The Santa Maria Valley Railway Historical Museum (SMVRHM), founded as a non-profit, educational museum, is dedicated to the preservation of the railroad heritage of California, the Central Coast, and the Santa Maria Valley.

Railroads have operated in the the Santa Maria Valley since the 1800s. The Pacific Coast Railway, which connected San Luis Bay to San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, and Los Olivos, built branches extending east to Garey Ranch and Palmer, and west to Betteravia and Guadalupe. The latter was operated for a few years as a trolley route to Guadalupe.