The Wandering Disciple

She'll be coming around the mountain when she comes....well not really.  In west central Florida its more like she'll be pushing through the swampland when she comes.  That's one of the many sights you will see aboard the daily train excursion at the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish.  Here you can hop aboard the rolling train museum and take a ride through history on the tracks out to the Willow Train Yard and back to the depot in Parrish.  (Photo: October 18, 2009)

The Florida Railroad Museum train prepares to depart from the Parrish Station, taking riders on a trip through the Florida countryside.  The six miles round-trip excursions travels down to the former Seaboard Air Rail Line to the ghost town of Willow.  (Photo: October 18, 2009)

A diesel locomotive from the Stone Mountain Railroad sits on the tracks at Stone Mountain Park.  Once utilized by the Stone Mountain Granite Company to help their quarry operations, today the railroad provides a scenic tour around the base of Stone Mountain. (Photo: December 21, 2014)

Savannah, Georgia: For decades our nation was connected by rail. People and goods passed from coast to coast on this vast network of railways and there is no better example of the rail era then the Georgia State Railroad Museum. The museum is housed in one of the most complete Antebellum rail complexes in the nation. It is the oldest and largest 19th century rail complexes in the country. Thirteen of the original structures still remain at the museum. The 33 acre site has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark. The complex was built in the late 1800’s for the Central of Georgia Railway. A major fire in the early 1920’s damaged a bunch of the buildings but they were later rebuilt. The complex remained in operation until 1963 when the Southern Railway bought out Central of Georgia and closed the facility. Southern transferred the complex to the City of Savannah and in 1989 the Coastal Heritage Society opened the mus...

Florida Gulf Coast 1835 is the work-horse locomotive that powers day excursions at the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum in Parrish, Florida. The locomotive was built in 1951 and served as US Army 1835 on the Sunny Point Military Ocean Terminal in North Carolina. In 1993, the Department of Defense donated the locomotive to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad museum where it is now used to pull train enthusiasts along a six mile stretch of track. (Photo: September 18, 2005)

Venice, Florida; The train depot under the Venice Avenue bridge is one of the last remaining pieces of railroad history in Sarasota County. The newly restored Venice Train Depot and the Coakley Railroad Park offer visitors a look back at the railroad that brought residents into the region. Seaboard Airline Railroad decided to extend their route to Venice in 1910 by an order by Mrs. Potter Palmer, who demanded the railroad be extended further south as a stipulation to her purchase of land in Sarasota County. The railroad agreed and the rails were extended to a mark in which the real estate broker designated. The line was opened in 1911 and tickets were sold out of a freight car. Venice prior to the extension of the railway was a small town with only about 50 families residing here at the time. The city had no schools, churches, stores or paved roads in the area. Travel through the area was done by mules or boat. It wasn’t until the railway was opened that Venice started to grow....

Fort Myers, Florida: Hope aboard the train and be transported back to the day when the rails were luxury transportation. Seminole Gulf Railway in Fort Myers is a functioning short line railroad that operates passenger excursions and dinner trains along with its freight fleet. Since 1991, the railway has operated passenger excursions out of their Colonial Station. Most nights of the week, they depart on a murder mystery dinner train. Riders take to the rails on four vintage railcars from the 1930’s to 1950’s. They have entertained over a half million rides in their history. They also operate a daytime excursion that takes riders on an hour and a half journey through Lee County passing through towns that flourished from the rails. The main function of the Seminole Gulf Railway is its freight service. Operating since 1987, the railroad took over tracks that were once operated by Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and Seaboard Air Line Railroad. They operate two lines, one from North Na...