The Suncoast chapter was organized in 1989. There are presently
more than 170 chapters of the National Railway Historical
Society in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
The Suncoast has a rich history of rail service and present day
Bradenton, Sarasota and Venice owe much to the early railroads.
During most of the twentieth century the Atlantic Coast Line and
the Seaboard Air Line railroads provided service for the Suncoast
to the rest of the country. Celebrities such as Bertha Palmer and
John Ringling used the trains for business and pleasure. The
Ringling circus wintered in Sarasota and Venice for over 60 years
by using the railroad as the means of transportation.
A railroad labor organization provided the financial backing for
the city of Venice in the 1920's and the concept remains much
the same as it was then.
While the historical significance of the railroads is great on the
Suncoast they still play a large part in our everyday lives. Rather
than the goods coming to us in box cars they now come in trailers
that have been unloaded at intermodal ramps in Tampa,
Jacksonville or Miami. Likewise new vehicles come from the
assembly plants in the north to Florida ramps and are then
trucked to our area.
Come join us in learning about and exchanging information on
railroads on the Suncoast past, present and future.