Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

Activity Overview

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum consists of two railway museums located in Campo and La Mesa, California. Its main site is located in Campo, approximately an hour away from San Diego by car, which provides train excursions on vintage diesel-electric locomotives most weekends. It also displays a number of fascinating railway artifacts, including historic railroad cars, locomotives, and various equipment. If your child loves trains, they're sure to have a blast at this museum.

Things to Do

• Explore the museum's collections - they include several interesting diesel and steam locomotives.
• Visit the La Mesa museum, which is the oldest structure in the entire town, and see the beautiful steam locomotive it has on display outside.
• Go for a ride on the Golden State Limited! Each weekend, visitors can take an hour-long train ride on the historic San Diego & Arizona Railway aboard this train.

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Insider Tips

• For a truly memorable experience, go for a locomotive cab ride! It allows visitors to ride in the cab with the engineer and learn what it's like to drive a train.
• Check the museum's schedule before you visit - it's only open certain weekends, and train rides are only available at certain times each day.
• If you have a child over the age of 16 who would like to learn how to operate a train, check the museum website to see if they're currently offering any brakeman classes, which teach volunteers the basics of railroading.