You can mail a donation to the Cover the Cars campaign to OERM at:

Orange Empire Railway Museum

PO Box 548

Perris CA 92572

You can also charge a donation to your credit card by contacting our Museum office during regular business hours at (951) 943-3020

Thank You for Your Support

More Project Details

Construction of the building, along with the track and related roadway, drainage and utility improvements is budgeted at one million dollars. The building itself, complete with doors, gutters, roof ventilators and sprinkler system, makes up about $630,000 of that cost. This cost does not include any type of floor inside the building. Costs to extend the Museum’s underground waterline to the building site and provide the requisite number of hydrants add another $132,000 to the budget ($92,000 already expended, $40,000 budgeted for the remaining work), while permits and fees related to obtaining the building permit tallied up to $71,000. The cost of the concrete slabs that the rails will be bolted to inside the building is budgeted at $122,000. Costs for civil engineering, building electrical, construction of the required trackage for the yard are anticipated to bring the costs up to the one million dollar mark by the time the cars are resting inside.  

The six tracks that run the length of the building will be on 15 foot centers, excepting the middle pair of tracks, which are on 18 foot centers to provide extra clearance around the center column line. (For comparison purposes, Carhouse Four has 17 foot track centers, while Carhouse Two has 12 foot centers). The resulting aisle width inside Carhouse Seven will be between 5 and 6 feet depending on the width of the railcars or locomotives which are parked on the tracks. The center and side aisles are a bit wider. 

Carhouse Seven will give the Museum the ability to rotate exhibits into and out of the various display areas; it's located in a non-public area of the Museum site, and will serve as the Museum's "attic", storing artifacts in a protected environment, while the other carhouses and various outdoor exhibit areas provide a place for the public to view and interact with the collections. 

Prior to the commencement of the project in April of 2004, $600,000 had been set aside by the Board of Directors from a combination of sources. Several bequests were earmarked for the project, including over $200,000 from the estate of Mercedes Glenn. Several significant “seed money” donations had also been received, including one from longtime Museum benefactors Ward and Betty Kimball. Augmenting these gracious gifts was the sale of several pieces of railway rolling stock that were either duplicates or outside of the Museum’s mission statement (three San Francisco streetcars returned there in 2003, and in 2005 British Columbia Electric Railway interurban car 1225 returned to Canada and New Orleans streetcar 913 was sold to the San Francisco Muni. The rolling stock sales provided $489,000 towards the project. 

Progress Reports

Update- February  20, 2008

All of the interior track, walkways and floor material have been completed. Two of the six tracks are now connected to the Museum Railway, and the first two tracks worth of equipment have been filled. Work is underway to complete the remainder of the yard trackage and associated infrastructure so that all six tracks can be connected. Progress has also been made in fitting the interior of the building with the shelving that will allow other smaller artifacts to be stored along the walls. 

Moving historic cars into Carhouse Seven in October 2007	Community volunteers help with the construction of track drains, January 2008	OERM volunteers laying rail to connect the building to the Museum Railway, February 2008
Work continues on the track connections, February 2008	The first two tracks are connected and ballasting is underway 2/08	Shelving is being installed along the walls to facilitate artifact storage 2/08

Update- May 28, 2007

Track construction is now complete inside the building and the first car has rolled inside. Additionally, concrete walkways have been added along the length of the inside walls, along with walkways across all six tracks at the rear and middle point of the building. As soon as the final pieces of rail can be installed out the front doors of the building, the front walkway will also be installed. The yard area in front of the building is poised to take a major leap forward with the installation of three additional turnouts. Two of these turnouts are now complete and awaiting installation, and the third should be finished in early June.  

OERM volunteers Ray Ballash (member #1) and Ron Ruffulo (member #17)  attaching rail to one of the new track slabs. February 2007	OERM volunteers Danny Giles and Doug Ward installing more rail, February 2007	March 2007; the final two track slabs are being formed up.
April 2007; another completed turnout, ready to be moved to the project site for installation.	Mid April 2007; the first side walkway has been installed. This extra space will be used for parts storage.	April 21, 2007; the final load of rails is about to be moved into the building.
April 21, 2007; OERM volunteer Greg Wasz installs hardware on the last of the six tracks.	April 21, 2007; the center walkway is being formed and poured.	May 2007; center walkway completed
May 27, 2007; Last turnout for the building tracks nearing completion.	May 27, 2007; OERM volunteers pose with the first car on the new rails.

