RailGiants Train Museum

{{Short description|Railroad museum in California, United States}}

{{Infobox museum

| name = RailGiants Train Museum

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| image = UP Big Boy 4014.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 on display at the RailGiants Train Museum in 2005, before moving out in 2014 for restoration.

|pushpin_map = California#USA

|pushpin_label_position =

|pushpin_map_caption =

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| coordinates = {{coord|34.083641|-117.770251|display=inline,display}}

| established =

| dissolved =

| location = Fairplex, Pomona, California, United States

| type = Rail transport display

| collection = Depot and rolling stock

| visitors =

| director =

| president =

| curator =

| publictransit = San Bernardino Line (Pomona–North station)

| network =

| website = {{URL|http://www.railgiants.org}}

}}

RailGiants Train Museum is a railroad museum of historic trains located at the Fairplex in Pomona, California, United States. It is owned and maintained by the Southern California Chapter of the Railway & Locomotive Historical Society. The museum also operates the Fairplex Garden Railway, a garden railroad which uses G scale model trains.{{Cite web|url=http://fgrr.org/|title=Fairplex Garden Railroad|website=fgrr.org}} It has over 80 volunteers and from November through July, runs the second Sunday of every month, from 11:00am to 4:00pm, for the general public. The FGRR gears up every year for the L.A. County Fair, its primary show. In December various members run their Christmas trains.

The museum was closed indefinitely in March 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after renovations, it reopened in May 2022.{{cite web |title=RailGiants Train Museum {{!}} Historical Journey of the American Railroad |url=http://railgiants.org/ |website=railgiants.org |access-date=10 August 2021}}

Collection

The collection features historic locomotives which visitors may board.{{cite news | last = Summons | first = Trevor | date = June 3, 2019 | title = Trevor's Travels: Do the Locomotion at the Rail Giants Train Museum in Pomona | url = https://www.dailybulletin.com/2019/06/03/trevors-travels-do-the-locomotion-at-the-rail-giants-train-museum-in-pomona/ | work = Daily Bulletin}} The museum also features a historic train station (the 1887-vintage Arcadia, California depot of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway), a library, and a collection of railway memorabilia. Currently, entry to the museum is free and open to the public on the second weekend of each month, besides daily in May during the L.A. County Fair.

A notable locomotive in the collection is the Union Pacific 4014, which was on display at the museum until 2014, when it was moved for restoration.{{cite news | last = Merino | first = Maydeen | date = November 15, 2019 | title = Nostalgia Rides the Rails at Fairplex | url = https://lvcampustimes.org/2019/11/nostalgia-rides-the-rails-at-fairplex/ | work = Campus Times}}

The museum was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser along with Kidsongs Boppin with the Biggles songs, Little red caboose & The Locomotion Episode 1015.{{cite web |title=Fairplex Railroad Museum – Visiting (1015) – Huell Howser Archives at Chapman University |date=3 March 2017 |url=https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives/2017/03/03/fairplex-railroad-museum-visiting-1015/}}

Displayed locomotives

class="wikitable"

!Image

!Railroad

!Builder

!Type/Model

!Built

!History

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|Outer Harbor Terminal #2

|Schenectady Locomotive Works

|0-6-0

|10/1887

|Built as ATSF#590. Sold in 1893 to Southern California #40 and transferred to ATSF#2285 in 1900. Sold in 1909 to OHT#2. Donated 1956.

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|United States Potash #3

|Baldwin Locomotive Works

|2-8-0, 3 ft gauge

|3/1903

|Built as Arizona Copper Co #20. Later became Morenci Southern #20. Sold in 1921 to Phelps Dodge Corp.. Sold in 1931 to United States Potash #3. Donated 1956.

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|Fruit Growers Supply #3

|Climax Locomotive Works

|Class C Climax

|3/1909

|Built as Northern California Lumber Co #3. Sold in 1913 to Fruit Growers Supply #3. Donated 1953.

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|Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe 3450

|Baldwin Locomotive Works

|4-6-4, class 3450

|4/1927

|Built as ATSF#3450. Donated 1955.

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|Southern Pacific 5021

|American Locomotive Company

|4-10-2, class SP-2

|5/1926

|Built in Schenectady as Southern Pacific #5021. Donated 1956 and displayed in San Bernardino. Moved to the RailGiants museum in the 1970s.

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|Union Pacific 9000

|American Locomotive Company

|4-12-2, 9000 Class

|3/1926

|Built as the first of the 9000 class in Dunkirk as Union Pacific #9000, with the cost of construction shared between the UP and ALCO.{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXEkAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Union+Pacific+9000%22+-wikipedia |title=Trains |publisher=Kalmbach Publishing Company |year=1979 |volume=40 |pages=25 |language=en}}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E25gAAAAIBAJ&dq=%22Union+Pacific+9000%22&pg=PA12&article_id=1095,6958745 |title=The Grape Belt |date=1928-02-24 |volume= |pages=12}} Retired in May 1956 and donated to the museum.{{Cite web |title=RailGiants Train Museum {{!}} Union Pacific #9000 |url=http://www.railgiants.org/union-pacific.htm |access-date=2024-09-18 |website=www.railgiants.org}}

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|Union Pacific 3105

|Electro Motive Diesel

|SD40-2C

|6/1979

|Built as Missouri Pacific #6027. Merged into Union Pacific #3927, and renumbered in 2003 to #3105. Traded for Union Pacific #4014 in 2014. First (and currently only) operational locomotive in the museum.

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|Union Pacific 6915

|Electro Motive Diesel

|DDA40X

|10/1969

|Built as Union Pacific #6915. Donated 1987.