Poway–Midland Railroad

The Poway–Midland Railroad is a heritage railroad located in Old Poway Park in Poway, California.

The group "Poway–Midland Railroad Volunteers, Inc." operates the railroad and was founded in 1991 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration, operation and maintenance of antique railroad equipment.

Excursions are run each weekend (the 1st and 3rd weekends of each month using a 1907 Baldwin 0-4-0 steam locomotive, except in January or February ). The line has 11 total pieces of railroad equipment. This operation is unusual in that it has a track gauge of narrow gauge.

The Poway–Midland Railroad is owned by the City of Poway and operated and maintained by the Poway–Midland Railroad Volunteers, Inc.

Preserved equipment

 * 1907 Baldwin Steam Locomotive
 * 1956 Fairmont Speeder
 * 1906 San Francisco Cable Car

Historic timeline

 * May 1991 – Initial meeting
 * Nov 1991 – Incorporation of the PMRR Volunteers
 * Sep 1991 – Boxcar arrives on site
 * Apr 1993 – Trolley arrives on site
 * Jun 1993 – Track work completed
 * Jul 4 1993 – Old Poway Park dedication
 * Jul 4 1993 – First passenger carried behind speeder
 * Sep 1994 – First locomotive passenger run
 * Jul 1996 – Record passenger haul (2,500)
 * Jan 1997 – First woman fireman qualified
 * Oct 1997 – San Francisco Cable Car arrives
 * Jul 4 2002 – Turntable dedicated
 * Oct 2004 – Barn expansion dedicated
 * Oct 2009 – Depot dedicated (new ticket office, train shop, and museum)

Statistics

 * Total passengers: 425,336 (As of 1 November 2006)
 * Total volunteer hours: 74,492 (As of August 2006)
 * 1,866 passengers July 4, 2005
 * 1,829 passengers Train Song Fest 2006
 * 1,732 passengers Christmas in the Park 2004
 * 1,422 Rendezvous 2005
 * Operation Lifesaver program presented to 20,000+ viewers
 * 40–50 Operations Lifesaver presentations annually
 * 397 active members