"San Diego Railroad Museum - IMG_3015" by Monica's Dad is licensed under CC BY 2.0
About San Diego Railroad Museum
On a 140-acre site along the San Diego and Arizona Eastern line in Campo, you can walk through a collection of roughly 90 historic railroad cars and locomotives — five steam engines and eighteen diesels among them — then board an all-volunteer excursion train behind vintage diesel-electric power from the restored 1916 depot. A Signal Science exhibit built from retired railroad signals shows how railway signaling actually works.
At a Glance
Verified daily- Type
- Railroad museum
- Location
- CA
- Rating
- 4.7 ★ 1,261 Google reviews
Upcoming Events
No ticketed events are currently listed for San Diego Railroad Museum. Many heritage operators publish schedules seasonally or run on regular open hours instead of dated events.
Check the operator’s website for current hours and special runs, or subscribe to event alerts and we’ll email you when something is scheduled.
Plan Your Visit
- Parking
- Free lot · paid lot
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance · accessible restroom · accessible parking
- Good For
- All ages
- Hours
- Monday: ClosedTuesday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PMWednesday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PMThursday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PMFriday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PMSaturday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PMSunday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Find the Depot
History
See full history
The organization behind the museum, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, was founded in 1961 as the San Diego County Railway Museum, carried the name San Diego Railroad Museum from 1988 to 2000, and operates today as the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Since 1986 its all-volunteer crews have run excursion trains from the restored 1916 depot at Campo, in the Mountain Empire country of southeastern San Diego County on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway line. The association also manages the original La Mesa depot in downtown La Mesa — the oldest building in town and the only surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway station — whose renovation earned an award from Save Our Heritage Organisation, San Diego's historic preservation society. The Campo campus added the Southwest Railway Library in July 2014, holding the second-largest collection of railroad history material in California.
Around the Depot
Casa de BalboaAttraction·★ 4.9 (16)1 min walkDirections →Founders CirclePark·★ 5 (2)1 min walkDirections →
Casa Del PradoAttraction·★ 4.7 (212)1 min walkDirections →Balboa Park ExplorerAttraction·★ 4.7 (42)1 min walkDirections →Casa del Rey Moro GardenPark·★ 4.8 (27)1 min walkDirections →Lily PondPark·★ 4.8 (143)1 min walkDirections →San Diego Scavenger Adventure HuntsAttraction·★ 5 (3)2 min walkDirections →
Getting There & Staying Nearby
Optional trip extras from our travel partners.
Rent a Car
Most heritage railroads sit well off the interstate. Picking up a rental at the nearest airport is usually the easiest way in.
Compare rentals on Discover Cars →Bookings made through this link support usatrainrides at no extra cost to you.
Tours & Activities Nearby
Tours
Guided tours, day trips, and things to do around the area, bookable in advance through Viator.
Browse nearby tours →Bookings made through this link support usatrainrides at no extra cost to you.