The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERXRailinc, Search MARKs , accessed July 2019), formerly known as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, is a railroad museum in Perris, California, United States. It was founded in 1956 at Griffith Park in Los Angeles before moving to the former Pinacate Station as the "Orange Empire Trolley Museum" in 1958. It was renamed "Orange Empire Railway Museum" in 1975 after merging with a museum then known as the California Southern Railroad Museum, and adopted its current name in 2019. The museum also operates a heritage railroad on the museum grounds and on a right of way into downtown Perris.Hammond, Paul. Railway Odyssey: A Guidebook to the Orange Empire Railway Museum - 2nd Edition, pp. 65-84, Orange Empire Railway Museum, Perris, California, 1992.

Background The collection focuses on Southern California's railroad history. It houses the largest collection of Pacific Electric Railway rolling stock in the world, much of it rescued from scrapyards after the discontinuation of their passenger operations in 1961.

Two early Los Angeles narrow gauge streetcars from the Los Angeles Railway or standard gauge streetcars from the Pacific Electric Railway run each weekend on the long, dual gauge ( and narrow gauge) Loop Line. Passenger trains operate on the long, standard gauge mainline that was once a part of the California Southern Railroad, which connected with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway at Barstow, California, forming the first route to a California seaport (San Diego) by a railroad other than the Central Pacific Railroad/Southern Pacific Railroad.Dodge, Richard V. and Middlebrook, R. P. "The California Southern Railroad: A Rail Drama of the Southwest," Bulletin No. 80, May 1950, pp. 20-21, Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.Duke, Donald and Kistler, Stan. Santa Fe ... Steel Rails Through California, pp. 19-22, Golden West, San Marino, California, 1963. Its main line stretches from south of the museum northward towards the junction with BNSF Railway, where the historic Perris Depot on State Route 74 stands. The BNSF Railway spur is in active use, but the museum track onto the spur is currently severed due to Metrolink service, meaning that no museum trains can access the Perris Depot, though has recently been rebuilt. A Pacific Electric interurban "Red Car" also operates on the mainline on selected weekends, but the line electrification ends a block south of the depot. Streetcars and locomotives are selected on a rotating basis. The museum maintains a steam locomotive in operating condition and its use is scheduled for each third weekend, September through May, certain special events and major holidays.

Parking and admission to the museum are free except for special events. Tickets must be purchased to ride on the museum railway. Tickets are good for the day on all operating equipment on the line, including the streetcar loop.

Tours of the grounds, static exhibits and shops can be self-guided or with a docent. A picnic area is located near the main entrance as is an interactive railroad "signal garden."

Grizzly Flats Collection The Grizzly Flats collection includes a variety of narrow-gauge rolling stock, such as two steam engines, three coaches, several freight cars and a caboose. Most of it was donated by famed Disney animator and dedicated rail fan Ward Kimball.Hoder, Randye. “End of the Line for Beloved Train,” Los Angeles Times, p. J-15, November 15, 1990, Los Angeles, California.Parker, Dana T. Ward Kimball and the Grizzly Flats Collection at the Southern California Railway Museum, pp. 5-8, 15-17, 22, 24, 27-28, 44, Cypress, California, 2025.

In 1937, Ward Kimball and his wife, Betty, bought their first rail car, a former Carson & Colorado Railway coach for the scrap price of $50. They restored it, and bought a former Nevada Central Railroad 2-6-0 steam engine to go with it, naming it the “Emma Nevada.” Later, they bought more cars and a Hawaiian sugar plantation steam engine, which they named after their daughter, Chloe. Most of the collection was donated to the museum in 1992. The Kimballs also donated the funds needed to build the Grizzly Flats car barn there to house it, as well as the museum’s turntable.Parker, Dana T. Ward Kimball and the Grizzly Flats Collection at the Southern California Railway Museum, pp. 5-8, 15-17, 22, 24, 27-28, 44, Cypress, California, 2025. "Kimball Rail Tycoon in his Own Backyard,” Pasadena Independent, p. 44, October 24, 1948, Pasadena, California.

The Grizzly Flats collection also includes other narrow-gauge rolling stock, such as Denver & Rio Grande Railroad gondolas and a flatcar, and a very rare car, the “Esmeralda,” which was a Carson & Colorado narrow-gauge, combination business car and caboose. The front third of the car housed the conductor and rear brakeman (complete with a cupola) and the rear two-thirds was the business-car portion. After the Southern Pacific Railroad purchased the Carson & Colorado, it modified the car and converted the caboose portion into a galley.Boehle, Richard and Knapp, Daryl. “Carson & Colorado Business Car ‘Esmeralda’ Joins OERM Roster,” Railway Museum Gazette, pp. 9-15, December 1990, Orange Empire Railway Museum (now Southern California Railway Museum), Perris, California.Parker, Dana T. Ward Kimball and the Grizzly Flats Collection at the Southern California Railway Museum, pp. 11-14, 18-21, 23, 25-26,, Cypress, California, 2025.

Interactive signal garden

Built between 2000 and 2001 and utilizing a combination of standard railroad signal relays and custom microprocessor controls, the garden's first phase included: Two restored Magnetic Flagman grade crossing signals, both upper- and lower-quadrant Safetran V20 tri-light block signal, a new signal originally installed on the Southern Pacific Coastal Route and removed from service for standardization purposes by its successor, the Union Pacific Railroad Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicators which were miniature semaphores designed to warn maintenance crews of oncoming trains Union Switch and Signal motorcar indicator as used by the ATSF; this was little more than a pair of electric lamps and colored lenses Grade crossing warning bell . This is a large, bronze bell with an electromagnetically driven clapper which alerted motorists to the approach of a train. It stood at an SP grade crossing in nearby Anaheim until the early 1960s when it was donated to the museum Union Switch and Signal relay cabinet, and used to house the electronics powering the exhibits

The display has since been expanded to include modern grade crossing signals, a US&S semaphore which once was mounted on a signal bridge spanning the Pacific Electric Watts Line and a century-old US&S banjo signal, used for both grade crossing protection and train control and one of only three known to exist. The others are on display at the Baltimore and Ohio Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.

Notable exhibits and locomotives

Locomotives