Driving Tour to the Nethercutt Museum
The Nethercutt Collection is a multi-storied museum and car collection complex located in Sylmar, California. It was founded by J.B. Nethercutt in 1971 and its centerpiece is the prestigious automobile collection of the Nethercutt-Richards family that contains over 250 cars, nearly all of which J.B. originally collected and owned. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest car museums in the world.
From 1971 to 1994, the collection’s San Sylmar penthouse tower was one of J.B. Nethercutt’s private estates, serving dual purpose of a museum when he wasn’t there, in which it was one of the largest houses in the United States at 60,000 square feet. In 2000, the collection expanded with The Nethercutt Museum, a 40,000 square feet self-guided museum building.
The museum also houses collections of mechanical musical instruments, including orchestrions, player pianos, music boxes, antique furniture, watches, and an automotive research library. Another rare piece in the collection is the Canadian Pacific Railway’s famous Royal Hudson steam locomotive No. 2839 built in 1937. The semi-streamlined Royal Hudson steam locomotive is one of four that survive today.