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CAMPO – For more than a century, black train passengers in the South were relegated to so-called Jim Crow cars. The racially segregated coaches, whose name derived from a demeaning minstrel act, were smoky, often dangerous and generally inferior to the cars reserved for whites.
The last Jim Crow coach rolled off the tracks in the 1960s during the civil rights struggles.
But now, in an unusual project, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum in Campo is restoring a historic segregated rail car, with the aim of spotlighting African-American railroad history.
“The African-American railroad experience is a very neglected story,” said Ted Kornweibel, a historian who is leading the project.
Perhaps for fear of offending black visitors, most railroad museums have avoided the subject of segregation aboard the rails, he said.
But Kornweibel, a retired white San Diego State University professor, who has published several books on African-American history, takes the opposite tack.
“I'm an advocate for truth-telling in American history,” he said, speaking at the site of the restoration project on a recent Saturday.
Pacific Southwest Railway Museum
What: The all-volunteer museum runs excursion trains, staffs exhibits and restores historic trains. New members and volunteers are welcome. Ask a docent to lead you to the “Jim Crow” car.
Where: Campo. Take Interstate 8 east to Buckman Springs Road; go south 10 miles to state Route 94; turn west and go 1.6 miles; turn left on Forrest Gate Road and follow the signs to the museum. Or take 94 east to Campo and watch for the museum sign.
When: Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekends for visits and excursion rides, with twice-daily train rides Saturday and Sunday. Check psrm.org or call (619) 465-PSRM.
Cost of excursion: Adults, $15; seniors and active military, $12; children 6 to 12, $5; 5 and younger, free. Ride up front in the cab for $35 per person.

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