Gold Coast Railroad Museum facts for kids
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| Established | 1956 |
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| Location | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum (reporting mark GCOX) is a cool place to visit in Miami, Florida. It's right next to Zoo Miami. This museum is all about trains and their amazing history!
Contents
About the Museum
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum started way back in 1956. It was built on an old air force base called Naval Air Station Richmond. This spot was perfect because it already had over three miles of train tracks!
This museum is one of only three Official State Railroad Museums in Florida. It got this special title in 1984. To be a state museum, it had to show it was all about preserving railroad history. It also needed to be open to everyone and run as a non-profit group.
The museum works hard to teach people about old trains and railroads. It has more than 30 historic trains! These include famous cars like the Presidential Pullman "Ferdinand Magellan." You can also see engines like the Florida East Coast "153." The museum uses old items, movies, and fun displays to share train history. Many of the displays are interactive, meaning you can touch and play with them!
Train Rides and Fun
One of the best parts is riding the trains! On most Saturdays, you can hop aboard vintage trains. It's like taking a trip back in time! You can even ride in the front of the train, where the driver sits. There's also a separate, smaller train called the Edwin Link Children's Railroad. This train uses a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge track, which is a bit narrower than regular tracks.
Did you know the Gold Coast Railroad Museum has the southernmost active train tracks in the continental United States? That's pretty cool!
Amazing Exhibits
One of the most important trains you'll see is the Presidential Car Ferdinand Magellan. This special train car was used by presidents! The museum also has a fantastic collection of model trains. These are tiny, detailed versions of real trains.
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Florida East Coast 153
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EMD E-8A of Florida East Coast Railway No. 1594
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EMD GP 7m of Atlantic Coast Line Railroad No. 1804
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Collection of classic model trains & prototypical scale models
Locomotives and Engines
The museum has many different types of locomotives, which are the engines that pull the trains. Some of these diesel engines still work and are used today!
Steam Locomotives
These are older trains that use steam to move.
- Florida East Coast 113
- Florida East Coast 153
- Winston Co. 48
Diesel-Electric Locomotives
These trains use diesel engines to make electricity, which then powers the train.
- NASA Railroad SW1500 #2
- Gold Coast Railroad Museum RS-1 #106
- Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad E-9A #9913
- Florida East Coast Railway E-8A #1594
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad GP-7 #1804
- Seaboard Air Line Railroad FP-10 #4033
- Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad S-2 "Slug" #C
- NASA Railroad S-2 #1
Other Special Locomotives
- East Swamp & Gatorville Railroad 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge 4-4-0 Locomotive #3. This engine was built by Crown Metal Products. It was given to the museum by Edwin Albert Link. It used to run on coal but now uses compressed air!
Freight and Passenger Cars
The museum also displays many different kinds of train cars. These include cars that carry goods (freight cars) and cars that carry people (passenger cars). Here are some of the cool cars you might see:
- Port Everglades Stake Car No. 1103
- SCL Fruit Boxcar No. 593188
- FEC Heavyweight Passenger No. 136
- ACL Wood M-3 Caboose No. 0322
- SAL Heavyweight Combine No. 259
- US No. 1 "Ferdinand Magellan"
- Southern Railway Express Agency Baggage No. 359
- US Army Hospital Car No. 89436
- FEC Anniversary Smooth-Side Car No. 1996
- ACL Observation-Tavern-Bar No. 254
- SAL Tavern-Lounge No. 6300
- WP "Silver Crescent" CZ-10/WP 881
- CB&Q Sleeper "Silver Vale" No.490
- SAL Diner/Kitchen No. 6112
- CB&Q Sleeper "Silver Slumber" No.4901
- WP Baggage "Silver Stag" No.802
- FEC Lightweight Chair Car "Belle Glade"
- SAL Sleeper/Lounge "Silver Palm" No.54 (Privately Owned)
- CB&Q Baggage "Silver Treasure" No.908 (Privately Owned)
- SCL Waffle-Sided Boxcar No.126307
- Belcher Oil Tank No. 105
- Belcher Oil Tank No. 121
- FRISCO Drop-End Gondola No. 60053
- SCL Self-Driven Steam Crane No.765157
- USAX Flat Car No. 35703
- USAX Air-Dump Car D.66
- Burro Crane No.15
- MHAX Helium Car No.1202
- NASA KSC Railroad Skirt Car No. 171
- Illinois Central Gulf Caboose No.199477
- Metra Gallery Car No.7680
- Metra Gallery Car No.7667
- Metra Gallery Car No.7670
- Metra Gallery Car (Cab Control) No.8723
- Metra Gallery Car (Cab Control) No.8726
- Long Island Rail Road P-72 Commuter Car No.2916
- Illinois Central Gulf Caboose No.199479
- Chessie Steam Special PC-100
- Chesapeake & Ohio Power Car 914101 (Privately Owned)
- ACL Cafe Car "Swarthmore College"
- SCL "Vassar College" No. 765348
- SCL "Cameron Pass" # 765310
Model Railroading Fun
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum has many different model railroads. These are tiny train sets in various sizes, like N, HO, O27, and G scale. These amazing collections have been given or loaned to the museum for everyone to enjoy!
Images for kids
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East Swamp and Gatorville Railroad 4-4-0 #1865, December 2022
See Also
- Florida Railroad Museum
- Royal Palm Railway Experience
