# Flagler's Folly in Florida Keys



## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Just returned from the Florida Keys where I got to see some remnants of Flagler's Florida Overseas Railroad. Quite a spectacular location, as long as you are not there during a hurricane.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

There's a small museum in Key West dedicated to Flagler and the Over-Sea Railway. Fascinating story - I have one of the books about how it was built (no DEP in those days!) 

http://www.flaglerstation.net/


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

The drive from Key Largo to Key West and back is the one of the most beautiful drives in the SouthEast. If you never made this trip, you need to put it on your bucket list. You won't be disappointed. 

Randy


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, that is an excellent link. The fact that Flagler began this project so late in his life is amazing. The shot above shows how the railroad bridge was later converted to a highway, also now abandoned in favor of the newer one.










Randy, that part of Florida has been on my bucket list and I was finally able to put a check next to it. In addition to the historic sites, the animals I saw along the way were remarkable. I'll post a couple of shots when I get a chance.


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## Bill C. (Jan 2, 2008)

When we hiked up to the bridge this iguana was there to greet us. I figure he was close to four feet long. Later I found out that they have becomes pests.










Farther down the road, this rare Key deer, only about the size of a German shepherd despite the fact that he is a mature adult, came up to our van.


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

I recommend reading The Railroad that Died At Sea; The Florida East Coast's Key West Extension. Its a good and quick read with some great photos. Its the only book I've read about the Folly so I don't know if there are better but I liked it. Bill I've had the good fortune of spending a lot of time between Homestead and Key West enjoying the remnants of the railway but I've never had any luck getting that close to a Key Deer. Thanks for posting the photos. 

Robert


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I think my book (I'm in FL not at home this week) is "Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean." 

They are all good. A fabulous railroad engineering feat. And I think that abandoned road bridge featured in the Governator's "True Lies" movie.


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## stevedenver (Jan 6, 2008)

yup read last train to paradise 
wonderful story of 'death and destruction' on the bridge when a big hurricane hits-rescue trains tossed about like paper dolls


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

They used a part of that highway for the movie "True Lies." You can tell where by looking for the blue paint that the movie company painted the section of the girders that would be seen by the camera.


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## bottino (Feb 7, 2008)

I picked up a DVD in that little museum in Key West, that tells the whole story. It IS really interesting. I have done that drive twice and it is fantastic. 
Paul


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

Made that trip several years ago and what a amazing trip. Surprised at how much of the old RR still visible. Now I remember back in the late 90s there was even talk of rebuilding the RR. To bad it did not happen. Later RJD


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess it's mainly because I've made the drive from Homestead to Key West at least a couple hundred times since about 1956, (not to mention all the times the trip was made by boat). Over all the old two-lane bridges (day/night, good weather & bad) and to make that drive now is just very disappointing to me, and nothing like it used to be when the old-time Conch's populated the Keys.


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## Robert (Jan 2, 2008)

Minor detour here. A book that was a hit in our household, please note I have primary school aged kids, was Blown Away by Harlow. Its a child's fictional account of living as a Conch and experiencing the hurricane. I reiterate its fiction and for children but touches on the railroad. Our kids, having spent time in Islamorada, enjoyed it.


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## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

If interested, here's a link to a fairly good factual account of what took place leading up to, during, and after the hurricane.

Horrific Florida Keys Hurricane
Labor Day 1935[/b]


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

One of the shows from Trains Unlimited covers Flagers Folly. It was a great segment.


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## Dr G (Jan 16, 2008)

Ah, you all are talking about my favorit subject--all things Florida East Coast Railway.

Those of us in the FEC Railway Society generally refer to "Flagler's Folly" as the Overseas Railway, and although it did not last long (1913 to 1935) the technology developed in building it was WAY ahead of its time.

Here is a reading list at the Society's web site that might be of interest. I have read most of them, and they are entertaining reading:

http://www.fecrs.com/reading.html

Anyone interested in the FEC is welcome to join the society, the members are full of helpful information, and we have a convention on the east coast of Florida once a year (September). Last year they even had a guided tour of the Overseas Railway to the Keys--I did not get to go, but I heard it was AMAZING.

There is a link to the society's web page in my signature below. Florida has a very COLORFUL history and Flagler's fingerprints are all over the east coast of our state!!!

One interesting note about the demise of the Overseas Railway. As I understand it (and I may not have all the facts straight) that although the 1935 Hurricane (storms were not named back then) destroyed part of the line, the main reason it was not rebuilt was a lack of need for the line, and the FEC was in recievership at the time. Ironically technology in shipping changed from coal to oil and thereby made stopping at Key West uncessary for ships to refuel and they could go straight to ports on the east coast of the United States from South America. Thus Key West never developed as a large port--thus no need for the Overseas Railway.

Definately a fun twist on railroad history.

Of interest as well is our President Cal Winter--he has a MAGNIFICENT HO scale layout of the entire line from Miami to Key West

This is a link to an Allen Keller Video of his layout. I have seen it in person--it is NOT to be believed: http://www.allenkeller.com/GMR41.htm

Matt


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## seadawg (Jan 2, 2008)

That was an extremely narrow road, south of Marathon. My yonger sister and I would love it when we'd hit the peak of the Bahia Honda bridge heading to the southern end of US1. They built the auto road ON TOP of the truss bridge that the trains used to pass THROUGH, it was too narrow for two way auto traffic. Lot's of high speed head on collisions, speeding up to pass the slower folks....We always made it!


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## jgallaway81 (Jan 5, 2009)

Up until reading that last post, I thought the trains ran on top of the bridge... I was gonna comment that it would have been cool to see a modern set of D9's pulling a double-stack train out of the "port" at Key West.... oh well, yet another flight of fantasy that might spawn an idea for my railway, lol.


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