5th Annual Central Coast Railroad Festival Announces Major Stars, Vintage Excursions, Sponsors and more

For Immediate Release
August 26, 2013

Expanded Central Coast Railroad Festival Set for October 10th to 13th in San Luis Obispo County, CA

5th Annual Festival to feature David Holt, Robert Van Camp, Vintage Dome Car Excursions and a Museum Grand Opening

Amtrak, Rabobank, Union Pacific and Santa Maria Valley Railroad are again the Festival's Major Sponsors

The Fifth Annual Central Coast Railroad Festival, set for October 10-13, 2013, in the heart of the California Central Coast, will focus on special concert and film events, vintage rail excursions, the Grand Opening of the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum and model railroading of all types. Activities will take place at numerous railroad, historical and educational locations throughout San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara Counties. The Central Coast Railroad Festival is designed to please both casual train buffs and avid rail fans as well as delight tourists and locals of all ages. Many Festival events will be free and all will be fun and very family friendly. Festival attendees will also be able to explore the area's beaches, wineries, Missions, quaint downtowns and other special attractions.

For the first time during the CCRRF, major media personalities from the railroad world have been selected to make special appearances during the Festival. David Holt, a Grammy Award winning musician and media personality, and Robert C. Van Camp, the creator and producer of the Emmy-Award Winning Public Television series, "Great Scenic Railway Journeys" will present special programs and make personal appearances during three days of the Central Coast Railroad Festival. On October 10th, fans will be able to travel from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo (SLO) on the vintage Silver Splendor vista dome car with David and Robert. On October 11th and 12th the Festival will feature these stars in two concerts and film events in the historical Fremont Theatre and Masonic Lodge in downtown San Luis Obispo.

The long awaited Grand Opening for the San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum will occur on Saturday, October 12th. This event will be a major focal point for the 2013 Festival and the celebration will include an Official Opening Ceremony along with new exhibits, running models, tours, music and programs for all ages. Another highlight will be a large model layout tour being organized by the Model Railroads of Southern California group. New this year is a railroad-themed art show and competition entitled "Shiny Rails - 135 Years of Railroads on the Central Coast" which will take place at the Art Central Art Supply Shop and Gallery in SLO.

Festival activities will kick off at San Luis Obispo's famous Farmers' Market on Thursday night, October 10th. Rail industry seminars are being planned for Friday, October 11th at the 2013 Festival Hotel, the Sands Inn and Suites in SLO. On Saturday and Sunday, October 12th and 13th, the historic Oceano Depot will host a large open house with running models from the San Luis Obispo Model Railroad Association. Also on Saturday and Sunday there will be numerous activities, programs and model train displays for families and their kids at the main San Luis Obispo Library.

The Festival will feature Five Rail Excursions during the weekend! On Thursday, October 10th, three excursion options will be offered on the vintage Silver Splendor vista dome car between LA and SLO. On Saturday, October 12th, a family excursion will feature a round trip on the Pacific Surfliner between Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo. Rounding out the weekend on Sunday, October 13th, will be a Wine Rail Excursion which features a ride over the historic and scenic Cuesta Grade on the Coast Starlight between Paso Robles and SLO.

The festival is proud to welcome back Amtrak, Rabobank Union Pacific and the Santa Maria Valley Railroad as the 2013 major festival sponsors. The City of San Luis Obispo and its Tourist Business Improvement District are the Festival's major promotional supporters. Additional sponsors, promotional partners and event volunteers are now being sought.

Further information and details on the Central Coast Railroad Festival, including the developing schedule of events, promotional videos, a list of participating organizations and an email notification sign up, can be found at www.ccrrf.com. Festival staffers can be reached at 805-773-4173.

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Attached:
Central Coast Railroad Festival Logo (jpg)
Robert Van Camp & David Holt photo (jpg)
SLORRM's Freight House (jpg)
Flyer for David & Robert's appearances (pdf)

More photos available upon request.

For updated Festival information and schedule:
http://ccrrf.com/
Also on Facebook

Featured Participants:
David Holt: http://www.davidholt.com/
Robert Van Camp - Great Scenic Railway Journeys: http://gsrj.com/
San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum: http://slorrm.com/

Sponsors:
http://www.rabobank.com/content/
http://www.amtrak.com/home
http://www.up.com/
http://smvrr.com/

Contact:
Curtis Reinhardt, Director
Central Coast Railroad Festival
805-773-4173
webmaster@ccrrf.com