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 Veterans Memorial Railroad was begun in 2001 when a group of local persons, who were interested in both railroading and community service, banded together to build a park riding train. Once the Liberty County board of County commissioners gave their permission to use a large area of the Veterans Memorial Park, consturction got underway.
Most of 2002 was spent in finding and restoring a 1950's National Amusement Devise 24 gauge "Century Flyer" trainset. It was recovered in derelict condition from a St. Augustine amusement park.
In late 2002, construction started on the track, which was made possible by generous support from the staff of Liberty Correctional Institution. Inmate labor crews, joined by experienced railroad men, had the first 2700 feet of track completed in three months. Construction could not have commenced without help from the Liberty County Road Department which hauled in 65 trucks of fill dirt and the extremely generous donation of 400 cubic yards of crusted stone for the ballast by C.W. Roberts Construction Company of Hosford.
Two containers donated by Smurfit-Stone Company were joined to make a secure tunnel and storage faciity for the train and supplies. The tunnel is named in memory of Max Cooke, an ardent supporter of the railroad and the man who single-handedly restored the locomotive. We were devastated when Max was killed in an automobile accident.
The railroad opened for runs in December 2002. There is no public money used in building or operating the railroad. Funding has come from club activities such as rummage sales, railroad tie sales, cook-outs and memorabilia sales, as well as loans from club members. In addition, the railroad has become a popular activity for birthday parties and family reunions.
The electrical supply in the track area had proved inadequate for our high usage during our Halloween and Christmas activities. In 2005, we completed a major system expansion in the east loop. In 2006, we expanded capacity in the west loop nearest the depot.
During 2007 - 2009 the train track was expanded 3500 feet and a 3400 sq. ft. Depot Museum was constructed. Other work included a 350’ trestle through wetland area, a maintenance building, two tunnel/storage buildings, the transfer ofa full-size caboose for display and construction of a paved mile walking trail with night lighting. Also included in this major enhancement of the park was a large playground, installation of a gazebo/ band stand for public events, renovated restroom facilities, extensive landscaping throughout the park and last, but not least, acquisition of a 2 ft. gauge Crown live steam locomotive. The Veterans Memorial Railaroad Golden Spike Ceremony was held May 9, 2009.
Our Organization
Our club is a Florida non-profit corporation and has been awarded IRS 501 (c) (3) status to receive donations that are not taxable to the donors. In spite of this, funding the maintenance, operation and upgrading of the railroad has required a major effort on the part of all club members. In our inital agreement with the county, we said we would not charge admission to children under ten and but would accept donations from other riders. Our experience during the first years of operation has shown that donations are less than expected. We are fortunate to take in enough revenue on a run day to pay for the locomotive fuel.
 • The railroad received a Federal Highway Enhancement Fund Grant in the amount of 538,400 to expand our track, build additional facilities and build a lighted walking trail parallel to our tracks.
• The first project was an environmental and archaeological study of the planned land use.
• Design of a 350 foot trestle through a wetland area, as well as a large station/museum near the Civic Center were completed.
• Construction included a large shop building with some machining capability that will serve as a technical training center as well as a location to perform maintenance and building of railroad equipment.
• All money was released in April 2007 and all projects were completed by 2009. The new depot-museum is completed as well as a band stand, playground and extensive landscaping.
The most exciting project undertaken with this grant money was the purchase of the 2' Gauge Crown Live Steam Locomotive shown above. The train made its debut at the goldent spike ceremony on May 9, 2009. It is coal fired and is the only live steam locomotive operating in a public park in Florida. Additional infrastructure such as a coaling tower, ash pit and, possibly, a turntable will be built to service this train. An operating water tower has already been erected in the depot area.
The only addition currently in process is the installation of a spur track by the depot, which will accommodate the additional trains, particularly the steam train which requires water and refueling when it arrives at the depot. This little train requires a lot of muscle and work. It has to have a fireman and engineer in the cab to keep it running . . . shoveling coal, watching guages, etc. Gar Revell is now one of the engineers. He trained under the chief engineer, Ray Brown.
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