Visiting the Gold Coast Railroad Museum

[thelakelander]

Jacksonville is the dominant railroad epicenter of Florida. However, to learn about Florida's rail history, the city's contributions to the industry and walk inside railcars that were once in the Florida's Gateway city, one has to head to the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in South Florida.

Read More: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/visiting-the-gold-coast-railroad-museum/

[Charles Hunter]

Fascinating, it looks like an interesting museum, perhaps worth a trip to South Florida (if I can link other stops).

Ennis, it was hard to tell from the photos, but is there any material difference between the "white" and "colored" sections of the rail car?

[jaxlongtimer]

Too bad Jacksonville, the noted epicenter of Florida railroad history, gives its history away (if not otherwise demolishing it) while others appreciate it and work to preserve it elsewhere.

This reminds me of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania that I visited years ago in Strasburg, PA.  I believe it may be a bit larger than the South Florida one as they claim to have 100 cars and locomotives:  https://rrmuseumpa.org/.  Regardless, these are great museums to tour and I only wish we had one here.

[thelakelander]

Fascinating, it looks like an interesting museum, perhaps worth a trip to South Florida (if I can link other stops).

Ennis, it was hard to tell from the photos, but is there any material difference between the "white" and "colored" sections of the rail car?

No, structurally they were the same in that particular car. Just separated by a wall.

[thelakelander]

Too bad Jacksonville, the noted epicenter of Florida railroad history, gives its history away (if not otherwise demolishing it) while others appreciate it and work to preserve it elsewhere.

This reminds me of the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania that I visited years ago in Strasburg, PA.  I believe it may be a bit larger than the South Florida one as they claim to have 100 cars and locomotives:  https://rrmuseumpa.org/.  Regardless, these are great museums to tour and I only wish we had one here.

It's a great museum and something that should have been in Jacksonville. They have a Florida rail history video there and much of it was focused on the importance of the Jacksonville Terminal. The experience reminded me of a trip I took to the A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum in Chicago to learn more about someone from Jacksonville.

[thelakelander]

President Franklin D. Roosevelt greeting Jaxsons from his private presidential railroad car in 1943.


The same railroad car is now preserved and in this Miami museum.