Scott Inman has been a life-long historian, author, and modeler of the Southern Pacific. Growing up, Scott witnessed the twilight of the once-mighty Southern Pacific Empire while photographing the corporation throughout California. Documenting railroad operations over Donner Pass, chasing West Side Beet Trains out of Tracy, and watching locals pass through his hometown of Elk Grove, California provided Scott one of the last opportunities for his generation to witness the Grand Ole Southern Pacific.

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He has served on the Board of Directors of the Southern Pacific Historical & Technical society since 2011, currently serving as Vice President. Additionally, he has published the society’s quarterly newsletter, directed the model development department, and planned six annual conventions of the SPH&TS.

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Scott’s involvement with the California State Railroad Museum began more than 25 years ago when his Grandfather, Robert Hornbeck, CPA, was the Controller of the Sacramento Historic Sites Association which at one time operated the museum’s finances. He spent many summer days learning from knowledgeable docents and former railroaders about operating practices, locomotive technology, and the Transcontinental Railroad. In 2005, he became a volunteer docent and has served the museum in many capacities. His involvement since has included working with Maintenance of Way, staffing the Cab Forward, maintaining the Sefton Toy Train Exhibit, serving the Sacramento Southern Railroad as a Car Attendant and Narrator, participating in the Amtrak Interpretive Program on the California Zephyr, and working in the restoration shops. His major accomplishment at CSRM was leading a restoration team to restore Union Pacific 103, a former Texas and Pacific Business Car. Work on the 103 was completed in September 2012 after several months of work by a 20 person team. In 2015, Scott also negotiated saving Southern Pacific 109 Shasta, an 1888-built Official Car, from being scrapped and helped relocate it to Black Butte, California. In 2016, he led a campaign to save and relocate Southern Pacific’s only Budd RDC, SP10, back home to Northern California from Galveston, Texas.

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Other organizations Scott is associated with include the Pacific Coast Chapter of the Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, the Northwestern Pacific Railroad Historical Society, the National Model Railroad Association, and the Boy Scouts of America. Scott has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and is a past Lodge Chief in the Amangi Nacha Lodge of the Order of the Arrow. He volunteered seven years on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento Model Railroad Historical Society, serving two years as President. Prototype modeling of the Southern Pacific in HO scale has been one of Scott’s passions for over 15 years.

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He is a graduate of California State University Sacramento with a Masters of Business Administration. As a financial professional, his day job is in public service as the Senior Accountant for the Yolo County Housing Authority in Woodland, California.