Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo, California

Written By Kelsey Cecil

Campo, California · Updated October 19, 2026 · 12 min read

Heritage railroad with a museumTrain ridesCheck psrm.org for the current train schedule

From the restored 1916 depot at Campo on the old San Diego and Arizona line, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum has run volunteer-crewed vintage train rides since 1986, and it cares for San Diego County's railroad story at both Campo and the historic La Mesa Depot.

  • Founded in 1961
  • Train rides since 1986
  • Restored 1916 Campo depot
  • 140-acre Campo site
  • About 90 historic cars and engines
  • Southwest Railway Library

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum at a glance

Hours
Check psrm.org/hours for current Campo train and museum days
Admission
Check psrm.org/hours for current prices
Train rides
Vintage train rides from the Campo depot behind early 20th century equipment; schedule and fares on psrm.org
Seasonal events
Bunny Trains, Holiday trains, School Trains
Plan for
Half a day including the drive from San Diego
Best for
Families and rail fans on a backcountry day trip
Best ages
Ages 2 and up
Accessibility
The museum posts a wheelchair accessibility policy on its website

Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.

Look inside the book

Taking the kids to Pacific Southwest Railway Museum? Bring Rally along.

In Rally Takes the Train, a corgi's little legs can't manage the big train stairs, so Dad gives him a boost. It takes about five minutes to read, a good fit for the drive to Campo.

Page 1 of 8

Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

Like it so far? See the full book

25 hand-painted pages, paperback, $13.99 with fast shipping from Amazon.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

Every page is real watercolor on paper, painted by hand by Leslie Dunn. Nothing in this book was made with AI.

Sixty years of saving San Diego County's railroads

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum began in 1961 and incorporated as an educational nonprofit in 1963. Its focus has always been the railroads of the Pacific Southwest, especially those of San Diego County and the larger systems they connected with in the United States and Mexico: the San Diego and Arizona Railway, the Santa Fe, the Southern Pacific, military railroading, border railroading and urban electric lines.

In 1981 the association made Campo, in the Mountain Empire of southeastern San Diego County, its main home. The museum sits on the San Diego and Arizona Eastern line, and in 1986 volunteers began running excursions from the restored 1916 Campo depot, first toward Miller Creek and, from 1987, to Tecate. Those longer trips eventually ended. Rides to Miller Creek were suspended in 2007 because of track conditions the museum could not afford to fix, and Tecate trips stopped in 2009 when Tunnel Number 3 collapsed after hours.

The museum kept building. In July 2014 it opened the Southwest Railway Library in Campo, described as the second largest collection of railroad history in California. It also restored the original La Mesa depot, the oldest building in that town and the only surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway station, and won an award from Save Our Heritage Organization for the work.

Through it all, the trains have been run by all-volunteer crews and support staff, and ticket sales go directly to preserving the collection and supporting education programs.

A depot waiting room, a display building and a train to ride

At Campo, the 140-acre site holds about 90 historic railroad cars and locomotives, including five steam locomotives and eighteen diesels, many of them from the early 20th century. A large display building lets visitors look at, and walk through, part of the collection, and its Signal Science exhibit uses retired railroad signals to show how railway signaling works. The historic depot has a waiting room and gift shop, and the trains themselves are pulled by vintage diesel-electric locomotives.

Closer to the city, the La Mesa Depot Museum sits next to La Mesa Boulevard station on the San Diego Trolley's Orange Line. A display train there pairs Mojave Northern saddletank steam locomotive No. 3 with a Pacific Fruit Express refrigerator car and a Southern Pacific caboose. Between the two sites the association has more than 120 pieces of equipment and artifacts on display.

Don’t miss

  1. The 1916 Campo depotThe restored station where every excursion begins; step into its historic waiting room before you board.
  2. The display buildingWalk through railroad equipment indoors, decorated seasonally for events such as the Bunny Trains.
  3. Signal ScienceAn exhibit that uses retired railroad signals to show how railway signals work.
  4. Southwest Railway LibraryOpened in 2014 and described as the second largest railroad history collection in California.
  5. San Diego and Arizona MRS-1 1809A museum diesel that starred in the children's video Train Songs.
  6. The La Mesa DepotThe only surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway station, beside a display train with Mojave Northern No. 3.

