A must-see for railroad buffs, this museum is conveniently located next door to the Miami MetroZoo. Historic railroad cars on display include a 1949 Silver Crescent Dome car and the Ferdinand Magellan, the only Pullman car specifically created for U.S. presidents. The Magellan, built for Franklin D. Roosevelt, was also used by Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan.
Established in 1957, the Gold Coast Railroad Museum is a non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve, exhibit, and operate historic railroad equipment. It was started by a group of people in Miami who were trying to save remnants of Florida that were disappearing. The Magellan was one of the earliest pieces in the collection. Other early relics were the Florida East Coast Railway locomotive 113, built in 1913, and locomotive 153, the steam engine that pulled the rescue train out of Marathon in the Florida Keys after the 1935 hurricane.
Hurricanes are a major part of the history of this museum. It rose from a complex of Navy blimp hangars destroyed in the 1945 hurricane. In 1992 the museum fell victim to Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed the original train shed and some of the historic railroad equipment.
When the museum is open, its engines are the Southernmost operating steam engines in the continental U.S. The 58-acre museum has a small staff. If the timing is right, visitors can take a 15-minute train ride. An exhibit of the former Naval Air Station, which supplied critical air support to convoys during World War II, is open during regular museum hours.
The museum site, which has been used as a backdrop for TV productions and feature films, is available for birthday parties, corporate events, and field trips.
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