Update- February 1, 2007

Track construction is now underway inside the building. Four of the six concrete track slabs are now complete, and OERM volunteers are attaching the rail. The photos below detail the progress.

Forming up the slabs, January 2007	OERM volunteers get into the act, assisting with dirt removal	The first completed slab, note the protruding anchor bolts, ready to bolt the rail down.
More slabs	Laying the first rail, January 27, 2007	Rail installation proceeding

Update- November 20, 2006

Since our last report, we reached our $400,000 fundraising target, and work continues to complete the building and trackage. The drainage channel on the west side of the building is now 90% complete, and the asphalt paving is in place around the concrete vee gutter. The fire sprinkler system is now complete and has been signed off by the City. Work on the building's electrical system is now nearing completion. As of this report, all 105 of the ceiling light fixtures are in place and wired in, and a small number of additional lights and the illuminated exit signs are coming next. 

In October, a contract was signed to construct the six concrete track slabs inside the building. The engineering for the design was provided by Transportation Innovations Group of Burbank, who have extensive experience designing reinforced concrete guideways for a variety of railed and rubber-tired transportation systems. Contractor Van Holland Concrete (who also built the building itself) will excavate, form and pour a series of six 600-foot long concrete slabs that we will in turn bolt our rails down to. The work will include the anchor bolts embedded in the concrete, and so the actual rail installation should be very simple. By Spring of 2007 we should thus have all of the track in the building! Another major step forward towards completion of this critical infrastructure project.

Turnouts in place in front of Carhouse, 5/29/06	Another yard view, 6/4/06	Installation of phone lines for fire sprinkler system, 7/06
New concrete vee gutter and base material at rear of bulding, 8/06	Ron Ruffulo and Gordon Taber completing the last of the new ceiling lights, 10/06	New asphalt and vee gutter along the west side of the building 10/06.

Update- February 24, 2006

During December and January, the "Cover the Cars" campaign received $56,880 in donations in response to our annual year-end appeal. This brings the total up to $388,000 against our $400,000 target. With your help, we'll soon pass our target! 

Since our last report, the drainage channel on the west side of the building is over 50% complete, and the concrete vee gutter is in place down the middle of the roadway on the north side. The drainage work allows water to be channeled to our main drainage course, helping keep the area around the building dry. Base material has been applied to the fire access roadway on the east and north sides, and the fire sprinkler system is now complete except for the two telephone lines that will tie into the building. Additional work has also been completed on the building's electrical system, and six of the new turnouts for the yard are now complete, and parts are already being assembled for number seven.

In anticipation of Annual Meeting on March 4, Pacific Electric "Hollywood" car 655 has been moved inside the building for a temporary display (this particular car remains equipped with rubber tires, although it will soon be converted back to railed operation). The pictures below tell more of the story.

Drainage pipe being laid, December 2005	Ron Ruffulo and John Pico pose alongside one of the new electrical panels being installed	Turnout number six nears completion, February 2006
Pacific Electric Hollywood Car 655 had the honor of being the first railcar inside Carhouse Seven. February 18, 2006. It's on temporary display for the upcoming Annual Meeting March 4.

Update- December 2, 2005

Since our last report, our building contractor has completed their punch list, and so the work on the steel building itself is now essentially complete. Work is now underway to complete the installation of the building's electrical system. As of early December, temporary power has been provided, the majority of the conduit has been installed inside the building, about one-third of the light fixtures are in. Work on the permanent power installation is also well along, including the installation of three new line poles and their associated feeds to the building. Outside the building, work continues on the drainage channels, including installation of new culverts at both Alpine Dr. and Central Ave. (OERM internal roadways). Following a break for the Museum's big "Day Out With Thomas" event, work has resumed on construction of the turnouts for the yard. 

Through the end of November, 349 individual donations totaling $129,546 have been received. These monies, in addition to the income from the sale of surplus rolling stock, have brought us to within $70,454 of our $400,000 goal to complete the project funding. Your support will make a difference!

