” Volume 4, Number 2, Summer 1984. It has been transcribed and preserved here to share the fascinating story of how a piece of Goleta Depot history was rediscovered and restored. In the summer of 1984, the South Coast Railroad Museum at the Historic Goleta Depot...
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The arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in Santa Barbara in 1887 was a pivotal moment in the history of our community, shaping the region’s development and leaving a lasting architectural legacy. To delve into this fascinating chapter of local history, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum recently held a virtual event titled “Building the...
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This article originally appeared in the “Goleta Depot Dispatch,” Volume 38, Number 2, Summer 2018. Keeping the Museum beautiful is an unending task – a chore always in need of helping hands from the community. One young lady in particular has stepped up to keep our treasured depot looking fresh and pretty as, well,...
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This article originally appeared in the “Goleta Depot Dispatch,” Volume 38, Number 2, Summer 2018. We think old Ben Franklin would have approved. We’re talking about the little free library located in front of our museum gates. It is a terrific replica of our train depot and was lovingly constructed by long-time volunteer Clay...
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Ellwood Station, a significant landmark in California’s railroad history, commemorates Ellwood Cooper, one of the state’s most notable pioneers in horticulture. Cooper played a crucial role in introducing the eucalyptus tree and advancing olive cultivation in Southern California. His influence extended far beyond agriculture, impacting both the landscape and the development of the Santa...
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A small museum like ours needs lots of friends. When they are called upon to help, those friends become nothing short of heroes. Andrew, Angelica and Alexander Garcia have been museum friends and heroes for a long time, going back to their days as students at Dos Pueblos High School. The brothers and sister...
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The South Coast Railroad Museum played a small part in the 2014 Rose Parade. Aboard the Rotary float, which depicted a steam train in motion, were Rotary International President Ron Burton and his wife, Jetta Burton. The Burton’s costume for the event included engineer’s caps supplied by the museum – perfect attire for their...
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