Central Florida Railroad Museum
Dublin Core
Title
Central Florida Railroad Museum
Alternative Title
Central Florida Railroad Museum
Subject
Winter Garden (Fla.)
Museums--Florida
Railroads--Florida
Description
The Central Florida Railroad Museum, located at 101 South Boyd Street in Winter Garden, Florida. Originally the Tavares and Gulf Railroad Depot, the building was constructed in 1913 at a cost of $1,765. The western portion, built of Florida sand brick, contained the agent's office and passengers' waiting rooms. The eastern portion of the building, made of wood covered with tin, was used for freight and baggage storage. This building replaced the original 1899 structure that was located on the other end of the block facing Main Street.
The T&G Railroad was well known for both excellent customer service and frequent derailments. It had many nicknames, including "the Turtle and Gopher," "the Tug and Grunt," and "the Try and Go." Even with only 32 miles of track running from Tavares to Ocoee and a 6-mile spur to Clermont, the railroad was active and productive when Winter Garden was the largest citrus shipping point in the world. In 1949, the T&G generated more perishable freight per mile of track than any Class I railroad in the United States.
On December 31, 1969, the line between Winter Garden and Astatula was abandoned. The station continued to operate as an agency for the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad until March 1978, when it was closed and all services were transferred to a mobile agency. In 1979, the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society purchased and rehabilitated the building for use as its headquarters. The railroad museum opened in 1983. In 2003, the museum became part of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.
The T&G Railroad was well known for both excellent customer service and frequent derailments. It had many nicknames, including "the Turtle and Gopher," "the Tug and Grunt," and "the Try and Go." Even with only 32 miles of track running from Tavares to Ocoee and a 6-mile spur to Clermont, the railroad was active and productive when Winter Garden was the largest citrus shipping point in the world. In 1949, the T&G generated more perishable freight per mile of track than any Class I railroad in the United States.
On December 31, 1969, the line between Winter Garden and Astatula was abandoned. The station continued to operate as an agency for the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad until March 1978, when it was closed and all services were transferred to a mobile agency. In 1979, the Central Florida Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society purchased and rehabilitated the building for use as its headquarters. The railroad museum opened in 1983. In 2003, the museum became part of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.
Source
Original color digital image: Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Date Created
ca. 2008-2014
Is Format Of
Digital reproduction of original color digital image.
Is Part Of
Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, Winter Garden, Florida.
Winter Garden Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
281 KB
Medium
1 color digital image
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Tavares and Gulf Railroad Depot, Winter Garden, Florida
National Railway Historical Society Headquarters, Winter Garden, Florida
Central Florida Railroad Museum, Winter Garden, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Economics Teacher
Geography Teacher
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Bowers, Katherine
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
External Reference
Cappleman, Kay, and Rod Reeves. Sundays in the South: Touring West Orange County. Winter Garden, FL: Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, 2009.
"Welcome." City of Winter Garden. http://www.cwgdn.com/.
Winter Garden Heritage Foundation. All Aboard!: A Journey Through Historic Winter Garden, 1880-1950. Winter Garden, FL: The Foundation, 1997.
"Episode 25: The Railways of Central Florida." RICHES of Central Florida. http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/audio/Ep25-RailwaysOfCentralFL.mp3.
Mulligan, Michael. Railroad Depots of Central Florida. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub, 2008.
Murdock, R. Ken. Outline History of Central Florida Railroads. Winter Garden, Fla: Central Florida Chapter, National Railway Historical Society, 1997.
Turner, Gregg M. A Journey into Florida Railroad History. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2008.
Transcript
WINTER GARDEN
CENTRAL FLORIDA
RAILROAD MUSEUM
[illegible]
OPEN DAILY 1:00-5:00 PM
www.cfcnrhs.org 407/656-0559
CENTRAL FLORIDA
RAILROAD MUSEUM
[illegible]
OPEN DAILY 1:00-5:00 PM
www.cfcnrhs.org 407/656-0559
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
1 color digital image
Collection
Citation
“Central Florida Railroad Museum,” RICHES, accessed April 26, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4163.