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Tuesday 11am - 3pm Wednesday 11am - 3pm Thursday 11am - 3pm Friday 11am - 3pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

Central Florida Railroad Museum

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Winter Garden, FL
Central Florida Railroad Museum

The Central Florida Railroad Museum is located in downtown Winter Garden. Free admission.

The Central Florida Railroad Museum, opened in 1983, is located in the historic Tavares and Gulf Railroad depot, located one block south of Winter Garden’s thriving historic Plant Street and the West Orange Trail. The station, built in 1913, was purchased by the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1979 and rehabilitated for use as a railroad museum. In 2003, the W

inter Garden Heritage Foundation became partners with the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Society and the City of Winter Garden to make the extensive private collections of local, state and national memorabilia and photographs of Central Florida’s railway history accessible to the public. On January 1, 2013, the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, Inc. withdrew from the national organization and reorganized as the Central Florida Railway Historical Society, Inc., a 501c3 educational organization. One of Florida’s virtually undiscovered gems, the museum holds a large collection of dining car china and silverware, a 1938 Fairmont motor car, a velocipede hand car and historical artifacts from railroads in Central Florida and elsewhere. Junior train enthusiasts will be delighted visiting the Chessie System caboose (located at the Heritage Museum on Plant Street), an HO scale train layout, and an interactive Thomas wooden train set and layout. The Central Florida Railway Historical Society hosts several special events throughout the year. To learn more, visit the Central Florida Railway Historical Society web site www.cfrhs.org.

06/16/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

In a Railway Freight Station – There are stations for freight as well as for passengers. The size of a freight station depends upon the amount of business to be handled. This is a picture of a large freight station platform which is just as high as the freight car floor. A little “train” of trailers pulled by a small electric truck is moving boxes, cartons, crates, cases, and packages from the cars into the freight station. Sometimes they take the freight to another platform on the opposite side of the station, where it is loaded into city delivery trucks, for transportation to the persons or companies to whom it is addressed. Many of the things which we buy in the stores come through our local freight station.

From the 1940s into the 1960s, the Association of American Railroads produced Teacher’s Kits with photos of railroad scenes and explanatory booklets to educate students and their families about the railroad industry. Our CFRHS Archives is fortunate to have materials from 4 slightly different Kits from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

The weekly posts will feature these photos and the stories behind them. We will also contrast earlier and later photos of the same topic as much as possible. Notice that the rail equipment is either unmarked or is from the “East and West Railroad.”

Holdings in the CFRHS Library cover many different aspects of railroading present and past. Open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, we invite you to visit us.

06/15/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

[Reverse]: American Freedom Train Locomotive “Number One, The America”

Ex-Reading, T-1 Class, Number 2101 Appearing In Its Second American Freedom Train Paint Scheme. This Locomotive Powered The American Freedom Train For The Initial Part Of Its Forty-Eight State Journey To Bring Many Of Our Historical Documents And Exhibits To The People Of This Great Nation.

Photo Credit: Robert L. Skillmann III

In honor of our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or 250th Anniversary), the CFRHS Library and Archives will feature postcards from the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration on Mondays and Thursdays. The postcards on Monday evenings will picture the American Freedom Train that toured the 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976. Thursday evening postcards will illustrate a wide assortment of locomotives in special livery for the Bicentennial.

Holdings in the CFRHS Library cover many different aspects of railroading present and past. Open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, we invite you to visit us.

06/12/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

Many of the newer residents of the Orlando area may be quite surprised to learn that, about 40 years ago, the Grand Cypress Resort in the Lake Buena Vista area offered a Resort Trolley Line to their guests between the hotel and their Golf Club. The trolley line even crossed route 535, South Apopka Vineland Road!

The trolleys dated from the early 1900s and had been built in Brussels, Belgium. They were then restored to their original condition for their service at the Grand Cypress Resort.

Holdings in the CFRHS Library cover many different aspects of railroading present and past. Open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, we invite you to visit us.

06/11/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

[Reverse]: Southern Pacific’s “Spirit of ‘76” and “C. P. Huntington”

The “C.P. Huntington” Built By Danforth, Cooke & Company in 1863, symbolizes the past achievement of our Great Nation and the “Spirit of 1776” symbolizes our future greatness. Unit Number 9389 is an SD 45 T-2 and is one of Southern Pacific’s Bicentennial Units.

Photo Courtesy of Southern Pacific Transportation Company

In honor of our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or 250th Anniversary), the CFRHS Library and Archives will feature postcards from the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration on Mondays and Thursdays. The postcards on Monday evenings will picture the American Freedom Train that toured the 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976. Thursday evening postcards will illustrate a wide assortment of locomotives in special livery for the Bicentennial.

