   #copyright

Florida East Coast Railway

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Railway transport

                   Florida East Coast Railway
                              logo
                           System map
   FEC route map
    Reporting marks   FEC
         Locale       Florida
   Dates of operation 1885 – present
      Track gauge     4  ft 8½  in (1435  mm) ( standard gauge)
      Headquarters    St. Augustine, Florida

   The Florida East Coast Railway ( AAR reporting mark FEC) is a Class II
   railroad operating in the U.S. state of Florida; in the past, it has
   been a Class I railroad. The FEC is renowned as the railroad that built
   the first railroad bridges to Key West that have since been rebuilt
   into road bridges for vehicle traffic, now known as the Overseas
   Highway. It was originally known as the Florida Coast and Gulf Railway
   and then the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway; for
   more information and other former railroads merged into the line, see
   the family tree below.

History

Henry Flagler: Developing Florida's east coast

   The Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) was developed by Henry Morrison
   Flagler, a United States tycoon, real estate promoter, railroad
   developer and Rockefeller partner in Standard Oil. Originally based in
   Cleveland, Ohio and formed as Rockefeller, Andrews & Flagler in 1867,
   in 1877, Standard Oil moved its headquarters to New York City, and
   Flagler and his family moved there as well. He was joined by Henry H.
   Rogers, another leader of Standard Oil who also became involved in the
   development of America's railroads, including those on nearby Staten
   Island, the Union Pacific, and later in West Virginia, where he
   eventually built the remarkable Virginian Railway to transport coal to
   Hampton Roads, Virginia.
   Promotional excursions such as the Florida Special helped make the
   state the tourist "Mecca" it is today.
   Enlarge
   Promotional excursions such as the Florida Special helped make the
   state the tourist "Mecca" it is today.

   Henry Flagler's non-Standard Oil interests went in a different
   direction, however, when in 1878, on the advice of her physician,
   Flagler traveled to Jacksonville, Florida for the winter with his first
   wife, Mary, who was quite ill. Two years after she died in 1881, he
   married one of Mary's former caregivers. After their wedding, the
   couple traveled to St. Augustine, Florida. Flagler found the city
   charming, but the hotel facilities and transportation systems
   inadequate. He recognized Florida's potential to attract out-of-state
   visitors. Though Flagler remained on the Board of Directors of Standard
   Oil, he gave up his day-to-day involvement in the corporation in order
   to pursue his interests in Florida.

   When Flagler returned to Florida, in 1885 he began building a grand St.
   Augustine hotel, the Ponce de León Hotel. Flagler realized that the key
   to developing Florida was a solid transportation system and
   consequently purchased the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax
   Railroad. He also noticed that a major problem facing the existing
   Florida railway systems was that each operated on different gauge
   systems, making interconnection impossible. Shortly after purchasing
   the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax Railroad, he converted the
   line to standard gauge.

   The earliest predecessor of the FEC was the narrow-gauge St. John’s
   Railway, incorporated in 1858, which constructed a now-abandoned line
   between Tocoi and St. Augustine. In 1883, Henry M. Flagler, now retired
   from Standard Oil, moved to St. Augustine and purchased several hotels.
   The East Coast of Florida was relatively undeveloped at that time, and
   Flagler found it difficult to obtain the construction materials he
   needed. In 1885, Flagler purchased all assets of the Jacksonville, St.
   Augustine & Halifax River Railway; as the railroad expanded southward,
   the company was eventually re-named “Florida East Coast Railway Company
   – Flagler System” on September 7, 1895.

   The Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway served the
   northeastern portion of the state and was the first property in the
   Flagler Railroad system, which would eventually become the Florida East
   Coast Railway Company. Before Flagler bought the organization, the
   railroad stretched only between South Jacksonville and St. Augustine
   and lacked a depot sufficient to accommodate travelers to his St.
   Augustine resorts. Flagler built a modern depot facility as well as
   schools, hospitals and churches, systematically revitalizing the
   largely abandoned historic city.

   Flagler next purchased three additional existing railroads: the St.
   John's Railway, the St. Augustine and Palatka Railway, and the St.
   Johns and Halifax River Railway so that he could provide extended rail
   service on standard gauge tracks. Through the operation of these three
   railroads, by spring 1889 Flagler's system offered service from
   Jacksonville to Daytona. Continuing to develop hotel facilities to
   entice northern tourists to visit Florida, Flagler bought and expanded
   the Ormond Hotel, located along the railroad's route north of Daytona.

