| Welcome to the Southern California Live Steamers (SCLS) website! This web site has been down for a few years and we have just started to up date it. So make sure to check back in to see whats new at the SCLS. I would like to thank Phil Cohen for building and hosting this award winnig site for SCLS When you browse through our webpage, you will get a brief glimpse of SCLS’s rich history. Former members include Dick Bagley, Ward Kimball and Walt Disney, to name a few. Who knows? You might even see a picture or two of you and your family. As you peruse through the photos, you will see improvements throughout the years. This is due in large part through your generosity. SCLS is a nonprofit (501(c)(3)) corporation that relies on public donations. We build and improve the facilities based on your generosity. SCLS provides train rides twice a month on the 1st Sunday and 3rd Saturday of every month. In addition, during the past 27 years, the track footage has dramatically grown: we now have 3 track routes that can be road on The loops, The figure 8, and the Crenshaw line. So the ride can sometimes last up to 45 minutes depending on the volunteers available and the operating conditions. ******* This year we have two big fundraising events ******* The Halloween Train Ride October 25 and 26 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm at $ 7.00 a ride. This year we plan on having many fun kid friendly displays The Holidays lights Train on Ride on December 21 from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm it’s $ 7.00 per ride. We will have over 1500 lights and fun displays. These are fun events and each year they get a little bigger and better. They are a lot of work for are members and we can always use some help. If you enjoy setting up Halloween displays or holiday lights and displays and would like to help send a email to the SCLS President. We need members if you are interested in trains and enjoy spending time with a interesting group of railroad enthusiasts we may be your ticket to fun times. There are many benefits to being a member of SCLS you will have full access to the club grounds. You will have the opportunity to learn how to safety operate the club owned locomotives. You will be able to use the facilities for your family functions. Fear not you don’t need to own a trian to be a member. All our members are city of Torrance volunteers and need to pass a annual finger print background test. there is no charge to take the test it is provided by the city of Torrance. Finger printing may seem a little intimidating but it establishes a very secure environment for the SCLS familys and the public riders. If you take a look in the photo gallery you will see many of the aspects of being a member of SCLS. Family Memberships are 60.00 a year with a probation period for the first 6 months. If your interested in a membership ask for a membership form at the depot on a public run day. Also on most Tuesday mornings after 9:00-10:00 there is a group of members out at the club working on projects so if your interested stop by and check out SCLS Giving train rides is not all we do SCLS is one of the smallest and oldest live steam clubs in the western United States. Several of our current members have interesting live steam type projects under way. The photo galleries show some of them so check it out. Like in many hobbies items get pasted around. One person owns a locomotive then after years go by they feel the need to get a different locomotive. Its always interesting to see the ownership of different locomotives and cars move around between club members and from club to club. A lot of times members start out with a small locomotive and as there hobbie budgets gets bigger and there skill level increase so do there locomotives and trains. We also have are grounds and track to maintain and improve. Before I joined SCLS I had worked with a few different landscape designers on projects and always found it to be interesting work but very challenging at times. My family has always been big into garding and farming but I didn’t give it much though as was just what we had to do as a kid. But now that I’m getting older Im finding it to be vary relaxing and rewarding to plant a garden and see all the different plantings grow. At the club this is a win win for myself and other members as we get to play gardeners and all the other members and riders get to enjoy it. Having a back yard railroad is a grate thing but it’s vary expensive and it’s just not much fun running a train around all by your self. That is where a live steam club like SCLS comes into play. As a group we can do a lot that one individual by themselves would probably find just too big a challenge. A few years ago I read on line that one of the live steam clubs had a midweek projects work day for there members. For them this was working out great with members that are retired or have other obligations on the weekends. I thought this might work at SCLS so I let other members know I would be that the club on Tuesday mornings and if they had free time stop by. Well it has grown and has been very beneficial to the members. It has helped keep up on the maintenance around the club as well. At times its just grate to have a other members around to help when you need that second set of hands. At times I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to fix something and someone walks up and says how about trying this and bam we just solved the problem. Hopefully we will see you out on the tracks SCLS President Tom Downing |
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Gallery Photos
