South Coast Railroad Museum

Goleta Depot was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in 1901. Scores of these two-story, wood framed depots - all based on the Combination Station No. 22 plan - were built from about 1890 well into the early decades of the 20th century. The Goleta station performed a variety of functions - handling freight, express, passengers, and communications. The Goleta Depot was closed and boarded-up in October 1973, eight years after the elimination of the local passenger trains had reduced the station's workload to train orders and freight. In 1979 Goleta Beautiful Inc. took up the banner to save the landmark. The campaign finally got on track in late 1980, with the formation of the Goleta Depot Committee, under the chairmanship of Gary Coombs. The Goleta Depot was relocated in 1981 to Lake Los Carneros County Park and proudly stands today as the South Coast Railroad Museum. Train rides and various yearly events make this a special place to take young ones and even the older folks will enjoy remembering a history of riding the rails in Santa Barbara. Viewers of this video might also enjoy the Santa Barbara Sandcastle Festival.