   Beginning in 1892, when landowners south of Daytona petitioned him to
   extend the railroad 80 miles south, Flagler began laying new railroad
   tracks; no longer did he follow his traditional practice of purchasing
   existing railroads and merging them into his growing rail system.
   Flagler obtained a charter from the state of Florida authorizing him to
   build a railroad along the Indian River to Miami and as the railroad
   progressed southward, cities such as New Smyrna and Titusville began to
   develop along the tracks.
   The Florida East Coast Railway depot in Sebastian, Florida. The
   structure was built in 1893.
   Enlarge
   The Florida East Coast Railway depot in Sebastian, Florida. The
   structure was built in 1893.

   By 1894, Flagler's railroad system reached what is today known as West
   Palm Beach. Flagler constructed the Royal Poinciana Hotel in Palm Beach
   overlooking the Lake Worth Lagoon. He also built The Breakers Hotel on
   the ocean side of Palm Beach, and Whitehall, his private 55 room,
   60,000 square foot (5,600 m²) winter home. The development of these
   three structures, coupled with railroad access to them, established
   Palm Beach as a winter resort for the wealthy members of America's
   Gilded Age. Palm Beach was to be the terminus of the Flagler railroad,
   but during 1894 and 1895, severe freezes hit all of Central Florida
   whereas the Miami area remained unaffected, causing Flagler to rethink
   his original decision not to move the railroad south of Palm Beach. It
   is said that Julia Tuttle, one of two main landowners in the Miami area
   along with the Brickell family, sent orange blossom to Flagler to prove
   him that Miami, unlike the rest of the State, was unaffected by the
   frost. To further convince Flagler to continue the railroad to Miami,
   both Julia Tuttle and William Brickell offered land to the Florida East
   Coast Canal and Transportation Company, and the Boston and Florida
   Atlantic Coast Land Company in exchange for laying rail tracks.

   On September 7, 1895, the name of Flagler's system was changed from the
   Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company to the
   Florida East Coast Railway Company and by 1896, it reached Biscayne Bay
   at present day downtown Miami, at the time a small settlement of less
   than 50 inhabitants. When the town incorporated in 1896, its citizens
   wanted to honor the man responsible for the city's development by
   naming it, "Flagler." He declined the honour, persuading them to keep
   the city's old Indian name, "Miami." The area was actually previously
   known as "Fort Dallas" after the Fort built there in the 1830's during
   the second Seminole War. To further develop the area surrounding the
   Miami railroad station, Flagler dredged a channel, built streets,
   instituted the first water and power systems, and financed the town's
   first newspaper, the Metropolis. Flagler was a great visionary and he
   can be credited for the development of the entire east coast of
   Florida. Yet he lacked vision on at least one issue: he felt that Miami
   would never be more than a fishing village.

   As of 1905, Flagler started what everybody considered a folly: the
   extension of the FEC to Key West which would later be known as "The
   Overseas Railway," at the time considered the eighth wonder of the
   world and surely the most daring infrastructure ever built exclusively
   with private funds. The first train arrived in Key West on January 22,
   1912.
   A 1913 print advertisement extols the many advantages of traveling on
   the Florida East Coast Railway, the "New Route to the Panama Canal."
   Enlarge
   A 1913 print advertisement extols the many advantages of traveling on
   the Florida East Coast Railway, the "New Route to the Panama Canal."

Constructing the Florida East Coast Railway

   The railroad south of West Palm Beach was constructed in phases by the
   FEC and the predecessor systems. Flagler began his railroad building in
   1892. Under Florida’s generous land-grant laws passed in 1893, 8,000
   acres (32 km²) could be claimed from the state for every mile (1.6 km)
   built. Flagler would eventually claim a total in excess of two million
   acres (8,000 km²) for building the FEC, and land development and
   trading would become one of his most profitable endeavours.

   Before it became the FEC, the Jacksonville, St. Augustine & Indian
   River was constructing a line southwards from Daytona Beach in 1894.
   Fort Pierce was reached on January 29, and West Palm Beach on March 22.
   Further extension southwards did not begin until June of 1895, when a
   favorable deal was signed with Miami-area business interests. Fort
   Lauderdale was reached on March 3 of the following year. By April, the
   construction reached Biscayne Bay, the largest and most accessible
   harbour on Florida’s east coast. To further develop the area
   surrounding the Miami railroad station, Flagler dredged a channel,
   built streets, instituted the first water and power systems, and
   financed Miami’s first newspaper, the Metropolis. Flagler announced in
   1905 that the FEC would be extended 128 miles to Key West over the
   ocean. The "Overseas Extension" was completed in 1912, a mere 16 months
   prior to Flagler’s death, at a cost of $27 million and lives of
   hundreds of workmen.

