Annual Friends BBQ and Open House at the SMVRR on August 15, 2026
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Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad members attended the Annual Open House and BBQ hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Railroad on Saturday, August 15. The BBQ was a little different this year consisting of a buffet of Chicken Thighs, Dry Rub Pork Ribs, tangy carolina sauce, apple bourbon sauce, coleslaw, BBQ beans, garlic bread and strawberry shortcake dessert.
The SMVRR 210 caboose was open for tours. This piece of historic SMVRR rolling stock was recently acquired from the Amtrak Station in Guadalupe. Also open for tours is the Amtrak passenger car that is stored in the Osburn Yard and undergoing restoration by the owner.
A raffle, open to all attendees, awarded two tickets to next years BBQ and two tickets to next years Gala. Other activities included a display of this years Photo Contest Winners, a tour of the cab of the new OmniTrax/SMVRR locomotive (#2025), and a demonstration of some of the railroad's maintenance of way equipment.