GOLD COAST RR MUSEUM

 

 

Gold Coast Railroad Museum

12450 Coral Reef Dr. (SW152nd St.)
(305) 253-0063 or (888) 608-7246

 

Hours: weekdays: 11am-3pm, 

weekends: 1 am-4pm

Admission: 

Adult: $5

Children 3-12: $3

 

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 Magellen, the only Pullman car specifically created for U.S. presidents. The Magellen, 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 Magellen 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 the1945 hurricane. In 1992 the museum fell victim to Hurricane Andrew. And even in 2000 it is still rebuilding from the devastation of of that storm, 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.