Key West Extension: Eighth Wonder of the World

   Never one to rest on his laurels, Flagler next sought perhaps his
   greatest challenge: the extension of the Florida East Coast Railway to
   Key West, a city of almost 20,000 inhabitants located 128 miles beyond
   the end of the Florida peninsula. Flagler became particularly
   interested in linking Key West to the mainland after the United States
   announced in 1905 the construction of the Panama Canal. Key West, the
   United States' closest deep-water port to the Canal, could not only
   take advantage of Cuban and Latin America trade, but the opening of the
   Canal would allow significant trade possibilities with the west.

   The construction of the Overseas Railroad required many engineering
   innovations as well as vast amounts of labor and monetary resources. At
   one time during construction, four thousand men were employed. During
   the seven year construction, five hurricanes threatened to halt the
   project.

   Despite the hardships, the final link of the Florida East Coast Railway
   was completed in 1912. In that year, a proud Henry Flagler rode the
   first train into Key West, marking the completion of the railroad's
   overseas connection to Key West and the linkage by railway of the
   entire east coast of Florida.

FEC Through the Years

   The stock market crash of 1929 was particularly harsh on the FEC. The
   railroad was in receivership by September 1931, a short 18 years after
   Flagler’s death. Bus service began to be substituted for trains on the
   branches in 1932, and the Key West Extension was abandoned after the
   Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. However, streamliners terminating in Miami
   nevertheless plied the rails between 1939 and 1968, including such
   famous trains as “The Champion”, jointly operated with the Atlantic
   Coast Line. The FEC had barely emerged from bankruptcy in 1961 when a
   labor contract negotiation turned sour, leading to a prolonged work
   stoppage beginning January 23, 1963. Although freight trains were
   operated with non-Union and supervisory crews, passenger runs were not
   reinstated until later. During the stoppage, Miami’s
   wooden-construction downtown passenger terminal was demolished on
   November 12, 1963. The passenger runs reinstated in 1965 between
   Jacksonville and Little River (NE 79th St.), with a single diesel and
   two streamlined passenger cars, would continue six days a week until it
   was finally discontinued on July 31, 1968.

Flagler's heritage

   In 1913, Flagler fell down a flight of stairs at Whitehall. He never
   recovered from the fall and died in West Palm Beach of his injuries on
   May 20, 1913, at 84 years of age. He was buried in St. Augustine
   alongside his daughter, Jenny Louise and first wife, Mary Harkness.
   Only his son Harry survived of the three children by his first marriage
   in 1853 to Mary Harkness. There is a monument to him in Biscayne Bay,
   and a college (Flagler) named after him in St. Augustine, Florida. The
   Florida East Coast Railway was the product of Flagler's resources and
   imagination. Flagler's construction of hotels at points along the
   railroad and his development of the agricultural industry through the
   Model Land Company established tourism and agriculture as Florida's
   major industries.
   Hundreds of workers on the Florida East Coast Railway's Overseas
   Extension were lost when a hurricane swept the through the Keys and
   battered Miami on October 18, 1906.
   Enlarge
   Hundreds of workers on the Florida East Coast Railway's Overseas
   Extension were lost when a hurricane swept the through the Keys and
   battered Miami on October 18, 1906.

   Nearly a century later, the effects of Henry Flagler's incredible
   accomplishments can still clearly be seen throughout Florida. Perhaps
   even more amazingly, as Florida is now well-known as a retirement state
   of preference for many Americans, Flagler accomplished these feats
   after retiring from his first career. Flagler had already founded and
   developed the vast empire of Standard Oil with partners John D.
   Rockefeller, Samuel Andrews, and Henry H. Rogers before becoming
   interested in Florida. Linking the entire east coast of Florida, a
   state that at the time was largely an uninhabited frontier, demanded a
   great deal of foresight and perseverance.

