Historic Depot Reopens After 10-Year Project

After 10 years and hundreds of volunteer hours, the historic Santa Susana railroad depot was opened to the public Saturday.

About 150 people gathered outside the 91-year-old building at Santa Susana Park in Simi Valley, where members of the Santa Susana Model Railroad Club thanked city officials for supporting them with their renovation of the depot.

“It took so long, so much work, that it’s hard to believe that it’s done,” said Walt Griffin, an Agoura Hills teacher and a member of the railroad club.

After a brief ceremony during which Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton praised the volunteers for saving the depot from destruction, residents cruised through the buildings.

“It’s gorgeous. It looks better than it did when it was operating,” said 89-year-old Winifred Steele, adding that she used to visit the depot during its golden era. “They did a tremendous job, and we are very proud to have our depot back.”

The two-story wooden station, painted yellow with brown trim, has a loading platform in front. One room of the three-room depot is filled with a model train display, and another will house a library with books about the history of trains and railroads along with a museum displaying train paraphernalia.

The upstairs, still to be renovated, eventually will house a live-in caretaker.

The depot, which is owned by the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District, originally was built on Los Angeles Avenue, where farmers shipped citrus and residents stopped by to see the trains.

But Southern Pacific shut down the depot in 1964. The district bought the building for $1 in 1974. In 1975, when Los Angeles Avenue was widened, the district moved the depot to Santa Susana Park.

In 1986, members of the Santa Susana Model Railroad Club asked the district if they could renovate the depot. During the project, the volunteers worked on the depot every Wednesday and Saturday.

With the help of a $200,000 grant from the California Department of Transportation and money from fund-raising, volunteers have nearly finished restoring every room to its original style. They have also built public bathrooms and installed an elevator for disabled residents.

“Now it’s time to play with our trains,” volunteer Michael Collins said after the ceremony. “The fun part has just began.”

Beginning Feb. 1, the depot will be open to the public free of charge on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.