Holdings in the CFRHS Library cover many different aspects of railroading present and past. Open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, we invite you to visit us.

06/09/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

Unloading a Box Car – The little truck coming out of the car with its load of cartons is called a fork-lift truck. The cartons had been placed in the car on “pallets.” These are small stands on which several cartons or packages can be placed. The fork of the truck is pushed under the pallet, which is lifted from the floor and taken from the car.

The freight car you see here is called a box car because it looks so much like a box on wheels. Freight cars are great wanderers. A car may be sent to any place in the United States, Canada, Mexico, or Cuba to deliver a shipment of freight or to pick up a load.

From the 1940s into the 1960s, the Association of American Railroads produced Teacher’s Kits with photos of railroad scenes and explanatory booklets to educate students and their families about the railroad industry. Our CFRHS Archives is fortunate to have materials from 4 slightly different Kits from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.

The weekly posts will feature these photos and the stories behind them. We will also contrast earlier and later photos of the same topic as much as possible. Notice that the rail equipment is either unmarked or is from the “East and West Railroad.”

The CFRHS Library and Archives hold materials on railroading from across the United States. Please visit us on Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm.

06/08/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

This bronze bust of “John F. Kennedy,” by Felix W. deWeldon is one of the many artifacts chosen for display on the American Freedom Train. Each artifact helps to tell the story of the United States and its peoples over their first 250 years.

In honor of our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or 250th Anniversary), the CFRHS Library and Archives will feature postcards from the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration on Mondays and Thursdays. The postcards on Monday evenings will picture the American Freedom Train that toured the 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976. Thursday evening postcards will illustrate a wide assortment of locomotives in special livery for the Bicentennial.

Holdings in the CFRHS Library cover many different aspects of railroading present and past. Open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, we invite you to visit us.

06/05/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library:

From the back cover of Louisville & Nashville Railroad: The Old Reliable by Charles B. Castner, Ronald Flanary, and Patrick Dorin:

“This new history of the grand old Louisville & Nashville is by a team of noted railroad authors and historians.

It is illustrated with great photos from the official files of the L&N as well as many other sources, with text to tell the complete story of the line detailing other important elements interesting to historians, railfans, and modelers including coal traffic, passenger travel and cars, freight traffic and cars, material on steam and diesel locomotives, maps, drawings, and diagrams.”

Please visit our CFRHS Library and Archives from 11 am to 3 pm on Saturdays.

06/04/2026

4. In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

[Reverse]: Southern Pacific’s “Unit Number 6800”

This Bicentennial Unit is a Rehabilitated General Electric U-25B Unit. It was built in 1963 and formerly Number 6708. Rehabilitation work was performed at the Sacramento, California shops with the Unit rolling out September 29, 1975. Southern Pacific’s Unit 6800 is a 2,500 Horsepower, four axle locomotive with a maximum speed of 65 Miles Per Hour.

Photo Courtesy: Southern Pacific Transportation Company

In honor of our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or 250th Anniversary), the CFRHS Library and Archives will feature postcards from the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration on Mondays and Thursdays. The postcards on Monday evenings will picture the American Freedom Train that toured the 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976. Thursday evening postcards will illustrate a wide assortment of locomotives in special livery for the Bicentennial.

The CFRHS Archives holds materials on railroading from across the United States. Please visit us on Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm.

06/01/2026

In the Headlight at CFRHS Library and Archives:

[Reverse]: American Freedom Train Locomotive “Number One, The America”

This Ex-Reading Railroad Locomotive poses at Albany, New York while sporting its original American Freedom Train Paint Design. The people of this Great Nation are indebted to the staff of The American Freedom Train for bringing the History of Our Country to Our Doorsteps.

Photo Credit: Jim Shaughnessy

In honor of our nation’s Semiquincentennial (or 250th Anniversary), the CFRHS Library and Archives will feature postcards from the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration on Mondays and Thursdays. The postcards on Monday evenings will picture the American Freedom Train that toured the 48 contiguous states in 1975 and 1976. Thursday evening postcards will illustrate a wide assortment of locomotives in special livery for the Bicentennial.

We hope you enjoy viewing this vintage postcard from our collection at the Central Florida Railroad Museum in Winter Garden, Florida.

Come visit us on Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm.

Address

101 S Boyd Street
Winter Garden, FL
34787

Opening Hours

Tuesday	11am - 3pm
Wednesday	11am - 3pm
Thursday	11am - 3pm
Friday	11am - 3pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

(407) 656-0559

Website

https://www.cfrhs.org/

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