Perris

From the California Southern Railroad to modern Metrolink service, Perris remains a key inland Southern California railroad community.

Overview

Perris occupies a distinctive place in Southern California railroad history. The city developed along the California Southern Railroad, became an important agricultural shipping point on the Santa Fe system, and today serves as the southern terminus of Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line.

The city is also home to the Southern California Railway Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of Pacific Electric Railway rolling stock. Founded in 1956 and known for decades as the Orange Empire Railway Museum, it adopted its current name in 2019. Its collections, historic buildings, operating railway, and extensive grounds make Perris both an active passenger-rail destination and a major center for interpreting Southern California transportation history.

The historic Perris Depot, built in 1892, provides a physical connection between these eras. It served passenger and agricultural traffic, later became a local-history museum, and stands near the modern Perris-Downtown Metrolink station.

For Western Rail Archive, Perris connects the California Southern, Santa Fe development, agricultural transportation, depot preservation, modern Metrolink service, railway preservation, and the lost corridor toward Temecula and San Diego.

Quick Facts

LocationPerris, California
CountyRiverside County
Historic RailroadsCalifornia Southern Railroad; Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway
Current Passenger ServiceMetrolink 91/Perris Valley Line (since June 6, 2016)
Current Metrolink StationsPerris-Downtown; Perris-South
Historic Depot Constructed1892
Major Preservation InstitutionSouthern California Railway Museum
Related Historic CorridorColton; Perris; Temecula; Fallbrook; San Diego

Historical Background

The California Southern Railroad

Perris developed along the California Southern Railroad, the original inland railroad route built to connect San Diego with the transcontinental rail system. The line extended north from National City through Oceanside, Fallbrook, Temecula, and Perris before reaching the Inland Empire.

Naming of Perris

The city was named for Fred T. Perris, vice president and chief engineer of the California Southern Railroad. His involvement with the railroad associated his name with both the emerging community and the larger effort to establish a new transportation corridor across inland Southern California.

The Santa Fe Era

The California Southern became closely associated with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway. Perris developed into a station and shipping point supporting passenger movement and the agricultural economy of the Perris Valley.

Decline of the Original Route

Flooding repeatedly damaged the line through Temecula Canyon, weakening the inland route’s value as a dependable connection to San Diego. The coastal railroad alignment further reduced the importance of the route through Perris and Temecula. Floods washed out the canyon in February 1884 (the line reopened in January 1885) and again in February 1891, and the Temecula Canyon segment was officially abandoned on January 28, 1892. The line from Perris through Railroad Canyon to Elsinore was abandoned around 1927. Although the through route disappeared, railroad infrastructure remained in and around Perris.

The Historic Perris Depot

The present Perris Depot was constructed in 1892, replacing an earlier wooden station. It was designed by Benjamin Franklin Levet Sr., Fred Perris’s son-in-law, and built by Perris developer J. W. Nance. It served both passenger traffic and the agricultural business generated by the farmlands of the Perris Valley.

Passenger and Agricultural Service

  • Passenger station
  • Agricultural shipping point
  • Community transportation center
  • Connection with the Santa Fe system
  • Local railroad operating facility

Passenger traffic eventually declined and ended in 1947; the Santa Fe freight agency at Perris closed in 1969. Agricultural activity later diminished as farming conditions changed and suburban development replaced portions of the agricultural landscape.

Preservation and Museum Use

Since 1974 the depot has housed a museum of local history, today the Perris Valley Historical Museum. It remains an essential subject for documenting California Southern architecture, Santa Fe operations, Perris Valley agriculture, community development, railroad preservation, and the transition from historic service to modern commuter rail.

Return of Passenger Rail

Metrolink 91/Perris Valley Line

Modern passenger rail returned to Perris on June 6, 2016, with the opening of Metrolink’s 91/Perris Valley Line extension. The service links Perris with Moreno Valley, Riverside, Corona, Fullerton, Los Angeles, and connecting destinations across the Metrolink network.

