Mini Trains; Many Smiles

The Sacramento Valley Live Steamers Railroad Museum, Inc. is a little known jewel of Rancho Cordova history. The museum is dedicated to the history and tangibility of the steam engine.  However, unlike most museums where it is all look and no touch, this particular museum encourages you to not only touch the exhibits, but ride them as well. With nearly 6,300 feet of miniature track surrounding a portion of Hagan Community Park this collection of miniature 1/8 scale trains has plenty of room to roam.

Due to their desire to preserve the history of the steam engine era, this group of individuals dubbed The Steamers, have never in their 37 years charged to ride these small wonders. Funded largely by grants and donations, The Steamers have brought an educational experience to both young and old through the use of these small scale ride-able trains.

From March to October on the first and third Sunday of each month, these miniature locomotives are moving full speed ahead doing what they do best; making people smile. Every year The Steamers participate in a number of events hosted at Hagan Community Park. In addition, they also host two separate fundraisers; one around Halloween and another for Christmas.

“Our real purpose of it is to preserve the allure, history and wonder of the steam era,” says Lee Frechette, vice-president of the organization.

At this present time, the track and museum are down for yearly maintenance and repair. However, with the substantial donations of materials from local construction firms and through the volunteers of AmeriCorps, the track will re-open in March as planned. This project has not only received support from Rancho Cordova city council members, but has also received a number of generous donations.

Similar Posts:

• May 3, 2010 – Bike Month in May Means Plenty of Cycling Opportunities
• July 21, 2010 – Folsom, El Dorado and Sacramento Historical Railroad Association are Making Dream of Community Railroad a Reality
• May 7, 2010 – What’s Happening This Weekend in Rancho Cordova: May 8 – 9
• July 15, 2010 – Weekend Activities Include Eppie’s Great Race and Free Admission Day at the California Museum
• May 21, 2010 – What’s Happening This Weekend In Rancho: May 22-23

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Posted by Eyragon Eidam on Feb 2 2009. Filed under Lifestyle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.