We have been fascinated with railroads all our life.  So it was a given that we would enjoy our visit to the Lomita Railroad Museum. 
Tucked away on a side street just two blocks from Pacific Coast Highway this museum has a most interesting history.  It exists thanks to Mrs. Irene Lewis who deeded the land it stands on and then set upon herself the task of creating the museum as it is today.
Founded in 1967 the Lomita Railroad Museum is dedicated to displaying the "age of steam" and celebrating its 50th anniversary this coming year
The Lomita Station is a direct copy of a 19th century Greenwood Depot at Wakefield, Massachusetts.  The Locomotive at the museum was built in 1902 and was used by Southern Pacific Railroad until 1958 in Southern California.
There are two caboose cars on the property for walk in viewing.
What we found so interesting here was the small items attached to railroading that we knew nothing about.
Like Date Nails that were driven into new ties so it could be determined later what the life expectancy of the ties would be.
Also torpedoes which were placed on the track by a flagman if the train stopped on the mainline between stations.  These torpedoes were flares that exploded with a flash of light warning the engineer to slow the train and be prepared to stop.
On our visit we were fortunate to have Alexander as our guide and docent and he was most knowledgeable and courteous which added much to our visit.
The Lomita Railroad Museum is located at 2137 West 250th Street in Lomita, Ca. 90717.  Telephone 310 326-6255, web www.lomita-rr.org.  The museum is open Thursday thru Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed holidays.