Copyright © 2006 Santa Maria Valley Railroad

The Santa Maria Valley Railroad A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary of Coast Belle Rail Corporation Press Release February 14, 2007 For Immediate Release Opening Season for Santa Maria Valley Railroad Excursion Specials April 6-8, 2007 The Santa Maria Valley Railroad has announced its opening season for Dining Excursion Specials on Easter Weekend April 6 – 8, 2007. The renowned ex-California Zephyr dome car Silver Lariat will be chartered for four weekends, Easter Weekend, Mother’s Day Weekend, Memorial Day Weekend, and Father’s Day Weekend. Guests will enjoy a fine dining experience reminiscent of the elegant railroad passenger cars of yesteryear. Stepping aboard the Silver Lariat will be like stepping back in time for an elegant and exclusive atmosphere once reserved for the railroad barons and magnates as they once plied the rails aboard their private railcars. Guests will be able to indulge themselves with a gourmet meal specially prepared on board the Silver Lariat. Currently reservations are being taken for Easter Weekend. There will be four excursions to choose from, the Season Opener Dinner Excursion on Friday April 6, Santa Maria Valley Farmer’s Showcase Lunch Special on Saturday April 7, Dinner Excursion aboard the Silver Lariat on Saturday April 7, and Easter Sunday Brunch Special on Sunday April 8. [See the Excursions page.] Guests will board at the historic freight depot at the corner of McClelland and Jones Street. The excursion will travel west through Santa Maria and into the picturesque Santa Maria Valley. The line meets the Betteravia Branch at Betteravia Junction where it will head north through the fertile and luscious fields of the Santa Maria Valley towards Guadalupe. At the interchange tracks just before Guadalupe, the locomotive uncouples from the railcar and runs around the Silver Lariat and pulls it back to Santa Maria as guests once more gets a view of one of the most fertile agricultural valleys in the world with the hills of the Nipomo Mesa as a backdrop. The total distance is 18 miles round trip for about a 2 ½ hour ride. The guests will return to the historic freight depot built in 1914 in the heart of downtown Santa Maria. The SMVRR freight depot is within walking distance to museums, restaurants, shopping, Santa Maria City Hall, and the Santa Barbara County Courthouse where Michael Jackson’s trial took place. The ex-California Zephyr Vista-dome car Silver Lariat was built in 1948 for use on the famed California Zephyr passenger train. Current owners Al Bishop and Burt Hermey purchased the Silver Lariat from Amtrak in 1985 and restored the car to its full splendor of 1948. The Silver Lariat is one of the top private cars to charter, frequently chartered by top executives from Union Pacific Railroad. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad held their first Dinner Train Excursion on November 9, 2006 and was sold out before the excursion was publicized. The first Dinner Train Excursion has generating much interest for future excursions. The SMVRR decided to bring the Silver Lariat for four weekends and is negotiating with a private car Pony Express for excursions from July through September with an option to extend its stay. The Easter Weekend Excursions are sponsored by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce and Convention Bureau. The SMVRR plans to start contacting various wineries and hotels for future excursion events. On Friday May 6, 2007 a package with the Santa Maria Inn for an excursion dinner and a stay in the tower room of the hotel that night along with a complimentary breakfast the next morning. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad, serving the Santa Maria Valley’s transportation needs since 1911, provides the most efficient, cost effective, and environmentally friendly way to transport products to any location in the continental United States served by our national railroad network. Santa Maria Valley Railroad’s excellent service is achieved by our 14 miles of well maintained track and equipment, modern communications, and loyal and dedicated employees. Our tracks are rated to transport 286,000 lb rail cars, we can transport the most modern freight cars. The SMVRR connects with Guadalupe, California, interchanging with the Union Pacific Railroad. Through our Cooperative Marketing Agreement with the UPRR, we have direct access to integrated nationwide marketing, sales, pricing, operations and administrative strengths of the UPRR. The SMVRR has a complete locomotive and rail car repair shop and maintenance of way equipment and we can serve off-site customers with track and locomotive repair maintenance. The Santa Maria Valley Railroad Company, “The Transportation Gateway for the Central Coast” since 1911. For further information contact: Rob Himoto, President (805) 922-7941 Email rhimoto@smvrr.com Sarah Smith, Excursion Operations Director Cell: (831) 596-4743 Email: sarahbearasmith@aol.com Santa Maria Valley Railroad Company PO Box 5665 Santa Maria, CA 93456 (805) 922-7941 FAX (805) 922-9554 www.smvrr.com #### || About || Services || History || News || Events || Excursions || Store || Contact ||