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The Florida Railroad Museum

The beginnings of the Florida Railroad Museum actually predate the museum itself. A form of the museum was started in 1981 and the museum itself was later recognized in 1982 as the official State of Florida railroad museum. Located in Parrish, Florida (just outside of St. Petersburg) today the museum highlights railroading in general but tries to cover Florida’s rail history in particular. Along with featuring several pieces of rolling stock and locomotives (including a number of operational diesels, an Alco RS3, EMD GP7, and GE 44-tonner) the museum also has several other activities you can take part in.

One of these activities is an on-site tourist train, which operates six miles between Parrish and Willow and includes your choice of an open-air or air-conditioned car. The excursion train also offers a number of different options including chartering just a car or the entire train. The museum also offers caboose rentals for birthdays as well as cab rides and discounts for large groups.

The Florida Railroad Museum also offers the unique chance to operate a diesel locomotive. The cost is not provided directly on the museum's website so if you are interested you will need to call. However, you must be at least 18 years of age to operate the locomotive and must complete a short class before actually getting in the right-hand seat.

All in all, if you are ever in southwest Florida and interested in railroads and/or history you should certainly consider a visit to the Florida Railroad Museum, it is a fine operation with plenty of historic equipment and memorabilia on hand to see.

Florida Railroad Museum Locomotives and Equipment

Locomotives

* Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal Railroad (BEDT) Porter 0-6-0T #12

* Cargill EMD NW5 #61

* New York Central Alco RS3 #8277 (Painted as Seaboard Air Line #1633)

* Pennsylvania Railroad Alco RS3 #8604

* US Army GP7 diesel locomotive #1835 (Donated by the Department of Defense in 1993)

* US Army GP7 diesel locomotive #1822 (Donated by the Department of Defense in 1993)

Rolling Stock

* Atlantic Coast Line Coach #1116

* Baltimore & Ohio "Wagontop" Caboose #C-2417

* Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Commuter Coaches #3518 and #3572

* Illinois Central Railroad Coach #2682

* Louisville & Nashville Pullman Car

* Norfolk & Western Railway Caboose #518415

* Southern Railway Baggage Car #142

* Texas & Pacific Railway Caboose #12070

* Union Pacific Coach

For more information about the Florida Railroad Museum's fleet of equipment please visit their website.

For more reading about Florida railroading you might be interested in Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean from author Les Standiford. The book details Henry Flagler’s Florida East Coast and it’s building of the spectacular Key West Extension, a very long railroad bridge that connected the Key West island chain with the mainland of Florida. The bridge and extension were lost with the massive 1935 Hurricane but the bridge supports remain today carrying Highway 1 to connect the Keys to the mainland.

Also, for more information and reading about excursion trains and railroad museums you might want to consider picking up Tourist Trains Guidebook from the editors of Kalmbach Publishing's Trains magazine. The book lists and reviews over 400 excursions and museums found throughout the country and is an excellent resource if you're looking for one to visit. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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