Oceano Train Depot Railroad Museum is located along Highway One in the California Central town of Oceano. This beautifully restored 1904 Southern Pacific Railroad Station looks better today than when it was the central transit hub for Southern San Luis Obispo County.
From 1904 until the mid-fifties, the depot was used for passenger and freight service. The depot saw continued use as a freight station until 1973, when it was closed and boarded up. The depot sat abandoned for several years and was scheduled for demolition. In 1978, the building moved a quarter of a mile north to its current location overlooking the railroad tracks.
Over the years, the Oceano Train Depot has been restored by volunteers and now serves as a community center and Railroad Museum. Visitors will find railroad artifacts and memorabilia inside the depot from Oceano and the surrounding area. Railroad tools, photos, maps, and tons of information about Oceano’s history are on display.
Outside the Train Depot, it is just as attractive as the inside. Even if you pass by when the museum is not open, it is well worth a stop. Take some photos, walk around the grounds, and imagine what life was like in the early days of Oceano, California.
Gavin Arthur’s Cabin in the Dunes
This cabin was built in 1931 and is the only building left from the Utopian dune colony of Moy Mell that once existed in the Oceano Dunes. This tiny cabin and photographs are left of the Dunites community living in the dunes in the early to mid-1900s.
Oceano Train Depot Lovern’s Clam Bell
Lovern’s Clam Bell is unique in bells because it has a double clapper. The bell signaled ranch hands that it was time for dinner before it was moved to Oceano in 1954. The bell sat at the long-gone Clammers Headquarters store on Pier Avenue. The bell rang to signal when the tide was low enough to start digging for clams or when there was an emergency.
Rolling Stock 1907 Caboose
The wooden caboose at the depot has an exciting history. It has seen use on the San Pedro/ Los Angeles Railway and Santa Maria Valley Railroad and is now on display at the Oceano Train Depot. A vintage boxcar also serves as a bathroom and for storage on site.
Southern California Train Rides
Rock-N-Roll Diner Oceano CA
After visiting the historic depot, we suggest you drive north on Highway One to the Rock-N-Roll Diner in Oceano. Two train cars, a 1946 Pullman dining car, and an original 1947 lounge car have been joined together to create one of the unique eateries along California’s Central Coast. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at 1300 Railroad St. Oceano, California. Website.
Oceano Train Depot Railroad Museum is open on Sundays from 1-3 pm. The Depot grounds are open seven days a week and worth looking around. For more info on the Oceano Train Depot, visit their website. You can find the depot at 1650 Front St, Oceano, California. Four miles south of Pismo Beach.
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