ABOUT . . .

Our History Veterans Memorial Railroad was created in 2001 by a group of local railroading and community service volunteers. Once the Liberty County Board of County Commissioners gave their permission to use a large area of the Veterans Memorial Park, construction got underway to build a park riding train. Most of 2002 was spent finding and restoring a 1950s National Amusement Device - the 24'' Gauge "Century Flyer" trainset. It was recovered in derelict condition from a St. Augustine amusement park
	In late 2002, construction started on the train track, made possible by generous support from the staff of Liberty Correctional Institution. Inmate labor crews, joined by experienced railroad men, had the first 2700' 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. Another 400 cubic yards of crushed stone for the ballast was generously donated of by C.W. Roberts Construction Company of Hosford. Two containers donated by Smurfit-Stone Company were joined to make a secure tunnel and storage facility 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 operation in December 2002 and has become a popular activity for birthday parties and family reunions. No public money is used in building or operating the railroad. Funding comes from club activities such as rummage sales, railroad tie sales, cook-outs and memorabilia sales, as well as loans from club members.
Present Status 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. Short Term Completed Activities The electrical supply in the track area had proved inadequate for our high usage during 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. Long Term Projects The railroad anticipates receiving a Federal Highway Enhancement Fund grant in the amount of $610,000 to expand our track, build additional facilities and build a lighted walking trail parallel to our tracks. We have received an initial amount of $60,000 for the planning phase. This included environmental and archaeological studies of the planned land usage. Design of a 350' trestle through a wetland area, as well as a large station/transportation museum near the Civic Center, is underway. Construction will also include a large shop building with some machining capability and will serve as a technical training center as well as perform maintenance and building of railroad equipment. The remainder of the money will be available to the railroad in  early 2007, and all projects must be completed in 18 months.
The most exciting project to be undertaken with this grant money will be the purchase of the 2' Gauge Crown Live Steam Locomotive shown above. It is coal fired and will be 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.