History
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad commenced construction on July 11, 1911 by an English oil syndicate to haul oil and asphalt from Roadamite to Guadalupe. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad reached Santa Maria on October 7, 1911 and was completed to Roadamite on November 5, 1911.
Captain G. Allan Hancock purchased the railroad in 1925 and proceeded to build many industries which complemented the railroad. Captain Hancock developed agriculture in the Santa Maria Valley, introducing new irrigation methods. Captain Hancock invested heavily in packing sheds, an ice plant, and Rosemary Farms. By the mid 1930's the Santa Maria Valley Railroad was hauling many carloads of sugar beets to the Union Sugar Plant in Betteravia, and oil and vegetables out of the valley. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad was one of the busiest shortline railroads on the west, hauling over 20,000 carloads per year.
At the start of World War II, the Santa Maria Valley Railroad purchased the old Pacific Coast Narrow Gauge Railroad right of way to the Airbase, now the location of the Santa Maria Airport. The Airbase Branch is actually the oldest railroad right of way on the Santa Maria Valley Railroad system, originally constructed in April 1882.
The Santa Maria Valley Railroad was one of the last railroads on the West Coast to run main line steam locomotives. On February 21, 1962 was the last run of steam engine 21 with Captain Hancock at the throttle and Walt Disney in the cab (pictured at right). Captain Hancock passed away in 1965. Oil produced in the valley eventually left the rails and in August 1993, Holly Sugar closed down the sugar plant in Betteravia. The railroad divested the right of way east of Highway 101 in Santa Maria and the main line trackage was reduced to 14 miles.
In October 2006 the Santa Maria Valley Railroad was purchased by the Coast Belle Rail Corporation from the descendants of the Hancock family. Since taking over the operations, the new Santa Maria Valley Railroad is being revitalized with significant rebuilding of the railroad, new marketing initiatives, expansion of switching and repair services, and special events to promote public awareness of the railroad.
On November 9, 2006 the Santa Maria Valley Railroad chartered the private car Silver Lariat for a freight customer appreciation excursion. That night was the first public excursion since 1962. On December 9, 2006 the Santa Maria Valley Railroad held its first ever public open house, the first of several events to reintroduce the public to the railroad. On the weekend of April 5, 2008 the former Santa Maria Valley Railroad Railbus No. 9 made a guest excursion appearance during the Motorcars Operators West Excursion.
In September 2008 the Santa Maria Valley Railroad moved its yard and office facilities out of downtown Santa Maria and relocated at the former sugar plant in Betteravia. The new location, the Betteravia Industrial Park, offers full transload services with team track, dock track and ramp track as well as many acres of on-ground storage.
Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. Interested in the history of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad? Want to know how a modern freight railroad operates? Or would you like to volunteer for our special events? The Friends of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad is a non profit organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement, and interpretation of the historical aspects of the Santa Maria Valley Railroad. The Friends organization also provides members with railroad experience and educational opportunities such as dinner train excursions, speeder excursions, and open house events.