Vintage coaches, Bunny Trains and a walk-through display hall

Families come for the train ride, which the San Diego Museum Council describes as a scenic trip in a refurbished historic car through the mountains and desert. Afterward, kids can walk through equipment in the display building and puzzle out how railroad signals work at Signal Science. Train fans who know the children's videos may recognize the place: the museum appears in There Goes a Train and Train Songs.

The museum runs seasonal family trains, including the Easter-season Bunny Trains, plus scouting programs and school trains. Campo is in the backcountry, about an hour's drive east of San Diego, so check the weather and the museum's posted policies on dogs, photography and wheelchair access before you go.

Plan your visit: tips for Pacific Southwest Railway Museum

  • Allow about an hour each way from downtown San Diego; Campo is off Interstate 8.
  • Read the museum's FAQ, dog policy and photography policy before you go.
  • Visit the La Mesa Depot Museum on a separate stop closer to the city.
  • Ticket purchases go directly to preserving the collection.

The museum runs seasonal family trains, including Bunny Trains around Easter, and families often look for its Christmas train each winter. Dates, names and tickets are posted on psrm.org, so check there in early fall. For more holiday ideas, see our list of Christmas train rides in California.

An all-volunteer association, from crews to work campers

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, Inc. is a nonprofit educational organization whose train crews and support staff are all volunteers. It offers membership, volunteer roles and even work camping at the Campo Railroad Museum for people who want to help on site. Visitors help by buying train tickets, which fund preservation and education, by donating, or by shopping in the depot gift shop.

More San Diego rail stops

Closer to the city, about 8 miles from the museum's La Mesa Depot, you will find the San Diego Electric Railway Association's National City Depot and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum. The Poway-Midland Railroad is about 14 miles from La Mesa. See the full California train museum list for more.

Every train museum in California

Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive

Watercolor of Rally the corgi dreaming about his toy turtle, green bone and yellow ball
From Rally Takes the Train, watercolor by Leslie Dunn.

Campo is a real day trip from San Diego, the kind where you pack snacks, jackets and a favorite toy for the car. That always makes me think of Rally packing for his trip in our book: his turtle toy, his green bone and his yellow ball, all squeezed into his little suitcase. Our book's train leaves from San Diego too, so this one feels close to home. Kids can color Rally's packing scene on our coloring pages.

Free for train families

Print the Rally coloring pages before you go

Watercolor coloring pages from the book, free to print. Tuck a few in a folder with crayons for the drive or the wait for the next train.

Get the free coloring pages
Rally Takes the Train book cover: a watercolor corgi peeking from a red train

A train story for the ride homeRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi's first train trip to see his grand-paw-rents. Hand-painted in real watercolor. $13.99 on Amazon, for ages 0 to 8.

Buy on Amazon (opens in a new tab)

More for train families

Work or volunteer at Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

We want this page to be the best introduction to your museum on the web. Send new hours, event dates, corrections or photos to kelsey@rallytakesthetrain.com and we will update it. You are welcome to share this page with your members.

Sources

Everything on this page comes from the museum’s own website and social pages and, for history, Wikipedia, checked October 19, 2026.

Pacific Southwest Railway Museum: 20 questions about Campo

Where is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

The main museum is the Campo Railroad Museum in Campo, California, about 50 miles east of downtown San Diego off Interstate 8, in the Mountain Empire area of the county. The association also runs the La Mesa Depot Museum at 4695 Nebo Drive, La Mesa, next to the La Mesa Boulevard trolley station.

Is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in San Diego?

It is in San Diego County, but not in the city. The Campo Railroad Museum is about an hour's drive east of downtown San Diego. The association's smaller La Mesa Depot Museum is much closer to the city, beside the San Diego Trolley's Orange Line in downtown La Mesa.

How much are Pacific Southwest Railway Museum tickets?

Current ticket prices are listed on the museum's Hours and Pricing page at psrm.org/hours, and they are not included in the information we reviewed. The museum says ticket purchases go directly toward preserving its collection and supporting education programs. Call (619) 465-7776 with ticketing questions, or use the website's contact form.

When does the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum train run?

The museum posts its train days and departure times on the Hours and Directions page at psrm.org, and the schedule was not included in the information we reviewed. Check the website before driving out to Campo, since it is a long trip from San Diego and schedules can change.

