The Southern California Railway Museum (SCRM, reporting mark OERX) sits on more than 100 acres in Perris, in Riverside County's Inland Empire, about 17 miles (27 km) south of Riverside. Founded in 1956 as the Orange Empire Traction Company and incorporated that July, the museum moved to the former Pinacate Station site near Perris in 1958 as the Orange Empire Trolley Museum. It became the Orange Empire Railway Museum in 1975 after merging with the California Southern Railroad Museum, and adopted its current name in 2019.

The collection numbers over 200 streetcars, interurbans, locomotives and pieces of rolling stock, including the world's largest collection of Pacific Electric Railway equipment, much of it rescued from scrapyards after Southern California's Red Car passenger service ended in 1961. Trains run on a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard-gauge mainline that was once part of the California Southern Railroad — the line that, with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, formed the first rail route to a California seaport (San Diego) independent of the Central and Southern Pacific.

Streetcars operate on a half-mile (0.8 km) dual-gauge Loop Line that carries both standard-gauge Pacific Electric cars and 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow-gauge Los Angeles Railway cars — the only 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge trolley line still running in the United States.

The Loop Line gives close, repeatable shots of operating streetcars against the dual-gauge track, and the mainline offers locomotive-hauled trains in motion. Inside Carhouse 1 and the Grizzly Flats barn you can photograph restored Los Angeles Railway and narrow-gauge equipment under cover; Carhouse 4 holds the larger steam and Pacific Electric pieces when staffed. The interactive signal garden, with restored crossing signals and a rare US&S banjo signal (one of only three known to exist), and the historic Pinacate Station are also good subjects. There are no general photography restrictions for personal use, but stop, look and listen at every track crossing — this is an active railroad.

SCRM is a working railroad, not a static display. On a typical weekend two city streetcars circulate on the dual-gauge Loop Line while a locomotive-hauled train runs the standard-gauge mainline, and ticket holders can ride all day. Standout motive power includes Santa Fe 108, a 1967 EMD FP45 in Warbonnet paint that was the last passenger locomotive the Santa Fe ever bought; Southern Pacific 3100, a 1963 GE U25B that is the last operating example in the United States; and Union Pacific 942, a 1953 EMD E8A restored to lead the museum's "City of Perris" passenger consist.

The Grizzly Flats narrow-gauge collection was largely donated by Disney animator and rail fan Ward Kimball and includes the 1881 Baldwin 2-6-0 "Emma Nevada" and the 1883 Baldwin 0-4-2T "Chloe." The Pacific Electric collection holds "Blimp" interurban coaches and "Hollywood" cars featured in the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, while the Los Angeles Railway collection includes the "Descanso," the only surviving streetcar funeral car, and car 3001, the first PCC streetcar in Los Angeles, christened by Shirley Temple.

The museum's operating steam locomotive, 1922 Baldwin 2-6-2 Ventura County Railway No. 2, has historically run on the third weekend from September through May, though it has been out of service since November 2021 for a federally mandated 1,472-day boiler inspection and overhaul; check the official site for its current status.

Admission to the grounds, parking and self-guided viewing are free; you only pay to ride. Plan on a lot of walking — the site spans more than 100 acres, with carbarns, shops and outdoor display tracks spread across it. Many visitors spend two to three hours, and enthusiasts often stay longer.

On weekends select exhibit buildings open: the Grizzly Flats narrow-gauge barn (Saturdays and Sundays 11:30 AM–4:30 PM), Carhouse 1 housing the Los Angeles Railway collection (10:00 AM–5:00 PM), and, depending on volunteer availability, Carhouse 4 with the steam and Pacific Electric equipment. Volunteers are frequently at work restoring equipment and are happy to explain it. There are picnic areas near the entrance and an interactive railroad signal garden, and the Pinacate Station store sells snacks and drinks.