NOTE: In an effort to protect public health and the safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff as the state responds to the continued threat of COVID-19, California State Parks is temporarily closing the California State Railroad Museum and its associated facilities within Old Sacramento State Historic Park.

"Bent to the Task" features the industrial art of Ray Carrington. Thirty-five intriguing sculptures all created from repurposed scrap and rail materials -- such as hand tools, railroad spikes, and track plates -- that the local artist collected decades ago from abandoned railroad logging and sawmills in Northern California. Capturing the force and spirit of the faceless millions who built America’s industrial past, the collection of spike figures comes from the Carrington Foundation for Public Art.

In addition to experiencing the sculptures on display that provide a glimpse into a transformative time in America’s past, visitors are encouraged to participate in an interactive component that supports the Museum’s commitment to be a “laboratory of learning.” Workbenches with bins of toy train parts and metal bits will be available for visitors to create their own sculptures to display on a special shelf for others to appreciate or take home as keepsakes.