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 Our History
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.
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 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.
Long Term Projects
• 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 will be completed by 2009. The new depot-museum is completed as well as a band stand, playground and extensive landscaping. Still to finish are the westland trestle, coaling towel and the 3500 foot track expansion.
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.
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