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Central Coast Railroad Festival October 7-11

• Posted On: September 17, 2010 2:06 PM
• Posted By: Brittany Garcia
• Related Subjects: Fun with Kids in SLO County

Coast Railroad Festival Taking Shape for October 7th to 11th
Special Focus on Model Layouts, Concerts, Rail Excursions and a Tribute to Loren Nicholson

The Second Annual Central Coast Railroad Festival will focus on rail excursions, amazing model layouts, concerts and historical family programs.  The Festival is set for October 7-11, 2010, at numerous locations from Paso Robles to Guadalupe.  Activities will take place at interesting railroad, historical and educational sites.  Most Festival events will be free and all will be fun and very family friendly.

Special rail excursions have been set up throughout the Festival weekend.  Festival fans and families are encouraged to ride the Pacific Surfliner any day during the Festival between the cities of Lompoc, Guadalupe, Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo.  Riders will be able to participate in special activities at the Amtrak Station in SLO on Saturday and at the Amtrak Platform in Guadalupe on Sunday.  On the Friday and Monday of the Festival excursion packages have been set up for visits to rail themed wineries in the Paso Robles area coupled with trips on the Coast Starlight up and down the Cuesta Grade between Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo.  A limited number of tickets for these Wine-Rail Excursions can be purchased from the Wine Wrangler in Paso Robles.  Trip specifics and Amtrak discount ticket information is available on the Festival website: www.ccrrf.com

Railroad themed musical concerts will be presented in three cities during the Festival.  "Big Rock Candy Mountain - Songs & Stories of the Railroad Hobos" will be presented on the steps of the Carnegie Library in Paso Robles on Friday evening.  A "Circle of Railroad Songs" will be a family concert featuring railroad tunes and traditional rail era folk songs at the SLO Library on Saturday evening.  A "Concert of Railroad Music" featuring the San Luis Obispo County Band will take place at the Rotary Bandstand in Arroyo Grande on Sunday afternoon.  Well known local musicians David Baumgarten, Steve Key and Sidney Willson Young will also be featured on several of the shows.

Eighteen fantastic model layouts will be featured during the Festival.  Major operating club layouts include the California Central Valley On30 Group's large modular layout at the SLO Library on Friday and Saturday, the giant Free-mo SLO Group HO layout at Runels Barn in Arroyo Grande on Saturday and Sunday and the N, HO and G Scale layouts from the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association at the Oceano Depot on Sunday.  Dennis Pearson's Pacific Coast Railway, Doc Burnstein's Village Railroad, three Central Coast Trains layouts and the Proto:87 Demo Layout will all be available for viewing.  Numerous private home and garden layout tours set up by the Model Railroads of Southern California organization will be open to the public also.  Details, including a layout location map, can be found on the Festival website.

A Festival preview event will take place at San Luis Obispo's Dallidet Adobe and Gardens on Sunday, September 26th.  Author, historian and railroad aficionado Loren Nicholson will be honored in a special program that afternoon.  A Festival participant reception and railroad songs from Craig Kincaid will also be included during the festivities.  This tribute and reception are being presented with help from the History Center of San Luis Obispo County and the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association.

The Festival's major sponsors are Amtrak California and Rabobank.  The Cities of San Luis Obispo, Grover Beach, Paso Robles and Pismo Beach are promotional sponsors for the 2010 Festival.  KCOY 12 and FOX 11 are the Festival's exclusive television media partners.  

Further information on the Central Coast Railroad Festival, a complete schedule of events and a list of participating organizations can be found at www.ccrrf.com or by calling the Festival office at 805-773-4173