The Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish has a number of excursions to choose from but the only one that fit my schedule was the hour and a half Willow Express. Even though it wasn’t my first choice (or even second), I decided to give it a shot. My original reservation had been set for September (2022) but that’s when hurricane Ian ripped through the state. The ride was cancelled and I was issued a voucher for a later date. What I didn’t know, and you should be aware of, is that they have a Civil War battle reenactment and an Old West shootout (my first and second choices) that you’ll only see on their calendar for the fall months. That limited my selection in April.
Willow Express is an hour and a half roundtrip. Although there was a nice breeze and it was a clear day, there was nothing to see but trees and shrubs. I’m not sure what I thought I should see, but that didn’t seem like enough somehow. By the way, there is also an air-conditioned car but I wanted to be able to lean out and take pictures, so I opted for open-air.
The only excitement was when they stopped the train for a tortoise that was crawling toward the tracks. They said if he had maneuvered his way over the first rail, he’d have gotten stuck in the middle. I gather this happens rather frequently. An animal lover, I was pleased they made sure he didn’t get squooshed.
The terminus on the first half of the ride was the repair yard. There were numerous cars lined up on one side in various states of restoration and/or disuse. On the other, you could wander the grounds and peek inside a variety of train cars or spend your time at the little museum.
Even though it’s a tiny space, our guide, Grayson, made the museum fascinating. He talked knowledgeably about the artifacts and included interesting historical tidbits about trains in general and Parrish, Florida specifically.
Did you know the signal lights for the rail system were responsible for our traffic lights? I didn’t. Trains approaching a station would see a green light if they could continue on, a yellow light if they needed to slow down for an upcoming advisory or track change, and red to stop.
According to Grayson, the railroads also developed a bar code system (a precursor to the codes on today’s products) for identifying individual trains. The station master could then relay important information as it passed through. That’s very interesting but how did that work? Perhaps a yellow light slowed them down and the conductor leaned out and grabbed a note from someone’s outstretched arm? Giant chalkboard? Carrier pigeon? Actually, I’m told that before the telephone, it was by electric telegraph.
If not for Grayson, the tour would’ve been completely boring. A fifth-generation farmer in Parrish, Florida, Grayson is also a lifelong train enthusiast. He talked nonstop during the ride and his interesting stories had everyone’s attention. The only problem was that he was practically having to yell to be heard. Those at the far ends of the car strained to hear him. That was a shame because he was the best part of the experience. He definitely needs a lavalier microphone.
I’m torn about whether or not to recommend the Willow Express to seniors. There wasn’t much to see or do. You might be better off waiting for the cooler fall weather and the added “theme” rides – a Civil War reenactment (which a board member who was present on our train ride insisted was not technically a civil war – could’ve fooled me), an Old West Shootout, or a World War II train ride to “Paris, France,” complete with German officers demanding passports. There is also, I believe, a dinner ride. The board member said the actors for the themed excursions often camp out beside the train station or at the battle sites. Now that would be interesting.
By the way, if you take the shorter Willow Express in the morning and have oodles of time on your hands for the rest of the day’s adventures, there’s a great little pizza place less than 10 minutes away from the train station called Michelangelo 301 Pizza. Go have lunch.
- 12210 83rd St. East, Parrish, Florida
- 941-776-0906
- http://www.frrmm.org
- Wheelchair accessible
Lisa Browder 
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