The Lomita Railroad Museum is a small, distinctive collection whose origins lie in a personal enthusiasm for trains. Irene Lewis created the museum in memory of her husband, Martin, and donated it to the city in the 1960s. Its neighborhood setting gives it a different character from a sprawling railway yard: this is a focused place to explore steam-era objects, a depot-style building and the story of people who wanted that history preserved close to home.
The centerpiece is a Southern Pacific steam locomotive built in 1902. Freight cars and cabooses broaden the collection, allowing visitors to consider a working train rather than a locomotive alone. The contrast between these vehicles is useful. An engine supplied power, freight cars carried the railway’s business and cabooses were associated with the crew’s duties. Together they represent an operating system in which each type of equipment had a separate purpose.
The depot-style museum building houses historical material and interpretation. A railway library has also been associated with one of the cabooses, giving a work vehicle a new educational role. That reuse illustrates a practical approach to preservation: historic equipment can provide space for research and public learning as well as being an exhibit in its own right.
The founders’ connection with railway engineering gives the museum an additional human dimension. Martin and Irene Lewis were involved in the Little Engines business, and their interest in the subject eventually produced a public full-size collection. The museum therefore preserves more than the history of a railway company. It also reflects the enthusiasm and generosity of private individuals whose efforts created a civic attraction.
During a visit, compare the locomotive’s mechanical scale with the more domestic dimensions of the caboose and depot setting. Smaller objects and documentary material can help connect the engine with the workers and passengers behind railway history. The collection is compact enough to reward attention to individual details rather than a hurried survey. Use the city’s current museum information for visiting arrangements, since older accounts of opening days and special events should not be treated as a permanent timetable.
Visitor information
Researched November 2026.
Sources
More railroad museums in California
- California State Railroad Museum — Sacramento: Major railroad museum
- Fullerton Train Museum — Fullerton: Passenger-car and railroad collection
- Golden Gate Railroad Museum — Schellville: Locomotive and passenger-equipment preservation collection
- Laws Railroad Museum — Bishop: Railroad and local history museum
- Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum — Nevada City: Narrow-gauge railroad museum
- Niles Canyon Railway / Pacific Locomotive Association — Sunol: Operating railroad preservation collection
- Niles Depot Museum — Fremont: Depot and railroad history museum
- Pacific Railroad Society Museum — San Dimas: Depot and railroad history museum
- All 19 railroad museums and sites in California
Keep exploring
- All heritage sites — museums, stations and landmarks
- Pacific — the trains you can ride in the region