Orange Empire Ry Museum - Car Barn #4

This information sign was posted on the UP #942 side.

Immaculate, polished Union Pacific E8A #942 was sitting in Orange Empire Ry Museum carbarn #4. Absolutely beautiful!! The Union Pacific E8A 942 is the flagship diesel locomotive of the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum) in Perris, California. Built in 1953 by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division (EMD), it served the Union Pacific until 1972, pulling famous passenger trains such as the City of Los Angeles. The locomotive underwent a full mechanical and cosmetic restoration, debuting in its classic yellow, red, and grey "Streamliner" paint scheme in April 2012. It is maintained in service-ready condition and occasionally leads a matching four-car passenger consist nicknamed "The City of Perris". As of 2026, the museum offers a unique experience where visitors can pay to operate the 942 under the supervision of a qualified engineer.

Specs - serial #18273, 2,250 hp fropm two 1,125 hp prime movers, 36-inch radiator fans were electrically driven and mounted horizontally.

Most notable on the nose of the loco is the massive winged medallion. It was 10-feet wide Scotchlite decal and in three pieces - a 28" wide center section and 3' 10" long wings.

Beautiful long streak of Armour yellow!!!

Close up of the loco's number.

This is the information sign posted on the orange & black striped Sacramento Northern #653 at the museum.

Nose view of the Sacramento Northern steeple sab #653. Sacramento Northern (SN) #653 is a steeplecab electric locomotive currently preserved at the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum) in Perris, California. Built in 1928 by General Electric, this B-B type locomotive originally served the Sacramento Northern Railway, a notable interurban electric line. The loco operated for Sacramento Northern until approximately 1965 in the Yuba City and Marysville areas. It was moved to the museum (then the Orange Empire Trolley Museum) in 1965. After being out of service for 20 years, SN #653 was restored to operation and returned to service on July 31, 2021. It is occasionally used to pull excursion trains on the museum's electrified mainline.

Side view of the electric loco in the museum's carbarn #4.

Cab close up

Headlight and nose close up view.

Close up of the GE logo on the side of the loco.

Here is a nice information sign that was posted inside the ATSF RPO #60.

Exterior view of the ATSF RPO #60 car in the carbarn #4 at the Orange Empire Ry Museum (now Southern California Ry Musuem). ATSF 60 is a 60-foot Railway Post Office (RPO) car built by Pullman in 1924 and preserved at the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly Orange Empire Railway Museum) in Perris, California. It operated until 1967,, typically running between Los Angeles and Ashfork, Arizona, on trains that continued to Chicago, featuring a sorted mail interior with 10-11 armed employees

The mail sack pickup arm was used to snatch bags of mail as the train passed by stations. This allowed the pickup without stopping the train at each station. I would have loved to see it in action back then!!!

Here is a wide shot of the sorting room where mail was sorted and put into large canvas sacks going to various locations in the US. The green slots to the right were for local mail sorting.

It would have been an interesting job to sort mail while balancing yourself in the swaying car.

On the other side of the aisle were more slots for local mail sorting that could be dropped off at each station and depot along the way. It was a fairly efficient system at the time but labor heavy.

Here is another sign that summarizes the RPO system.

Nice information sign by the car.

Interior view of Pacific Electric trolley #655. Trolley #655 at the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly Orange Empire Railway Museum) is a historic "Hollywood Car" from the Pacific Electric Railway. Built in 1924 by the St. Louis Car Company, it is currently cosmetically restored and on public display at the museum in Perris, California. Car #655 operated on various Pacific Electric lines, including the Hollywood Boulevard and Echo Park Avenue lines, until its retirement in 1954. In 1949, it was renumbered to 5094 when it was converted for one-man operation. The car was saved from a scrap pile at Terminal Island by Richard Fellows and was later donated to the museum by his widow, Lois Fellows. While it has been restored to "showroom condition" externally, it currently lacks motors and electrical gear. It is a long-term project to return it to full operating condition, and donations are accepted through the museum's Red Car Fund.

This is the other half of the car with the fare box between the two halves by the side doors.

The fare or toll box was located in the center of the car by the side doors for passengers to deposit their fare money.

Nice information sign posted on the side of the car.

Long side view of the Union Pacific sleeper #1210 "National Scene". Union Pacific (UP) car #1210, also known as the "Saddle Rock," is a part of the permanent collection at the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum) in Perris, California. The car is a heavyweight diner-lounge car that was originally built in 1924 by the Pullman Company. It is one of 18 UP pieces preserved at the museum and is often included in the museum's "matched passenger train" consist. The car was built in December of 1955 and served until retirement in September of 1970. It was sold to Finlay Funtime Tours in August 1971, renamed to "Audubon Park". Unfortunately, Finlay Funtime Tours shut down and equipment auctioned off. Hartwell-Lowe Corporation bought the car and donated to Orange Empire Railway Museum.

Rear view of UP Sleeper #1210 "National Scene".

Interior hallway view

Single sleeper room in daytime sofa setting.

Nighttime bedroom setting in one of the sleeper rooms.

Personal bathroom for single sleeper room.

Ventura County Railway No. 2, a 1922 Baldwin 2-6-2 "Prairie" type steam locomotive, is a primary operating engine at the Southern California Railway Museum (formerly Orange Empire). Originally used in Washington logging, it moved to California in 1943. The engine is currently undergoing an extended "Second Century Overhaul" following withdrawal from service in 2021. This is a Baldwin 2-6-2 Prairie-type, standard gauge built in 1922 for Cascade Timber Company (No. 107), sold to Ventura County Railway in 1943, and acquired by the museum in 1973. it is expected to return to service in 2026.

Close up of the headlight

This is the information sign posted on the rather unusual piece of station equipment, a coffin cart.

Unfortunately, coffins were often shipped via railroads. ATSF had this specialized cart for moving caskets around at stations. This was the first time I had ever seen one in person. Definitely a unique and rare piece of equipment.