Donate
Generous donors like you are the heart of our organization. Our all-volunteer workforce maintain and run the trains, but your donations will ensure that our collections will be preserved for generations and generations to come.
General Fund
The General fund keeps the lights on and the locomotives loaded with fuel. It also pays for track maintenance. Each railroad tie costs about $400 to replace, and boy do we have a lot of ties. Over 17,000 at last count. Please donate to the General fund to keep us running and on track, literally.
Special Funds
SP 3709 Paint Fund
La Mesa Depot Mojave Northern #3 Fund
Locomotive and Car Restoration Fund
SP 5119 Fund
SD&A 050 – Carriso Gorge Fund
SP 7304 Fund
Steam Fund
Bob Underhill Library and Education Fund
Donations in any amount are appreciated. Every little bit helps us maintain our presence in the preservation community. If you have any other specific donation requests, please contact us first.
PSRMA is a qualified tax exempt organization (EIN 95-2374478), and all donations are tax deductible under 501(c)(3).
A Special Thank You to Our 2025 Donors:
2025 Donations: $103,878
Can we break that record in 2026?
2026 Donations and Grants as of Aug 24: $70,284
Roundhouse Wrangler ($100,000 and higher annually)
Station Master ($75,000 to $99,999)
Locomotive Engineer ($50,000 to $74,999)
Conductor ($25,000 to $49,999)
Theodora Davis
Brakeman ($12,500 to $24,999)
Bruce Deck
Dispatcher ($5,000 to $12,499)
Robert and Kit Stebbins
Hi-Ball Signaler ($3,000 to $4,999)
Speeder Operator ($1,000 to $2,999)
Robin Becker • Anthony Neece
MOW Crew Chief ($500 to $999)
Track Gauger ($250 to $499)
Jack O’Lexey
Ballast Tamper ($125 to 249)
The Rev Canon Keith Brown • Maureen Colahan • Cass Witkowski
Spike Driver ($5 to $124)
Robin & Mike Allen • Cheryl Anderson • Gary Ashcraft • Francis Barnes • John Thomas Barnes • Janne Courval • Carrie Crowell • Ben Epperson • Adrian Gonzalez • Richard Hall • Michael Hansen • Connie Hillyer • Diana Humphrey • Steven Moyers • James Nys • Rob Porter • Ramona Richardson • Gary Rolf • Jeffery Rule
Grants for 2026
Emery Rail Heritage Trust grant for $10,000
SP 3709 Paint Fund
One of the Association’s newest acquisitions, Southern Pacific low-nosed GP-9 #3709 was just the second of its type to be delivered to the SP in 1959. SP owned the locomotive until it was sold to the US Army Transportation School in 1987 where it bounced around the country among multiple service branches before being acquired by the PSRMA in 2013. Restoration is now underway on this locomotive which took its first steps under its own power in nearly 20 years in early November 2023. Plans call for the full SP light package to be reinstalled, post-manufacture additions to be removed. You can read more about 3709 on its equipment page.
Once all the body work is completed, in the first half of 2027, the SP “Bloody Nose” paint scheme will be applied to her exterior. The painting is estimated to cost between $50,000 and $60,000. Please donate now so we can paint her immediately after the bodywork is complete.
- SP 3709 Undergoing Renovations
- New Paint Scheme
La Mesa Depot Mojave Northern #3 Fund
The Mojave Northern 0-6-0 switch engine that is on display at the La Mesa Depot. The wooden cab needs to be rebuilt and the water tank needs to have several areas that have rusted through cut out and replaced. Then the locomotive needs to be repainted to help protect it from the elements.
Locomotive and Car Restoration
At the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, we are always working on repairing or restoring locomotives or train cars from our collection. The Locomotive and Car Restoration fund directly supports our efforts to return as much of our collection as possible to active service for your enjoyment. You can view our entire collection of locomotives, cars, and other on-rail equipment here.
SP 5119
Southern Pacific 70T GE switch locomotive #5119 is close to the hearts of many at the Association. Having just received an extensive fuel injection and oil system overhaul, 5119 has returned to active duty after years of stagnation in the PSRM yard. Now that the locomotive is operational, the next step in 5119’s restoration is returning the locomotive to it’s original appearance. Plans call for all of 5119’s original fixtures to be reinstalled, post-manufacture additions removed, and a brand new paint job in SP’s “Tiger Stripes” paint scheme like the locomotive would have worn while in service in San Diego County. You can read more about 5119 on its equipment page.
SD&A 050 – Carriso Gorge
Of all of the passenger cars in PSRMA’s collection, the 050 is the most historically significant piece in our collection as it pertains to our mission statement. Delivered to the Southern Pacific in February of 1910, the San Diego and Arizona Railway agreed to purchase the car from the SP in 1919 and converted into railroad president John D. Spreckels’ personal business car. Delivered in 1922 after conversion was complete, the 050 remained in SD&A’s fleet until being leased and eventually reacquired by the SP in the early 1950s. After conversion into a hospital car and use between Los Angeles and El Paso by the SP, the car was eventually donated to the Railway Historical Society in San Diego who preserved the car along with SD&A steam locomotive #104 at the San Diego County Fairgrounds until being moved to Campo on the first Great Freight in 1983. After sitting for nearly thirty years outside and unprotected from the elements the car was significantly deteriorated by the harsh conditions at the Fairgrounds. Significant funding is required to return the car to it’s former 1922 glory. Necessary restoration work includes exterior and interior woodwork, reinstallation of several original walls and fixtures as well as mechanical repairs and upgrades. SD&A #050 remains in storage at the Display Building in Campo until enough funds can be raised to restore the car to its former glory. We estimate that this restoration may cost several hundred thousand dollars to complete. More information on SD&A 050 can be found on its equipment page.
SP 7304
Perhaps the rarest of PSRMA’s collection of diesel locomotives, SP Alco RS-32 #7304 is one of only three locomotives of its type formerly owned by the SP that still exist today. Once part of a fleet of just 35 SP-owned RS-32s, 7304 was sold to the Chrome Crankshaft company in the late 1970s and leased to the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad for service in San Diego. The locomotive was then sold to he J. R. Simplot company, an agriculture company based in Idaho, before being donated to the Feather River Railroad Society in early 1990 and acquired by PSRMA in the early 2000s. When time and funds permit, the locomotive is to be restored to original condition and returned to demonstration service at Campo. You can read more about 7304 on its equipment page.
Steam Fund
Steam locomotives have created a special place in the hearts of all railfans and preservation societies. PSRMA is no different. With six steam locomotives to preserve, the Association definitely has its hands full. From SD&A #104 which is the only surviving steam locomotive from the SD&A’s original locomotive purchases to SP #2353 which saw service on the SD&A throughout the line’s history to the Coos Bay Lumber Company #11 which is perhaps the best candidate for restoration to operable condition, the steam locomotives of the PSRMA need your help. It is our goal to use monies donated to this fund to cosmetically restore all locomotives and complete a restoration on at least one of the locomotives to return it to active service at the Museum in Campo. If you are interested in assisting with the restoration of steam locomotives, please send us a message through the Contact Us page with “Steam Restoration” in the subject line.
Bob Underhill’s Library and Education Fund
One of the least known but most cherished entities housed under PSRMA’s umbrella is the Southwest Railway Library. Often recognized as one of the largest private collections of railway history documents and artifacts, the SRL is home to thousands of documents, maps, artifacts, and books. Each year, more and more items are donated to the collection and more space is needed to house the growing number of artifacts. Funds donated to the SRL not only go towards increasing the storage capacity at the Library, but also towards preserving the items in the SRL’s collection. More information about the complete collection of the SRL can be found here..