Conduit installation, October 2005	First electrical Panels	New culvert at Central Ave.
Looking north over freshly ballasted track	Building closeup	Side view of the building, looking east, November 2005

Update- September 13, 2005

The rollup doors were installed on the building during the week of September 5. Temporary power has also been installed, and work will commence shortly on installation of electrical and lighting. The utility conduit that passes under the throat of the coming rail yard has also been completed, allowing installation of the yard trackage to commence. The rendering below illustrates the basic track configuration. The storage tracks inside the building and adjacent sidings will ultimately require a total of 11 turnouts (starting with the 7 necessary to get the tracks into the building) and over 5,000 feet of track (3,600 feet inside the building alone!) The Museum's dedicated track volunteers have so far constructed five of these turnouts, and the photos below illustrate the yard starting to take shape in early September.

OERM volunteers installing several prefabricated turnouts on September 4, 2005
Lowering another turnout into place	The yard is starting to take shape!	The utility conduit under the tracks
Several views taken September 10 following installation of the roll-up doors.

Update- July 28, 2005

The fire sprinkler contractor is finished and we expect to see the roll-up doors for the building sometime soon. Other than a few minor "punch list" items, we have a fine building in place and we're ready to move into the next phase of the project, namely the track, fire access roadway improvements, the final portion of the waterline, as well as the front parking lot and entrance improvements that were mandated by the City as part of their conditions of approval.

With the building up (and all of the bills thus due), we especially need your support for the "Cover the Cars" campaign. Our goal is to raise $400,000 over two years, and we've thus far received about $110,000 in donations and pledges (passing the 25% mark). Your gift is needed to keep the project on track. You don't need to be an OERM member to make a gift, simply visit our website for information including our mailing address and business office contact (for charging a gift to your credit card). This large new carhouse means an indoor home for 65 pieces of our historic collection of Southern California railway equipment.

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Update- July 10, 2005

The building erector is getting close to wrapping up his portion of the contract. The full roof is now installed along with the ridge vents, gutters and downspouts, and they are finishing up on the man doors and the building trim. The fire sprinkler contractor also continues installing the sprinkler pipes.

View to the southeast on 7/10/05. The full roof is now installed.	Looking north at the building front. Rollup doors will soon cover the six large track doors.	Inside the building looking south. Sprinkler pipe installation continues.
Looking south along the east wall. The gutters and downspouts contribute nicely to the finished look of the building.	Looking north from a little further back.	Looking north inside the building. The main sprinkler pipe on the east half now reaches the front of the building.

Update- July 5, 2005

The roof is now installed, less the cap strip and ridge vents at the peak. These final pieces of the roof should be installed this coming week. As seen in the photos below, work has also begun on installing the sprinkler system inside the building. Installation of the man doors is also underway. With work now in full gear, your donations are especially needed. Please join us in our effort to "Cover the Cars" and protect our collection for future generations. Our goal is to raise $400,000 over two years, and through the end of June 2005, we've raised $99,362 in donations and pledges (or just about the 25%) mark. Your gift is needed to keep the project on track. 

The east wall of the building, prior to addition of the man doors.	Looking north inside the building, 7/2/05	Looking south from the other end of the building. The first sections of the sprinkler system are going in in this section.
Freshly delivered fire sprinkler pipes ready for installation.	The south wall has been framed but not sheeted yet, offering a good view of the building's cross section at the side walls.	Looking north 7/2/05. You can see the still empty cap strip at the roof's peak.

Update- June 26, 2005

The building erector has both the east and west walls up, along with the framing for the front of the building and its six doorways. By next week they should be getting started on the roof panels. With work now in full gear, your donations are especially needed. Please join us in our effort to "Cover the Cars" and protect our collection for future generations. 

Looking north through one of the newly framed doorways. The white finish on the inside of the wall panels will help brighten up the interior.	Looking south at the framing for the front doors. Six tracks will enter the building through roll-up doors. Carhouse Four is visible in the distance.	View to the southeast. You can see the rear of the building with its two large doors, and you can also see the portion of the building waiting for its roof panels (you see the red iron framing)

Update- June 20, 2005

The building erector has been very busy since our last update, and the entire building shell is now up! The pictures below were taken Saturday morning 6/18/05 as they placed components on the roof frame. Work continues this week, and we expect that the basic building shell will be complete by week's end. The sprinkler contractor can then move in and start hanging pipe.  

