What's New

The mission of the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad (SMVRR) is to preserve, improve, and interpret historical and contemporary aspects of the SMVRR. We provide our members and the public with educational programs such as history, current business practices, and trends related to railroading in general and the SMVRR in particular.

Friends also conducts various activities such as field trips, tours, and travel. Friends is a 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organization. More information is on our About page. We welcome your Donations to Friends!

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Current Activities:

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Friends Work Days at Osburn Yard

The Friends work day on Saturday October 5 is cancelled since everyone will be at the Central Coast Railroad Festival at the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum. Join Rob Himoto and Belinda Popovich from the SMVRR for their presentation titled "Santa Maria Valley Railroad: Trailblazing Women in the Rail Industry" from 10:30 am to 11:30 am on Saturday October 5. Work days on Saturday November 2 and December 7 are still planned -- check back here on the Friday before each work day for details.

Rail Photo Contest

Last Call for the 2024 SMVRR Photo Contest. You have until November 1, 2024 to submit your photos in the following categories: SMVRR Present and Manifest Freight Serving the SMVRR.

Details about the 2024 photo contest and previous contest winners are on the photo contest page.

Preservation of SMVRR Blueprints

The Friends of SMVRR have begun the task of scanning and archiving blueprints and drawings from the age of steam. These engineering blueprints are of the steam locomotives that were previously in service on the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Help us preserve the original SMVRR Steam Era Blueprints.
Details are on Blueprint Preservation page.

9th Annual Dinner Gala/Auction a Big Success!

The 9th Annual Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad Dinner Gala was held on Saturday May 18, 2024 to its largest attendance. Emcee and President of the Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad Garret Matsuura welcomed the record crowd at the Dominion Barn less than a quarter of a mile away from the former Eastern Branch of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Several awards and scholarships were presented along with a silent auction ending with a live auction closed out a successful night.   Photos and Story on the Gala Page.

A Fun Time at the SMVRR BBQ
and Open House

Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad members enjoyed this years Annual Open House and BBQ hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Railroad on Saturday, August 17. There were tours and demonstrations along with a silent auction. And a rivet counting contest that kept everyone guessing for quite a while. A scrumptious Santa Maria style tri-tip and chicken BBQ lunch was served. All of the profits will go towards the Betty Himoto Memorial Scholarship Fund. View the event photos here.