Been doing a little research on FEC and found out that FEC ran down to Key West FL during the early 1900's from 1912 to 1935. Offered frieght & passenger service, brought frieght from Key West to Miami on a single track mainline. Even had to build a seven mile bridge close to Key West. There was a ferry service to Havanna Cuba during those years. Interesting to know that railroads were even built near the ocean.
In 1938 a highway was started to Key West using the old railroad bridge supports.
Lee F.
The rail line was wiped out in 1935 by the strongest hurricane ever to hit the US, wrecking a rescue train. The full story and some pictures are here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day_Hurricane_of_1935
Bob Nelson
History Channel has a great program on this. The railroad workers and many locals were wiped out from the storm.
Dennis
TCA#09-63805
Back in the 70's, when I lived in south Florida, we would drive down to Key West on U.S. 1 across many of the same bridges that once carried the railroad. Today, a new bridge carries the highway but you can still see many sections of the old bridge which has survived numerous storms. A remarkable feat of engineering!
Bob Keller
Doug Murphy 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers...' Henry V.
Dr. John
US-1 in the keys was built on top of the FEC tracks after being ripped off by the storm surge in the 1935 Hurricane.
God bless TCA 05-58541 Benefactor Member of the NRA, Member of the American Legion, Retired Boss Hog of Roseyville , KC&D Qualified
The name of the book is "Speedway to Sunshine" and by happy coincidence an FEC train is rumbling by as I type! (I live a block away from the right of way) Seth updated the book in 2003 to include the new direction that the FEC took in the years since he wrote the original edition. There is an exstensive chapter on the Key West Extension, with lots of pictures of the devastation from the 1926 and 1935 storms.
I highly reccomend that if you are interested in the FEC, buy the book, or get it thru your local library-- Bythe way, the list price on the book is $40!
A Day Without Trains is a Day Wasted
FEClionel wrote:Dr. John US-1 in the keys was built on top of the FEC tracks after being ripped off by the storm surge in the 1935 Hurricane.
The Florida East Coast's cab diesels were always the most colorful of the many other southeastern railway cab units[F and E series] that used to congregate in the Jacksonville yard postwar:
In addition to the FEC----the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard, Southern, Central of Georgia and Illinois Central [all of which had very attractively decorated diesel engines].
A farmer friend and 0-gauger from Frostproof, Florida models the FEC, ACL and SAL. The latter two railroads installed their tracks on opposite sides of the town of Frostproof. He notes that for many years in the early part of the century, Frostproof had only a freight depot and was merely a "flag stop" for passenger trains on both railways. A businessman who wanted to go to Washington, New York,etc., simply put the trackside flag down and stoodby for the passenger trains to stop.
Yep, it's odd that the biggest railroads always seem to go for the simplest, easiest maintanable paint schemes. The red/yellow/silver scheme of the FEC didn't last long-- when the railroad went into recievership in the late 50's, the engines got the very simple blue dip/yellow stripe scheme. Ever since then, until the aquisition of the ex-UP SD40-2's, the FEC used a blue dip/yellow stripes/logo or blue dip/white stripes/logo's.
The ex UP units, as far as I know, have only had a minimal repaint job- a blue stripe, and blue road numbers instead of UP red, and the Railroad name in blue.
To clarify something that feclionel mentioned because I lived in Homestead FL when FEC took up the tracks and NOT Dade County, also FEC sold the roadbed that the tracks were on to Dade County before Hurricane Andrew hit. FEC removed tracks south of S.W. 100th street in south Miami to Homestead, removed the sideline to the Air Force Base a year before that.
You can still see the remains of the bridge at Bahia Honda Key (I think this is the most impressive bridge that remains)on the way to Key West, one of the reasons that some of the bridges are still there is the major expense to remove the bridges.
There was rail service to Homestead area in 2001, not sure if CSX still has a line to Florida City.
Lee Fritz
Lee,
Have you tried out the Gold Coast Railroad Museum in Miami? I went there back in the early 80's and it was good then, I am sure it still is, if not better. I think you can actually ride in an engine. I know they have a website should you wish to check it out before making the trip down there. Not sure if Lake Worth has a model railroad club, at least one dealing with "O", but I know the GCRR does. You may want to check around as I know Lockheed Martin has a engineering facility there and I am sure a good number of those guys would be into trains.
Dennis,
I have been to Gold Coast Railroad Museum in south Miami, it is a nice place. Even has the Presidential Car Ferdinan Magellin, a few model railroad layouts.
Lake Worth is just southwest of West Palm Beach by about five miles. There are two hobby shops here in the Lantana/Lake Worth area, one is on Lantana Rd. the other on Hypoluxo Rd, both east of I-95. Jupiter has a hobby shop on Indiantown Rd. near Wal-Mart.
Just been to a train show saturday on Lake Worth road at the Polish American Center, nice stuff being sold.
Lee
TROUBLE ON THE FEC TODAY
DANIA BEACH, Fla. -- Two trains hauling building supplies and food products collided Tuesday afternoon in Dania Beach and derailed near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The Broward Sheriff's Office said that the two trains collided at a slow speed, causing several cars to overturn and derail.No injuries were reported.
BSO said some of the cargo spilled, but the train wasn't carrying any hazardous materials.
The collision happened on the FEC tracks across from Terminal Drive at the airport. Officials said a portion of Terminal Drive was shut down, but the main entrance to the airport remained open.
Amazing how many of those double stacks kept together. I have also gone past that section many times in the past. Glad no one was hurt.
I lived in West Palm Beach while doing my internship. I also have some good friends in Lake Worth. Just was not sure if they had a club down that way. While I was there, my attention was focused on patients and not trains, so I did not take advantage of the stores. Is a nice area though.
There are a few clubs down here like TCA or TTOS, also an H.O. club in Port Saint Lucie that bought an old Fire Station and is using that now. Everything from H.O. to G Gauge is popular down here, even Tri-Rail(the three county transit train) is modeled in many gauges.
If you ever get down to Miami go to Ready To Roll on NW 141st St, use exit for NW 135th St. and go under I-95 then north a few blocks & it is on the left about a block in from NW 135th St.
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