Gold Coast Railroad Museum

The Gold Coast Railroad Museum sits at 12450 SW 152nd Street in southern Miami-Dade County, on the grounds of the former Naval Air Station Richmond — the second-largest WWII airship (blimp) base in the United States. With more than three miles of trackage inherited from the base, the site was converted into a railroad museum whose roots trace to 1956, when University of Miami student William J. Godfrey proposed using the campus's unused tracks for an operating steam locomotive. The museum was founded in 1957 under the Miami Railroad Historical Society.

Built around Florida East Coast Railway steam locomotive No. 153 — donated by the United States Sugar Company and moved "cold" to Miami in 1957 — the collection grew to more than 40 historic rail cars and over 50 pieces of rolling stock. Florida recognized it as one of three Official State Railroad Museums in 1984. Sitting at roughly 25.62 degrees north, it holds the southernmost active railroad trackage in the continental United States.

Its crown jewel is the Pullman-built presidential railcar Ferdinand Magellan (U.S. Car No. 1), used by Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985. The museum survived Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which destroyed its display shed and damaged the Magellan, and rebuilt over the following years.

The rear platform of the Ferdinand Magellan, where presidents addressed crowds, is the museum's signature shot. The static FEC Pacifics No. 153 and No. 113 make strong steam-era subjects, and the yard's diesel locomotives — including the yellow-and-blue ALCO RS-1 No. 106 — are accessible on foot. Casual personal photography is permitted throughout; organized photo shoots such as weddings, portraits and model sessions require advance booking and fees. Florida's light is best in the cooler, drier morning hours.

Railfans come for the Ferdinand Magellan, the only Pullman car ever custom-built for the President of the United States. Constructed in 1928 as one of six cars named for famous explorers, it was later armor-plated for presidential service and is where Harry Truman delivered whistle-stop speeches. It stands alongside Florida East Coast Railway Pacific (4-6-2) steam locomotives No. 153 and No. 113, both built by the American Locomotive Company (ALCO); No. 153 dates to 1922 and once pulled a train carrying President Calvin Coolidge to Miami in 1928.

The diesel roster includes an operational EMD SW-1500 (NASA No. 2, built 1970), an EMD E-9A (CB&Q No. 9913, 1956), an EMD GP7 (ACL No. 1804, 1951, which appeared in the films "Under Siege 2: Dark Territory" and "Lethal Weapon 4"), and an ALCO RS-1 (No. 106, 1951, from the Savannah River Site). Passenger equipment ranges from a Western Pacific "California Zephyr" Vista-Dome ("Silver Crescent") to a Seaboard Air Line combine (No. 259) that carries a History of Segregation on the Railroads exhibit in its former "Jim Crow" car.

The museum's train shed displays roughly a dozen rail cars, most of which visitors can board to view interiors, historical exhibits and running videos. A guided tour of the Ferdinand Magellan is available for an extra fee. Toward the back are a model railroad room running multiple scales (N, HO, O27 and G) and Thomas play tables for younger children, plus a Naval Air Station Richmond exhibit in the museum store.

Train rides operate around the property: the 2-foot narrow-gauge Edwin Link Children's Railroad (the "Link") runs a roughly 10-minute loop, while standard-gauge rides — including the option to ride in the locomotive cab — and a railroad speeder run primarily on the first Saturday of each month, which is also free-admission day. Rides depend on volunteer staff and equipment availability, so calling ahead is recommended. Picnic tables in the plaza let visitors bring their own lunch.