Train Trip to Sacramento's California State Railroad Museum

1908 Train #112 Redwood Empire Route, ink & watercolor, 5x10"

We took the train to Sacramento and visited the California State Railroad Museum. The enormous building ( 225,000 square feet) contains many full-sized trains and this one called out to me.

I sat against a pillar on the hard floor and started drawing. I used pencil first to get the basic shapes down since it was so complicated. Then I switched to ink and the time flew by until I realized I only had a few minutes left before we had to leave for our train ride home, so I quickly added watercolor, which I touched up a bit when I got home. 

Micaela and Susan sketching on the train trip

The museum has a Pullman-style sleeping car, a dining car, and a Railway Post Office, all of which you can walk through, along with many life-size displays demonstrating railroad life in the early years of California. I especially liked the little telegraph office with the lady at her desk with a little dish holding egg shells and a salt shaker from her breakfast. She must have had to work long hours in her lonely outpost. 

Click here to take a 360 Virtual Tour of the museum (or go in person—it's fantastic!) 

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