For Immediate Release

In the afternoon on Tuesday, October 16th, a 75 ton steam locomotive will be unloaded in Kelley Park for eventual inclusion in a railroad museum proposed near downtown San Jose.  Built in 1913 and now owned by the non profit California Trolley and Railroad Corporation (CTRC), locomotive 1215 had operated for the Southern Pacific Railroad.

Locomotive 1215 is representative of the many small steam engines necessary to move freight between food processing industries that once dominated San Jose’s economy and landscape.  Benefiting from market access provided by railroads, the Santa Clara Valley was recognized from 1920 to 1960 as the largest food processing region in the world.

The locomotive will be stored at the San Jose Historical Museum adjacent to CTRC’s trolley barn.  This location will enable CTRC to begin a cosmetic restoration of this historic artifact.  CTRC volunteers are currently restoring a second and larger Southern Pacific steam locomotive at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds.  Both locomotives will be relocated in the future to the proposed San Jose Railroad Museum Park.

Proposed for a vacant parcel near downtown alongside the Guadalupe River Park trail, the San Jose Railroad Museum Park will feature restored railroad equipment, relocated city designated landmarks and replicated historic buildings from our community.  Supplemented by educational exhibits, the facility will celebrate the railroad’s roles in San Jose’s agricultural and food processing heritage.  CTRC is actively enlisting the fiscal and political support to protect the property and eventually fund the project.

Formed in 1982 as a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization, the California Trolley and Railroad Corporation has a mission of preserving and reflecting the rich legacy of rail transportation in the Santa Clara Valley for the educational and recreational benefit of present and future generations.  The organization has restored nine historic trolley cars, four of which operate for the Valley Transportation Agency’s transit mall in downtown San Jose.  The remaining trolleys operate for History San Jose’s school aged educational programming at the historical museum in Kelley Park.