Santa Susana Railroad Depot & Museum

The Santa Susana Depot Museum and Model in Chatsworth CA is an amazing place to go back in time and enjoy the countless historic artifacts that once lined train tracks across the country. This is a perfect place for kids to visit as well as adults who are interested in railroading history. With a range of interactive exhibits that allow you to actually enter a train cabin, this is an experience that's difficult to resist and a must-see for any family looking for something fun and exciting in the Simi Valley area.

Located in the heart of Chatsworth CA, the Santa Susana Depot Museum and Model features an authentic replica of a 1903 Southern Pacific Railroad depot with interactive displays that take you back to that era and showcase a miniature model of Simi Valley. You can even go inside an engine cabin to get a closer look at what it was like for train passengers back then and learn more about the rich history of trains in this part of the world.

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This museum is also a great place to spend some time with your children as they can explore the many trains on display and try their hands at operating some of them. They even have a few train games that are sure to delight both children and adults alike.

Another interesting piece of history is the railway tunnel that runs through Chatsworth Park and into the Santa Susana Mountains. The tunnel was constructed between 1898 and 1904 to help reduce the distance and travel time between Montalvo and Burbank on the Coast Line railway connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.

While the railway station at Santa Susana Depot was closed in the early 1970s, it is still being maintained today as a landmark. In 1975 the building was moved by truck to a county property two miles east of where it was originally built. The county designated it Landmark #29 in 1976 and is open to visitors.

While most of the train depot buildings on the Coast Line were built in a common standard design, the Santa Susana Depot is considered to be a "craftsman style" design that was custom-built for the Southern Pacific railroad. It appears that Paul Shoup, the founder of Los Altos and later president of the Southern Pacific railroad may have influenced this design decision. The depot is a good example of the type of stations that were constructed during the late 1800s and early 1900s as the metropolis of Los Angeles continued to expand into the surrounding countryside.