In 1881 a railroad was built connecting the river-boat landing on the St. Johns river to the town of DeLand in the state of Florida. Due to money problems the railroad did not start rolling until 1886.

The equipment roster included a narrow gauge locomotive, 2 flat cars, 3 boxcars and 1 passenger coach. Plans were made to expand east to the Altantic Ocean. Before the DeLand and Atlantic Railroad could clear the right-of-way the Altantic and Western Railroad, from the nearby town of Orange City began to lay track in that direction.

The Deland and Atlantic died that day. (And its been said, you can hear the "Ghost Train" whistle at 6:15 as it leaves the station for its journey to Atlantic Coast). One hundred years later several model railroaders organized the DeLand and Atlantic Model Railroad Club. A Permanent layout is now located in DeLand. The club meets on Saturdays and occasionally host an Open House.