   The Florida Overseas Railroad, also known as the Key West Extension of
   the Florida East Coast Railway, was heavily damaged and partially
   destroyed in the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935. The Florida East Coast
   Railway was financially unable to rebuild the destroyed sections, so
   the roadbed and remaining bridges were sold to the State of Florida,
   which built the Overseas Highway to Key West, using much of the
   remaining railway infrastructure. A rebuilt Overseas Highway ( U.S.
   Route 1) following Flagler's dream, continues to provide a highway link
   to Key West, ending at the southernmost point in the continental United
   States.

FEC in modern times

   The Florida East Coast Railway continues to operate from its
   headquarters in St. Augustine using nearly the same route developed by
   Flagler (the Moultrie Cutoff was built in 1925 to shorten the distance
   south of St. Augustine). Today the company only provides freight
   service — passenger service was discontinued in 1968 after labor unrest
   that resulted in violence. However, there has been some speculation
   that the southern end of the FEC line may be used for a commuter rail
   service to complement the existing Tri-Rail line and that Amtrak may be
   allowed to use FEC lines for a more direct route between Jacksonville
   and Miami. The FEC currently transports Tropicana Products' " Juice
   Train" cars to and from the company's processing facility in eastern
   Florida.

   For many years the company was controlled by Edward Ball, who headed
   the trusts set up under the will of his brother-in-law Alfred I. du
   Pont and associated business interests. His "Pork Chop Gang" was also a
   powerful force in Florida state politics. Later, after 36 years with
   the railroad Raymond Wyckoff took the helm on May 30, 1984, the same
   year that F.E.C. Industries was made the holding company for the
   Railway and the Commercial Realty and Development Company, a structure
   which persists to this day. As of March, 2005 Robert Anestis stepped
   down as C.E.O. of F.E.C. Industries after a 4 year stint, allowing
   Adolfo Henriquez to assume that position, with John McPherson, a
   long-time railroad man, continuing as President of the Railway itself.

Awards and recognition

   On May 16, 2006, FEC was the recipient of the Gold E.H. Harriman Award
   for safety in Group C (line-haul railroad companies with fewer than
   4 million employee hours per year).

Corporate history

   The Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railway Company was
   incorporated under the general incorporation laws of Florida to own and
   operate a railroad from Jacksonville in Duval county, through the
   counties of Duval, St. Johns, Putnam, Volusia, Brevard, Orange,
   Osceola, Dade, Polk and Hillsborough, in the State of Florida.

   Florida state law chapter 4260, approved May 31, 1893, granted land to
   the railroad. At that time, it was already in operation from
   Jacksonville to Rockledge, the part south of Daytona having been
   constructed by them. The company had just filed a certificate changing
   and extending its lines on and across the Florida Keys to Key West in
   Monroe county, Florida.

   The name was changed to the Florida East Coast Railway Company on
   September 7, 1895.

Lines

Main line

Historical Brevard County Stations ( North to South )

     * Lyrata
     * Scottsmoor
     * East Aurantia
     * Jones Post Office or East Mims
     * Titusville (Enterprise Branch begins)
     * Indian River City
     * Pritchards
     * Frontenac
     * Hardeeville
     * Fuastina
     * Sharpes
     * City Point
     * Cocoa
     * Rockledge
     * Rockledge Hotels (spur across Indian River)
     * Coquina
     * Bonaventure
     * Pineda
     * Bahia
     * Horse Creek
     * Eau Gallie
     * Military Park (Station at the Kentucky Military Institute)
     * Sarno
     * Melbourne
     * Tillman (now Palm Bay)
     * Malabar
     * Valkaria
     * Grant
     * Micco
     * Roseland

Bypass around Miami

Kissimmee Valley Line and cutoff (K-Branch)

   FEC Kissimmee Valley Extension Map

Stations (North to South)

     * Maytown
     * Osceola
     * Geneva
     * Chuluota
     * Bithlo
     * Pocataw
     * Wewahotee
     * Narcoossee
     * Salofka
     * Tohopkee ( Mail service terminated 1927 )
     * Holopaw
     * Illahaw ( Mail service terminated 1935 )
     * Nittaw ( Mail service terminated 1935 )
     * Kenansville

Kenansville Branch (East)

     * Apoxsee
     * Lokosee
     * Yeehaw
     * Osawa
     * Fort Drum Depot
     * Hilo (Currently known as Hilolo)
     * Efal
     * Opal
     * Okeechobee

Kenansville Branch (West)

     * Armstrong
     * Pine Island
     * Halsey
     * Greely
     * Bassinger

   South of Holopaw, the line roughly parallels US 441.

