The Greatest Railroad Story Ever Told
The Greatest Railroad Story Ever Told

Author: Seth H. Bramson

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2011-11-01

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1625844530

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All aboard for the history of one of the most audacious and innovative railroad engineering feats in history from the celebrated Floridian author. Although several people had considered constructing a railroad to Key West beginning in the early 1800s, it took a bold industrialist with unparalleled vision to make it happen. In 1902, Henry Flagler made the decision to extend the Florida East Coast Railway to “the nearest deepwater American port.” In this book, renowned Florida historian Seth H. Bramson reveals how the Key West Extension of the Flagler-owned FEC became the greatest railroad engineering and construction feat in United States, and possibly world, history, an accomplishment that would cement Flagler’s fame and legend for all time. Join Bramson as he recounts the years of operation of this great railroad, what it did for the Florida Keys and what it meant to the resident conchs. Includes photos

Last Train to Paradise
Last Train to Paradise

Author: Les Standiford

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2003-08-05

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1400051185

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The fast-paced and gripping true account of the extraordinary construction and spectacular demise of the Key West Railroad—one of the greatest engineering feats ever undertaken, destroyed in one fell swoop by the strongest storm ever to hit U.S. shores. In 1904, the brilliant and driven entrepreneur Henry Flagler, partner to John D. Rockefeller, dreamed of a railway connecting the island of Key West to the Florida mainland, crossing a staggering 153 miles of open ocean—an engineering challenge beyond even that of the Panama Canal. Many considered the project impossible, but build it they did. The railroad stood as a magnificent achievement for more than twenty-two years, heralded as “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” until its total destruction in 1935's deadly storm of the century. In Last Train to Paradise, Standiford celebrates this crowning achievement of Gilded Age ambition, bringing to life a sweeping tale of the powerful forces of human ingenuity colliding with the even greater forces of nature’s wrath.

Speedway to Sunshine
Speedway to Sunshine

Author: Seth Bramson

Publisher: Boston Mills Press

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9781550463583

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A revised and expanded illustrated history of the railroad from its inception, through the building of the Key West extension, to the present day.

Florida East Coast Railway
Florida East Coast Railway

Author: Seth H. Bramson

Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 9780738543413

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Florida East Coast Railway has been the speedway to America's playground for more than 110 years. FEC offered some of America's finest rail passenger service until 1968 and remains the freight lifeline of Florida's east coast. The railroad arrived on the shores of Biscayne Bay on April 15, 1896, and it reached Key West in January 1912. That feat etched both Henry Flagler's and the railroad's names in Florida and U.S. railroad history. FEC's operation is so precise and punctual, its roadbed and motive power so well maintained, that it is the benchmark for every other railroad in the country.

The Last Train to Key West
The Last Train to Key West

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2020-06-16

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0451490886

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Instant New York Times bestseller One of Bustle’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2020 “The perfect riveting summer read!”—BookBub In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. After the Cuban Revolution of 1933 leaves Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position, she agrees to an arranged marriage with a notorious American. Following her wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to her new husband, his illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston's trip to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles after the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

Kidnapped in Key West
Kidnapped in Key West

Author: Edwina Raffa

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2012-09-20

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 1561645877

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A daring adventure on Henry Flaglers Over-Sea Railroad! Twelve-year-old Eddie Malone is living a carefree life swimming and fishing in the Florida Keys in 1912 when suddenly his world is turned upside down. His father, a worker on Henry Flaglers Over-Sea Railroad, is thrown into jail for stealing the railroad payroll. Convinced that he is responsible for his pa's arrest, Eddie sets out for Key West with his faithful dog, Rex, on a daring mission to prove his father's innocence. Eddie arrives in Key West as preparations are under way for the arrival of Flagler's first train. Eddie meets the Kimble twins, T. J. and Jen, who live at the Key West Lighthouse and are practicing for their part in the great celebration. They offer to help Eddie with his plan to find the real payroll thieves. Eddie finds them, all right, but they kidnap him and lock him aboard their sailboat. As the boat moves swiftly away from Key West, Eddie realizes he's in serious trouble. Can Eddie escape from the clutches of the ruthless thieves? Will he ever get back home to Marathon? Most importantly, will Eddie be able to prove Pa's innocence? Historical fiction, ages 8–12 Next in series > > See all of the books in this series

The Railroad that Died at Sea
The Railroad that Died at Sea

Author: Pat Parks

Publisher:

Published: 1968

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9780978894993

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"Begun in 1905 and built by Henry Flagler, the Florida East Coast Railway Key West Extension was called the Eighth Wonder of the World. This 100th Anniversary edition tells the story of the Overseas Railroad. It is illustrated with over 50 carefully reproduced vintage photographs. A masterpiece of railroad engineering, the Extension traversed magnificent concrete spans above Florida Keys waters from the mainland to Key West. It opened in 1912 and, for three decades, thousands of passengers enjoyed the breathtaking trip across brilliant seas and tropical islands. The devastating Labor Day hurricane of September 2, 1935, brought an end to The Railroad That Went to Sea. Today US 1 highway travels upon the route of the original railroad."--Amazon.

The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files
The Florida Keys Skunk Ape Files

Author: Brad Bertelli

Publisher:

Published: 2021-03-20

Total Pages: 212

ISBN-13:

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In the summer of 1977, documents indicating the presence of a large, hairy, bipedal creature with a strong odor in the Florida Keys were discovered in the attic of a Key West home. The documents reported events dating back to the 16th century. The Southernmost Skunk Ape Society was established to investigate these found documents and augment them with additional research and analysis where possible. The short-lived society ceased following the unexplained disappearance of its co-founder on October 18, 1977. The Skunk Ape Files, a work of historical fiction inspired by the 1977 sighting of a cryptid on Key Largo as reported in the Upper Keys newspaper The Reporter, were compiled four decades later by surviving society member Cliff Curry. The files include the historical context and narrative behind 50 of the most fantastic Skunk Ape-related events associated with the Florida Keys.

American Narrow Gauge Railroads
American Narrow Gauge Railroads

Author: George W. Hilton

Publisher:

Published: 1994

Total Pages: 580

ISBN-13: 9780804723695

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This is a comprehensive, illustrated account of the growth and decline of American narrow gauge railroading. It documents a long-gone era, bringing to life ancient steam locomotives, railroads and rolling stock that have mostly disappeared without trace. The basic facts and information on the subject are heavily illustrated with photographs, drawings and maps, presented in an encyclopedia format.