Looking north as the roof framing is being assembled	Workers carry another component to its position for installation	More roof work
Looking south from the north end of the building	Another view looking south just past the portion of the building that has already been completed	Looking north near the center line of the building.

Update- June 14, 2005

The final concrete pour for the building foundation took place on Saturday June 11. After the concrete has cured, the building erector will return and the rest of the building will be erected. The photos below were taken June 11-13.

Looking east at the freshly poured foundation elements on June 11.	A date has been added to the foundation along the south footing.	Looking north over the completed foundation
View to the northeast	Looking north inside the partially completed section of the building. The trim that will fill in the gaps between the top of the walls and the roof is yet to be applied.	The interior surface of the wall panels has a white finish. Note the sprinkler system connection sticking up through the foundation in the foreground.

Update- May 30, 2005

The building erector has now completed the basic construction of about 12 bays (or one half) of the building. The walls, roof panels and skylight panels are in place, with things like the man doors, rollup doors, roof vents, etc., still to come. At this point, the erector will now need to wait for the final concrete pour, currently scheduled to take place later this week (everything is already formed). The fire sprinkler subcontractor is also busy fabricating the system components, and the materials for that portion of the contract should begin arriving shortly. As you can see in the photographs, the progress is certainly dramatic. Your support of the "Cover the Cars" campaign is making this work possible- and your help is still needed to finish the job (please see the fundraising information elsewhere on this page). All photos below taken 5/28/05.

5/28/05- roof panels being applied	Looking south, Carhouse Four is visible in the bacgkground.	Looking north from what will shortly be the south wall of the building.
Looking north	Roofing panels being applied	The north wall of the building. Tracks will not run out through these doors, but they will permit access and help establish ventilation when needed.

Update- May 23, 2005

A second concrete pour took place on May 12, allowing work to begin on erection of the steel building frame during the following week. As of today, the remaining building footings have been formed and an another major concrete pour is scheduled for later in the week. Meanwhile the building erector will continue placing steel. See the photos below for a look at the latest progress. 

Through the end of April 2005, the total number of donations and pledges has reached $93,567. Our goal is $400,000 and we have now reached 23% of our target.

Looking south on 5/14/05 from the northeast corner.	Paul Dieges (R) accompanies six of OERM's founding members on an inspection tour of the newly poured foundation. Shown L to R are Ray Ballash, Bill Bauer, Don Brown, Harvey Laner Pat Underwood and Jim Walker.	Looking south on 5/14/05 from the northwest corner. Member Bob Davis contemplates the enormity of the site.
Looking north on 5/22/05 along the center column line. Note the forms ready for the final concrete pour.	Looking north on 5/22/05 from the southeast corner of the building site.	Looking west on 5/22/05 from the northeast corner. The Grizzly Flats enginehouse is visible in the distant background.

Update- May 9, 2005

The first concrete pour took place on Friday, May 6. About one third of the building footings were poured. See the photos below for a look at the latest progress.

First concrete pour 5/6/05	Looking south from the northwest corner of the building site.	Looking south from the northeast corner. Carhouse Four is visible in the distant background.

Update- May 1, 2005

The building permit has been obtained and construction of the building has begun The late season rains have caused some additional delays, but the footings have all been dug and the first concrete pours should take place shortly. 

To date, 274 donations totaling $75,378 have been received since we kicked off the campaign in April of 2004- our goal is to raise $400,000 for the project over two years. Your support is needed to help make this critical project a reality.

Construction begins on the building footings, late April 2005. The large size (104' x 600') of the building is starting to become apparent!

A look back to the start of the project in 2004

OERM’s 88-acre site is broadly divided into both a public area (comprising approximately 47 acres), and a large “support” area that is not open to the public (within which Carhouse Seven is located). Due to its location (and good drainage) the carhouse site had become one of the primary outdoor storage areas. This view taken in February 2004 gives some sense of the amount of materials that needed to be relocated.	In this June 2004 view, clearing of the building site is well along. Acquisition of adjacent property in 2003 provided room for many of the parts that needed to be moved. The new property also allowed enough room for the setbacks (or clear “side yards”) required by the building code for a building of this size. A large scale cleanup effort during the summer also saw the scrapping of a great quantity of accumulated non-essential materials. The timely donation of about twenty storage containers also provided an indoor home for many of the relocated parts.