Perris-Downtown

Perris-Downtown places modern passenger rail near the historic city center and the 1892 depot, allowing historic and contemporary railroad transportation to be documented in close proximity.

Perris-South

Perris-South is the current southern endpoint of Metrolink passenger service. Its location makes it particularly relevant to WRA’s broader coverage of southwest Riverside County, including Temecula and Murrieta.

Various proposals have discussed extending passenger rail service beyond Perris toward Hemet and/or Temecula; however, no funded project or implementation timeline currently exists for either extension.

Any future advocacy or detailed discussion of extending regional passenger service farther south should be handled separately from this historical location page.

Southern California Railway Museum

The Southern California Railway Museum is located in Perris and preserves locomotives, passenger cars, freight equipment, streetcars, interurban cars, light-rail vehicles, maintenance equipment, and railroad buildings.

The museum deserves its own complete WRA page. The Perris page should document the institution’s relationship with the city, while the museum page covers its collections, operating railway, preservation work, and visitor experience.

Major Collection Themes

  • Pacific Electric Railway
  • Los Angeles Railway
  • Southern California streetcars
  • Interurban equipment
  • Steam and diesel locomotives
  • Passenger and freight cars
  • Maintenance-of-way equipment
  • Historic railway buildings
  • Restoration projects
  • Operating railway demonstrations

Perris as a Railroad Crossroads

  • The original California Southern inland route
  • The Santa Fe and agricultural shipping era
  • Railroad preservation through the Southern California Railway Museum
  • The modern Metrolink passenger-rail era

Perris preserves an unusually visible relationship among railroad development, abandonment, preservation, and restoration of passenger service.

Connection to Temecula / Murrieta

Perris is an essential companion to the Temecula / Murrieta page. Historically, both areas stood along the California Southern route toward San Diego. Today, Perris is the nearest active regional rail destination to southwest Riverside County and the current endpoint of Metrolink service in that direction.

Railfan and Photography Information

Perris-Downtown

  • Metrolink arrivals and departures
  • Historic Santa Fe depot
  • Downtown railroad infrastructure
  • Passenger activity
  • Then-and-now comparisons

Perris-South

  • Metrolink terminal operations
  • Locomotive-hauled passenger equipment
  • Cab-car operations
  • Station infrastructure
  • Signals
  • Regional landscape

Museum Area

  • Preserved locomotives
  • Streetcars and interurban equipment
  • Operating train and trolley rides
  • Restoration projects
  • Historic buildings
  • Equipment details
  • Special events

Safety and Courtesy

  • Remain in public areas
  • Stay behind platform safety markings
  • Use designated crossings
  • Follow instructions from railroad and museum personnel
  • Never enter tracks or restricted restoration areas
  • Respect passengers, volunteers, and equipment

Why Perris Matters

Perris demonstrates how railroad history can survive and return in different forms. The city was created and shaped by the California Southern and Santa Fe systems. Its original through route declined, but the historic depot survived. Railroad preservation later became a defining feature through the Southern California Railway Museum, and modern passenger service returned through Metrolink.

Related Railroads

Related Locations

Related Museums

Gallery

Photo gallery coming soon.

  • Historic Perris Depot
  • Perris-Downtown Metrolink operations
  • Perris-South terminal operations
  • California Southern and Santa Fe history
  • Agricultural railroad activity
  • Historic maps and timetables
  • Southern California Railway Museum
  • Pacific Electric and Los Angeles Railway equipment
  • Steam and diesel locomotives
  • Train and trolley operations
  • Restoration projects
  • Then-and-now comparisons

Western Rail Archive Notes

Perris should become one of WRA’s most interconnected Inland Empire pages. It ties the lost California Southern route to Temecula, the surviving historic depot to modern Metrolink operations, and local railroad history to one of the West’s major preservation institutions.

Archive Status

Page StatusCategoryRegionGallery
Foundational ArticleLocationsInland EmpireIn Development