Trains, while not the swiftest mode of mass transit, are damn cool. Maybe it's because the sound and motion of a locomotive bring to mind older days and slower ways. Maybe it's the fact that trains can't make a 90-degree turn, yet still manage to get you from place to place.
Or maybe it's the whistle.
The only thing slower than being on a train is waiting to be on a train. Such is the situation a companion and I found ourselves in upon a visit to the Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum. A closer look at the museum's website would have told us the train embarks on two 90-minute journeys on Saturdays and Sundays, and at very specific times. Being young and stupid, we ignored this and found ourselves waiting more than an hour with 60 or so other visitors.
To pass the time, the "museum" consists of three stationary train cars, two of which are filled with an odd assortment of things that look as if they may have fallen off a train at one time or another. There are also the requisite souvenirs: magnets, patches, shirts, coffee cups, caps, suspenders and the like. The museum is a nonprofit organization, state-recognized but not state-funded, and all funds come from donations, visitors and whatever tchotchkes it can sell. The trains themselves are maintained and operated by dedicated volunteers, most of them friendly and funny seniors who are only too happy to bend your ear while you wait.
As for the operable train, a slightly musty smell accompanied the otherwise clean cars. A retro-furnished club car held snacks and drinks, and two air-conditioned cars rapidly filled with senior riders. The last car, closest to the conductor's cab, was open-air, and filled with families with young kids. We watched the swamp, scrub and farmland flash by from the open-air car before the air-conditioning beckoned, but not before testing our coordination skills by walking from car to car while the train swayed from side to side. Think of walking on a rickety rope bridge. Then think of people standing on both ends, shaking it wildly to toss you off.
Back at the museum with legs only mildly wobbly, we agreed the relaxing ride was well worth the wait. And so will you. Just be sure to disembark quickly to beat everyone to the awesome Roaring 20's Pizza & Pipes down the road. There's nothing like some pie and a little Wurlitzer action after a ride in the country.
The Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum is at U.S. 301 and 83rd Street East in Parrish. Take I75 South to the State Road 683 exit (Moccasin Wallow Road). Head east to 301, turn right, and the museum's about a quarter-mile up on the left. Admission costs $10 for adults, $6 for ages 2-11. Trains depart at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call 941-776-0906, 877-869-0800 or visit www.fgcrrm.org. Roaring 20's Pizza & Pipes is at 6750 N. U.S. 301 in Ellenton (about 10 minutes from the museum). Call 941-723-1733 or visit www.roaring20spizza.com.
This article appears in May 14-20, 2003.