Travel with Preschoolers in Southern California

We recently visited the Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, CA. It was quite a hike from our home, but well worth the trip. What is uniqe about this particular collection is that they are REAL antique railcars and engines that actually run on a short looped track. We were able to ride in an antique streetcar that was attached to a WWII kitchen car. After the ride we were given the opportunity to tour the kitchen car which had a woodstove for cooking and ice boxes.


Each of the two cars we rode in that day were filled with families with young children. Everyone was excited to ride the railway and try out the different trains. The rest of the grounds are great for exploring as well. If you walk beyond the station, there is a children's garden that has displays of signials and working bells and lights. There are lots of buttons to push and descriptions of each item.



John Smatlak photo borrowed from www.oerm.org

Make sure to visit the Grizzly Flats Engine House #6. You will find a beautiful steam locomotive named Emma Nevada. She was born in 1881 and ran on the Nevada Central Railway. There are several other train cars in the engine house to look at as well.



There is a great gift shop at the museum that has a great collection of Thomas the Tank Engine items, train books and movies for children. There is also large seleciton of books and guides for adult train enthusiasts.



Here is the important information:

Orange Empire Railway Museum
2201 South "A" Street
Perris, CA

(951) 657-2605

www.oerm.org

Open daily 9am-5pm. Ride tickets are $8 for adults and children under 5 are free. This price includes all railcars all day. The museum is located 17 miles south of Riverside on the I-215.