Palm Beach Branch

Fellsmere Branch

Enterprise Branch

   The Enterprise Branch (E-branch) was built in 1885 by the Atlantic
   Coast, St. Johns and Indian River Railroad and leased to the
   Jacksonville, Tampa and Key West Railroad, part of the Plant System.
   Initially, the westernmost five miles served as a connection from
   Enterprise Junction to Enterprise, a port for steamboat traffic down
   the St. Johns River. Later, the line was built through Osteen,
   Kalamazoo, and Mims to Titusville.

   A steam locomotive pulled the first train over the line onto the wharf
   on the Indian River at Titusville on the afternoon of December 30, 1885
   and greatly accelerated the transportation of passengers, produce,
   seafood, and supplies to and from central Florida. While Titusville
   thrived thanks to this new transportation connection, Enterprise lost
   stature as a steamboat port, since Henry Plant's railroad paralleled
   the St. Johns River and greatly reduced travel times to Jacksonville.

   During the winter of 1894–95, a widespread freeze hit twice, decimating
   the citrus crop and ruining that part of Florida's economy. This
   allowed Henry Flagler to acquire the line at a discount to piece
   together what became the Florida East Coast Railway.

   The track of the E-branch has been uprooted as far as Aurantia, about
   five miles northwest of Mims, ending directly under the Interstate 95
   overpass and has been abandoned. The crossing gates and signals were
   removed before the summer 2004 hurricanes and the track is being
   removed by a steel salvage company.

   This rail line would have been suited to recreational railroad use by
   such groups as the North American Rail Car Owners' Association assuming
   a representative who is local to the area could have been located.
   Otherwise, it is likely that the right-of-way will be converted to a
   multi-use trail. In many cases the Surface Transportation Board grants
   abandonment exemptions on the condition that the right-of-way become
   railbanked. Under this arrangement, if demand for rail service should
   arise in the future, rails could be rebuilt.

Atlantic and Western Branch

   This branch, from Blue Spring on the St. Johns River via Orange City to
   the main line in New Smyrna Beach, was built by the Blue Spring, Orange
   City and Atlantic Railroad. In the mid- 1880s it became the Atlantic
   and Western Branch of the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River
   Railway, which changed its name to the Florida East Coast Railway in
   1895. It may have been the Atlantic and Western Railroad in between.
   The line was in use until 1930.

Tocoi Branch

   The railroad from Tocoi to Tocoi Junction, outside St. Augustine, was
   built by the St. Johns Railway. The Jacksonville, St. Augustine and
   Indian River Railway took it over by 1894, and changed its name to the
   Florida East Coast Railway in 1895. The line was abandoned by 1917; it
   was later used for SR 95, which became SR 214 at some time after the
   1945 Florida State Road renumbering, and is now CR 214.

Moultrie Cutoff

   The almost arrow-straight Moultrie Cutoff was built in 1925 to cut the
   distance on the main line, avoiding the swing inland to East Palatka.
   It runs from just north of Bunnell to Moultrie Junction in St.
   Augustine.

Flagler Beach Branch

San Mateo Branch

Palatka Branch

Mayport Branch

   This was originally built by the Jacksonville and Atlantic Railroad
   from Jacksonville to Pablo Beach (now Jacksonville Beach). It was later
   extended north along the coast to Mayport and taken over by the FEC.

Family tree

   Florida East Coast Railway formed September 13, 1895 as a renaming of
   the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railroad; still exists
     * Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railroad - formed
       October 6, 1892 as a renaming of the FC&G; renamed the Florida East
       Coast Railway September 13, 1895
          + Florida Coast and Gulf Railway - formed May 28, 1892; renamed
            the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railroad
            October 6, 1892
          + Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway - formed
            February 28, 1881 as a renaming of the Jacksonville, St.
            Augustine and Halifax River Railroad; merged with the
            Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River Railroad October
            31, 1892
               o Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railroad -
                 formed March 1879; renamed the Jacksonville, St.
                 Augustine and Halifax River Railroad February 28, 1881
          + St. Augustine and Palatka Railway - formed September 1, 1885;
            merged with the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Indian River
            Railroad 1893

Gauges

   In 1890, the Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Halifax River Railway (the
   line north of St. Augustine) changed from narrow gauge to standard
   gauge.

   Retrieved from "
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_East_Coast_Railway"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
