Southern Pacific Railroad History Center in Rocklin, California
Rail preservation groupNo public museum building yet; the collection is online while a Rocklin site is planned
The Southern Pacific Railroad History Center is a nonprofit gathering the story of the Southern Pacific, from its first Texas predecessor in 1853 to its 1996 merger with Union Pacific, and honoring the men and women who worked for it. Its collection lives online today while the group works toward a museum in Rocklin.
- Covers SP history, 1853 to 1996
- Planned museum site in Rocklin
- Online photo and document archive
- Memberships start at $40 a year
Southern Pacific Railroad History Center at a glance
- Hours
- No public museum yet; the collection is online
- Admission
- Free to browse online; memberships from $40 a year
- Best for
- Southern Pacific fans, former employees and researchers
Hours and prices as the museum posts them, checked October 19, 2026. Confirm before you go.
Look inside the book
Taking the kids to Southern Pacific Railroad History Center? 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 Rocklin.
Rally Takes the Train
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Saving the Southern Pacific's story before the museum is built
The History Center's mission is to present the full history of the Southern Pacific System, starting with the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway, which began running between Harrisburg and Stafford, Texas on September 7, 1853, and ending with the merger into Union Pacific on September 11, 1996. Its website is meant to grow past one hundred pages, and it is dedicated to the people who worked for SP and its affiliated companies.
The group is also working toward a permanent museum in Rocklin. According to a Trains report, the first plan used land leased from Union Pacific at a former roundhouse site downtown, but soil contamination ruled it out. The new location is on the city's western edge, where State Route 65 meets Sunset Boulevard, beside SP's former Los Angeles to Portland main line. No opening date appears in its published materials, so check splives.org for progress.
What you can explore today, from home
For now, the History Center's collection is something you browse rather than walk through. The splives.org home page rotates through photographs of SP trains across its system: the Coast Daylight at Gaviota, a freight leaving the tunnel at Walong near the Tehachapi Loop, the first double stack car built for SP, a Los Angeles Division CTC machine, and crew portraits from Sacramento and Roseville. A separate digital collection at splives.net posts documents and exhibits, such as an illustrated California Winter Sports Guide.
Don’t miss
- The rotating photo galleryPhotos from SP employees and collectors, many credited by name, show the railroad from Texas to the Pacific Coast.
- The splives.net document collectionScanned documents and exhibits from the History Center's digital archive, searchable online.
- The Rocklin museum siteThe planned home sits beside SP's former Los Angeles to Portland main line at State Route 65 and Sunset Boulevard.
A project for older rail fans for now
With no building open yet, there is nothing for young children to climb or ride here today. Older kids who like big freight trains may enjoy paging through the photo gallery with a parent and spotting places on a map of the West.
Plan your visit: tips for Southern Pacific Railroad History Center
- Check the calendar page on splives.org for meetings and events.
- Email administration@splives.org with questions or calendar items.
- Members get a quarterly digital subscription to the SP Experience.
Members who keep SP's history alive
The History Center is a nonprofit that depends on members. Memberships start at $40 a year for an Active member and climb through levels named for SP's founders, such as Hopkins, Crocker, Huntington and Stanford, up to a one-time Promontory lifetime membership. Members receive the quarterly SP Experience and discounts in the online stores, and the center welcomes photos and documents that help tell the railroad's story.
Rail museums near Rocklin
While the Rocklin museum is still in the planning stage, the Folsom Valley Railway is about 8 miles away and the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad about 9. The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento is about 20 miles off. Browse California's train museums for more.
- Folsom Valley RailwayFolsom, CA · about 8 mi
- Folsom Railroad Museum / Folsom History MuseumFolsom, CA · about 8 mi
- Placerville & Sacramento Valley RailroadFolsom / Placerville area, CA · about 9 mi
- Sacramento Valley Live Steamers Railroad MuseumRancho Cordova, CA · about 14 mi
- Central Pacific Railroad Passenger Station historic siteSacramento, CA · about 20 mi
- California State Railroad MuseumSacramento, CA · about 20 mi
Bring Rally along: a train book for the drive
So many of the History Center's photos show Southern Pacific trains rolling along the California coast, like the Coast Daylight at Gaviota. In our book, Rally rides beside the ocean too, looking out an arched window and greeting a white bird. My mom pictured that view long before I painted it. You can read how her idea became a book on our story page.
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
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
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- Every Amtrak route with kids
Work or volunteer at Southern Pacific Railroad History Center?
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.
Southern Pacific Railroad History Center: 20 questions answered
What is the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center?
It is a nonprofit dedicated to the history of the Southern Pacific System, from its first predecessor company in 1853 to its merger with Union Pacific in 1996. It presents photos, documents and stories online at splives.org and splives.net, and it is working toward a permanent museum in Rocklin, California.
Can I visit the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center in Rocklin?
Not yet. The History Center does not list a public building or visiting hours, and an outside summary describes it as seeking a permanent location while it gathers exhibits. For now, its collection is online. Check splives.org or email administration@splives.org for news about the Rocklin museum.
Where will the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center museum be built?