What is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum train ride like?

Rides leave from the restored 1916 Campo depot behind vintage diesel-electric locomotives, in early 20th century equipment crewed by volunteers. The San Diego Museum Council describes it as a scenic ride in a refurbished historic car through mountains and desert. Ask the museum about current ride length and route.

Does the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum still run trains to Tecate?

No, not currently. Trips to Tecate began in 1987 but were suspended indefinitely in 2009 after Tunnel Number 3 collapsed after hours. Rides toward Miller Creek were suspended in 2007 because of unsafe track. The museum continues to offer vintage train rides from Campo; check psrm.org for today's options.

Does the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum have a Christmas train?

People often search for the museum's holiday train, sometimes called the North Pole Limited, but details for this year were not included in the information we reviewed. The museum posts seasonal trains, dates and tickets on psrm.org. Check there in early fall and book early.

What other seasonal trains does the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum run?

The museum runs Bunny Trains around Easter, when the display building is decorated for the season. It also offers School Trains for classes and scouting programs. Dates and tickets for each event are posted on psrm.org.

What is there to see at the Campo Railroad Museum?

The 140-acre site has about 90 historic railroad cars and locomotives, including five steam and eighteen diesel locomotives. A large display building lets you walk through some of the equipment, the Signal Science exhibit explains railroad signals, and the 1916 depot has a waiting room and gift shop.

What is the La Mesa Depot Museum?

The La Mesa Depot is the original station in downtown La Mesa, the oldest building in town and the only surviving San Diego and Cuyamaca Railway station. The museum restored it and won an award from Save Our Heritage Organization. A display train outside includes Mojave Northern steam locomotive No. 3.

What is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association?

The Pacific Southwest Railway Museum Association, Inc. is the nonprofit educational organization behind both the Campo Railroad Museum and the La Mesa Depot Museum. Founded in 1961 and incorporated in 1963, it preserves railroads of the Pacific Southwest, with special focus on San Diego County and connecting lines in the United States and Mexico.

When did the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum start?

The museum was established in 1961 and incorporated as an educational nonprofit in 1963. It made Campo its primary location in 1981 and has run train rides for the public since 1986. The Southwest Railway Library opened in Campo in July 2014.

What is the Southwest Railway Library?

The Southwest Railway Library opened at the Campo museum in July 2014 and is described as the second largest collection of railroad history in California. It is part of the museum's mission to offer a research library open to the public. Use the Library/Historian option on the contact form to ask about visiting.

What should I know about weather at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

Campo is in the backcountry of southeastern San Diego County, where the San Diego Museum Council describes the ride as running through mountains and desert, so conditions can differ from the coast. Check a forecast for Campo specifically, and dress for the conditions there.

Is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum good for kids?

Yes. Kids get a ride on a vintage train, a walk-through display building and seasonal events such as Bunny Trains. The museum also offers school trains and scouting programs. It was featured in the children's video There Goes a Train, which may make it familiar to young train fans.

Can I bring my dog to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

The museum publishes a dog policy on its website, but its details were not included in the information we reviewed. Read the policy on psrm.org before you bring a pet, or call (619) 465-7776 to ask.

Is the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum wheelchair accessible?

The museum has a wheelchair accessibility page on psrm.org explaining access to its trains and grounds. Its details were not included in the information we reviewed, so read that page or call (619) 465-7776 before your visit to plan for your group's needs.

Has the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum been in movies?

Yes. The museum appears in the 1994 children's video There Goes a Train, featuring USAF ALCO MRS-1 2104, and in the Real Rockin' Wheels video Train Songs with San Diego and Arizona MRS-1 1809. B*Witched filmed its Jesse Hold On music video at the station in 1999.

How can I volunteer at the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

The museum is run by all-volunteer train crews and support staff and welcomes new members and volunteers. It even offers work camping at the Campo Railroad Museum for volunteers who want to stay on site. See the Get Involved pages on psrm.org or use the contact form.

What train museums are near the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum?

From the La Mesa Depot, the San Diego Electric Railway Association's National City Depot and the San Diego Model Railroad Museum are each about 8 miles away, and the Poway-Midland Railroad is about 14 miles. The Southern California Railway Museum in Perris is about 70 miles north.

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Kelsey Cecil
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