The Key West Extension - The Railroad That DID Cross the Sea

I love how the vast majority of anything in Florida's history can be summarised with "and then there was a hurricane"

Man , i remenber seeing a map in trainz called "Florida East Coast Railway" With a bridge that ran on the ocean , so now i know why that exists , nice video btw

Although no longer really laced with Iron I admire Mr Flagler, he literally paved the way for one of the most beautiful highway trips in the world.

So this was the railroad that the Labor Day hurricane destroyed. Sad really, but I believe I've driven past it before. The fact that it was even built against all the odds and managed to see some semblance of success before it all ended, is indeed an achievement of itself. The Key West railroad definitely deserves the title of a wonder of the world, and this lifelong railroad enthusiast has gained a heightened sense of admiration and respect for this engineering marvel. :D

While Florida's trains don't get much attention, this is honestly really cool!

Thank you so much for covering the Key West Extension! The FEC has always been my "#1" railroad, and there is very little proper material covering the railroad in a timely (and professional) format without anything in the way of any "inaccuracies" (I noticed that you seemed to have gone to great lengths to avoid getting deeply into specifics, I assume for that very purpose). Looking forward to your next video

FINALLY! Someone talked about it!

I've been to the keys so many times I know almost all the (railroad) bridges they have there. Also thank you for making this video.

I drove the old 7 mile bridge many times, it must have been a helluva ride in a steam train! BTW the old 7 mile bridge has been reopened from Marathon to Pigeon Key [no motorized vehicles].

I went on a sail boat for 7 days with 13 others to key west it was hot, it was smelly, I got a tan, and had a great time I didn’t even know they had a railroad there! I saw what was left of the road bridges they were beyond rusted sections falling into the water. This was a great video and can’t wait to see more

Omg! I’ve seen the old bridge! My mom told me that it was a railroad bridge but I never thought I’d see a video about it!! It really is crazy to see in person I also wasn’t expecting to hear the carrizo gorge as well!

Flagger speculated that most of the north east USA Bound Ships coming thru the panama canal had to make a coal replenish stop at key west were he sells Coal and Move the Perishables faster on his RR to Florida. But by the time the panama canal was finished Steam Ships boilers were fueled by Oil. And also the Hurricanes constantly wiping the tracks ran him into the ground. A bit of History the side barriers on the 7 mile bridge were made using the old rails from the tracks. Later when Monroe county widen the bridge They were replaced with Concrete.

Great video as always, and a super interesting and unique line! Always love when channels like yours cover topics that I am not familiar with or don’t know at all, it’s so fun learning about little things like this! Thanks for the awesome content!

I really enjoy these mini documentaries. Thanks for making them.

I never noticed there was once a railroad that crossed the sea until watching this now. What neat history!

Thanks for using our module! We really appreciate it!

Imagine if Miami DID change its name to Flagler: Flagler Herald Flagler Beach Flagler Vice CSI: Flagler Hotline Flagler Flagler Dolphins Flagler Marlins Flagler Heat ect.

to think that i’ve probably driven over one of these very bridges without knowing it’s amazing history… thanks for the enlightenment! 👍

Loved it!! Thank you! Just moved to fl l like learning about the all the history here!!!!

Railroad Manifest Destiny. But Mother Nature had different plans for Mr Flagler. Great video!