img017MIAMI – The Gold Coast Railroad Museum is looking for grants to restore the interior of presidential private car Ferdinand Magellan as years of service have taken a toll on its condition.

“Hundreds of people have walked through the car and sat on the chairs for pictures,” said Executive Director Mike Hall. “The carpeting is badly worn and the upholstery has started coming apart.”

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The car’s exterior already has received a lot of attention. Now, the museum is looking for financing to reupholster 12 chairs and a sofa and replace the carpeting. The estimated cost is $6,000.

“We can have the interior faithfully reproduced,” Hall said, “but it’s a question of money.”

The Ferdinand Magellan was built in 1922 by the Pullman Company as a private car. It was one of six similar cars named after famous explorers, Ferdinand Magellan, David Livingstone, Henry Stanley, Marco Polo, Robert Peary and Roald Amundsen. After the United States entered World War II, it was suggested by Secret Service agent Mike Reilly and White House Press Secretary Stephen Early that President Franklin D. Roosevelt needed a specially equipped and armored car rather than using standard equipment provided by the Pullman Company. The Ferdinand Magellan was selected, and the Pullman Company rebuilt the car. The Ferdinand Magellan became the first passenger railcar built for a President since the War Department had built a special car for the use of Abraham Lincoln in 1865

When the Ferdinand Magellan was rebuilt, the original six bedrooms in the car were reduced to four, and the dining room and observation lounge were enlarged. Two of the bedrooms were a suite for the President and the First Lady, with a fully equipped bathroom, including a bathtub, connecting the two bedrooms. The dining room could also be used as a conference room. It has a solid mahogany table that measures 38″ x 72″ (96.3 cm x 183 cm) and seats eight. The front end of the car held quarters for two stewards, a pantry, a galley, mechanical equipment, storage and ice bunkers.

President Roosevelt’s first trip in the Ferdinand Magellan was to Miami, Florida, where he boarded a Pan American World Airways flying boat for his trip to the Casablanca Conference in 1943. He traveled approximately 50,000 miles (81,500 km) in the car in the next two years, using it for the last time on a trip to Warm Springs, Georgia the day before he died.

For more on the Gold Coast Railroad Museum and Florida train rides and museums, visit; http://www.scenicrailexcursions.com/florida_trainrides.php