Oceano Train Depot and Railroad Museum

Oceano Train Depot Railroad Museum is located along Highway One in the California Central town of Oceano. This beautifully restored Southern Pacific Railroad Station looks better today than when it was the central transit hub for Southern San Luis Obispo County. The depot was originally built in 1896, but after a fire in 1903, it was replaced by the current structure in 1904 by the Southern Pacific Railroad.

From 1904 until the mid-fifties, the depot was used for passenger and freight service. The depot saw continued use as a freight station until 1973 when it was closed and boarded up. The depot sat abandoned for several years and was scheduled for demolition. In 1978, the building moved a quarter of a mile north to its current location overlooking the railroad tracks.

Over the years, the Oceano Train Depot has been restored by volunteers and now serves as a community center and Railroad Museum. Visitors will find railroad artifacts and memorabilia from Oceano and the surrounding area inside the depot. Railroad tools, photos, maps, and tons of information about Oceano’s history are displayed.

Outside the Train Depot, it is just as attractive as the inside. Even if you pass by when the museum is not open, it is well worth a stop. Take some photos, walk around the grounds, and imagine what life was like in the early days of Oceano, California.

Gavin Arthur’s Cabin in the Dunes

This cabin was built in 1931 and is the only building left from the Utopian dune colony of Moy Mell that once existed in the Oceano Dunes. The Dunites were named for living in the dunes, aiming to create a community where artistic freedom and a simple lifestyle could flourish. Gavin Arthur, grandson of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur, was a central figure in this community. They published a magazine called “The Dune Forum” to express creative thought, looking westward, away from European influence. Gavin’s tiny cabin and photographs are all that remains of the Dunites community living in the dunes in the early to mid-1900s.

Oceano Train Depot Lovern’s Clam Bell

Lovern’s Clam Bell is unique in bells because it has a double clapper. The bell signaled ranch hands that it was time for dinner before it was moved to Oceano in 1954. The bell sat at the long-gone Clammers Headquarters store on Pier Avenue. The bell rang to signal when the tide was low enough to start digging for clams or when there was an emergency.

Rolling Stock 1907 Caboose

The wooden caboose at the depot has an exciting history. It has been used on the San Pedro/ Los Angeles Railway and Santa Maria Valley Railroad and is now displayed at the Oceano Train Depot. A vintage boxcar also serves as a bathroom and for storage on site.

Southern California Train Rides

Rock-N-Roll Diner Oceano CA

After visiting the historic depot, we suggest you drive north on Highway One to the Rock-N-Roll Diner in Oceano. Two train cars, a 1946 Pullman dining car, and an original 1947 lounge car have been joined together to create one of the unique eateries along California’s Central Coast. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Situated at 1300 Railroad St, Oceano, CA; it’s just a couple of miles south of Pismo Beach, making it a convenient stop for locals and tourists exploring the Central Coast. https://www.rockandrolldiner.com/

For anyone interested in American railroad history or the history of California’s Central Coast, the Oceano Train Depot Railroad Museum provides a tangible connection to the past, preserved through community efforts and reflective of the region’s development influenced heavily by the railroad era.

Oceano Train Depot Railroad Museum is open on Sundays from 1-3 pm. The Depot grounds are open seven days a week and worth looking around. For more info on the Oceano Train Depot, visit their website. You can find the depot at 1650 Front St, Oceano, California. Four miles south of Pismo Beach.

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