The North Florida Chapter NRHS has received $20,000 from Trains Magazine and CSX Corp. to fund the cosmetic restoration of Atlantic Coast Line No. 1504, a 1919-built steam locomotive on display in Jacksonville, Florida. The magazine selected the NRHS chapter for its annual $10,000 Preservation Award, which was doubled by a matching grant from CSX. Displayed at the Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, ACL 1504 has been outdoors for more than 50 years and is rapidly deteriorating due to exposure from the harsh Florida sun and salt air.
The Michigan Central Railroad Station was Detroit’s main mass transit point of entry, an elaborate structure that was the world’s tallest at the time of its 1913 construction. Designed by noted architects Warren & Wetmore (the team that designed New York City’s Grand Central Station), its cost surpassed $2.5 million and its design was one of the most elaborate in the nation. Closed in the late 1980s, the station is currently vacant and heavily damaged.
Built during the “Gothic period” of heavyweight passenger cars, the Lion Gardiner served on the New York Central’s finest trains after World War I and through the 1940s. The Pullman car is an exceptional representative of fine railroad dining during this era. The Lion Gardiner also has an important place in the railroad preservation movement: it was the dining car for “High Iron” excursion trips in the 1960s, which introduced countless rail enthusiasts to the concept of re-using historic railroad equipment for recreation.
In 1910, this elegant Union Station was erected along the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern and Baltimore & Ohio lines through Gary. Beaux Arts style was still in vogue but construction would utilize the latest in 20th Century steel-reinforced poured concrete. Even today the station is structurally sound and the exterior is in remarkable condition. Yet the abandoned structure awaits an uncertain future, located among a maze of elevated railroad mainlines. Vandals, pigeons, and the elements have thoroughly damaged this one time showpiece and its magnificent interior has been stripped.
A National Historic Landmark—the highest designation available in the United States—the East Broad Top Railroad and Coal Company is the country’s oldest narrow gauge railroad. Opened in 1856, the line winds through 31 miles of beautiful mountain scenery and remains virtually intact – including track, steam locomotives, cars and facilities. Also nestled in the remarkably unchanged landscape are villages and towns which sprang up during the early years of operation. The EBT is a virtual time machine documenting the industrial progress of the U.S.