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 fun place in Miami, Florida, where you can learn all about trains! It's right next to Zoo Miami. This museum is home to many historic trains and helps visitors discover the exciting world of railroads.
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Discovering the Gold Coast Railroad Museum
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum opened its doors in 1956. It was built on an old military base called Naval Air Station Richmond. This base was perfect for a train museum because it already had over three miles of train tracks!
This museum is special because it's one of only three Official State Railroad Museums in Florida. It got this important title in 1984. To be a state museum, it must save railroad history, focus on trains, be open to everyone, and work as a non-profit group.
The museum wants to teach everyone about the history of trains and railroads. It has more than 30 historic trains. These include classic cars like the Western Pacific "Silver Crescent." You can also see engines like the Florida East Coast "113." The museum uses old items, movies, and train materials to share its stories. Many displays are even interactive, so you can get involved!
Riding Historic Trains
One of the coolest things to do is ride the museum's trains. You can get on vintage trains and feel what it was like in the past. On certain days, you can ride in regular-sized railway cars. Sometimes, you can even ride in the front of the train with the driver!
There's also a smaller, special train called the Edwin Link Children's Railroad. This train runs on a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge track. It offers another fun ride for visitors.
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is unique because it has the southernmost active train tracks in the continental United States. It's located around 25.62 degrees north.
Exploring Museum Exhibits
One of the most important exhibits at the museum is the Presidential Car Ferdinand Magellan. This special train car was used by presidents! The museum also has a collection of smaller, model railroad equipment.
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Florida East Coast 153
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EMD E-8A from Florida East Coast Railway No. 1594
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EMD GP 7m from Atlantic Coast Line Railroad No. 1804
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A collection of classic model trains and detailed scale models
Understanding Locomotives
Locomotives are the engines that pull trains. Several of the museum's diesel locomotives can still run and are active. Here are some of the cool locomotives you can see:
Steam Locomotives
- Florida East Coast 113
- Florida East Coast 153
Diesel-Electric Locomotives
- NASA Railroad Alco S-2 #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 "Slug"
Other Unique Locomotives
The museum also has the 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.
Exploring Freight and Other Cars
Besides the engines, the museum also displays many different types of train cars. These include cars that carry goods and other special cars:
- US Dept of Interior-Bureau of Mines Helium Transportation Car MHAX #1202
- Frisco Line Railroad Gondola Car #60053
- Port Everglades Railroad Flatcar #1103
- Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Steam Crane #765157
- Burro Crane #15
- Southern Railway Boxcar #260909
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Caboose #0322
- NASA Shuttle Rocket Booster "Skirt" car #NALX 171
Discovering Model Railroading
The Gold Coast Railroad Museum has many amazing model railroads on display. These are miniature versions of real trains and tracks. You can see models in different sizes, like N, HO, O27, and G scale. These collections have been given or loaned to the museum for everyone to enjoy.
See also
- Florida Railroad Museum
- Royal Palm Railway Experience
