The Sunshine Express - Port Orange, FL
N 29° 07.701 W 080° 58.766
17R E 502000 N 3222206
The Sunshine Express is a lounge car located at the Tavern and Chapel in the Garden in Port Orange, Florida USA. This train car can be rented for holiday parties, meetings & events, and other celebrations.
Waymark Code: WM5JN5
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/14/2009
Views: 18
From the
Tavern and Chapel in the Garden website:
The Sunshine Express - The Tavern-Lounge car (serial number 3002) was built by the ACF Company in 1946 for the Louisville & Nashville (L&N) Railroad. It is one of the four Tavern-Lounge cars built for the Humming Bird and the Georgian train lines. These lightweight coaches trimmed weight by at least one-third from their heavyweight predecessors by using stainless steel and aluminum construction. The new streamlined aluminum cars had bright silver corrugations on the bottom with a blue window band and gray roof. They were a picture of post war inventions with electric heat and central air conditioning. Originally named Belle Meade, this car's interior was updated and it was renamed University Club in 1952. At 85 feet long and an empty weight of 115,400 pounds, it featured a tavern section with booths and tables and a lounge section with informal armchair seating. It had a capacity of 51 people. It ended it service in 1971 and was on display near Des Moines, Iowa until it was purchased by Douglas J. Clark in 2001. It was trucked to its current location by Venezia Enterprises, Inc. of New Jersey and was restored by Douglas J. Clark from 2001 - 2004. Imagine the fun of throwing a party in a fabulous 1940's railroad bar car! Fully restored to its original are-deco glory and available to accommodate up to 50 people for beverages and food!