According to a Trains report, the planned site is on Rocklin's western edge at the intersection of State Route 65 and Sunset Boulevard, next to Southern Pacific's former Los Angeles to Portland main line. An earlier plan for a former roundhouse site downtown was dropped because of soil contamination.
When will the Southern Pacific museum in Rocklin open?
The History Center has not published an opening date. Plans have already shifted once, from a downtown Rocklin roundhouse site to land near State Route 65 and Sunset Boulevard. The best way to follow progress is the History Center's website and its calendar page.
Where did the Southern Pacific Railroad start and end?
Its story starts with the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos & Colorado Railway, which began running between Harrisburg and Stafford, Texas on September 7, 1853. At its height, SP stretched from Portland, Oregon to New Orleans, reached St. Louis through the Cotton Belt, and later Chicago. The company's history ended with its merger into Union Pacific on September 11, 1996.
Does the Southern Pacific Railroad still exist?
No, not as its own company. Southern Pacific merged with Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, and the History Center treats that date as the end of SP's story. Many of its former lines still carry trains, and groups like the History Center work to keep its history and its workers' stories alive.
Who bought the Southern Pacific Railroad?
Southern Pacific merged with Union Pacific on September 11, 1996, which closed the chapter the History Center covers. The center's website traces SP's history up to that merger, including the many railroads SP itself absorbed over the years, such as the Cotton Belt in 1932.
Who owns the Southern Pacific Railroad today?
Southern Pacific became part of Union Pacific through their merger on September 11, 1996, so SP no longer operates as a separate railroad. The Southern Pacific Railroad History Center is not connected to any railroad company: it is an independent nonprofit preserving SP's history and honoring the people who worked for it.
Why did the Southern Pacific Railroad fail?
The History Center's published pages do not explain the reasons behind the 1996 merger with Union Pacific; they focus on what SP built. They describe a railroad that led in computerized operations and double stack trains and moved lumber, produce, petroleum and building materials across the West. For the merger's background, contact the center at administration@splives.org.
Are there Southern Pacific Railroad jobs?
Southern Pacific no longer hires, since it merged into Union Pacific in 1996. The History Center itself does not post jobs, but it relies on members and supporters. If you worked for SP or have family who did, the center's website is dedicated to those employees and welcomes their photos and stories.
What areas did the Southern Pacific serve?
SP ran between Portland, Oregon and New Orleans, across Texas, and after buying the Cotton Belt in 1932 reached St. Louis. It later ran the former Rock Island line from Santa Rosa, New Mexico toward St. Louis, gained a route to Chicago in 1989, and from 1898 to 1951 ran a line from Nogales to Guadalajara, Mexico.
What else did the Southern Pacific do besides run trains?
According to the History Center, SP founded Sunset Magazine to build interest in the West and Southwest, created Southern Pacific Pipelines to move fuel, and formed Southern Pacific Communications Company to sell extra communications capacity. It was also a leader in computerized railroad management and in double stack container trains.
What can I see on the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center website?
The splives.org site shows a rotating gallery of SP photos, including the Coast Daylight, the Tehachapi Loop area, the Bakersfield roundhouse and crew portraits from Sacramento and Roseville. A companion site, splives.net, holds a digital collection of documents and exhibits. Both are free to browse.
How much is a Southern Pacific Railroad History Center membership?
As of October 2026, the History Center lists an Active membership at $40 a year, Sustaining and Family at $100, Charter at $250 and Mainline at $500. Higher levels run from Hopkins at $1,000 to Stanford at $7,000 a year, plus a one-time $10,000 Promontory lifetime membership. All include the quarterly SP Experience.
What do members of the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center receive?
Every membership level includes a quarterly digital subscription to the SP Experience and a discount on digital downloads, books, artwork and merchandise in the center's online stores, starting at 10 percent. Higher levels add larger discounts and special recognition, and the lifetime Promontory level includes naming rights for a page of the website.
How do I contact the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center?
Email administration@splives.org or use the form on the contact page at splives.org. The mailing address is Southern Pacific Railroad History Center, 1475 Purson Lane, Lafayette, California 94549. The center does not list a public phone number.
Does the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center hold events?
The center keeps a calendar on splives.org for upcoming events and meetings, and it asks people with items to add to send them by email. It does not post regular public open days, since there is no museum building yet. Check the calendar page for the latest listings.
Is the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center good for kids?
Not for a family outing yet, since there is no building, train or exhibit hall to visit. Older children who like trains can enjoy browsing the photo gallery online. For a hands-on day with young kids, look at nearby options that run trains, such as the Folsom Valley Railway or the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad, both about 8 to 9 miles from Rocklin.
Can I donate Southern Pacific photos or documents to the History Center?
The History Center's website credits many photos to former employees and collectors, and its mission is to gather documents, pictures and videos about SP. It does not post a formal donation policy, so email administration@splives.org to describe what you have and ask how to share it.
What train museums are near the Southern Pacific Railroad History Center?
From Rocklin, the Folsom Valley Railway and the Folsom Railroad Museum are each about 8 miles away, and the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad is about 9 miles. The California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento is about 20 miles, and the Colfax Railroad Museum is about 26 miles up the old SP line.
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