Florida East Coast Railway (FL) (Images of Rail)

Flagler's vision of opening up Florida to luxury travel was extraordinary! He had the money to see the project through and the drive to get it done. After reaching Key West, building luxury hotels across the state, he was old and tired. He died and his railroad struggled through the depression and the monster hurricane which tore up the track from Miami to Key West. The piers and road bed were then taken over by the state of Florida and made into a road. In modern times FEC pioneered in railroad labor relations and dropped its passenger business. The connections to the US Sugar railroad became extremely important to agriculture around Lake Okeechobee. For an excellent short book with pictures, this one can't be beat.

The lure of the railroad is still strong in both old and young. The lure for author Seth H. Bramson is almost incurable. For those in Florida the railroad of note is the Florida East Coast Railway for which Mr. Bramson is the official historian.What railroad enthusiasts will find here is standard Arcadia Publishing fare. 128 pages loaded with black and white photos. The descriptions of the photos are certainly adequate but not in depth due to space restraints.Subjects include the Key West extension, boom and bankruptcy, World War 2, the end of bankruptcy, the nearly decade long union strike and management at the time of publication.For the goal of this book it is certainly top notch. The photos are reproduced well which is not always the case in Arcadia titles. The majority of photos are from the author’s collection which in some cases could be a problem but not here. Bramson’s collection is rivaled only by his knowledge of the subject.If you are looking for a “history” of the Florida East Coast Railway I would suggest look for the author’s book Speedway to Sunshine: The Story of the Florida East Coast Railway. I would also suggest a visit to Mr. Bramson’s website.Recommended for those with an interest in rail history or those who live in a town served by the FEC.

Seth Bramson's book is full of history and illustrations that bring the early railroad to life as well as early Florida. The two the state of Florida and the Florida East Coast Railway are so intertwined that sometimes it is hard to tell them apart.I am not originally from Florida so I knew nothing about the FEC before I became involved in the Steam Locomotive Association #253 and much to my surpise the last paage of Mr. Bramson's book is dedicated to Engine #253 and those who are restoring this 1924 steam locomotive to operating condition.Florida East Coast Railway is a must read for anyone interested in the history of Florida because it grew up around the Florida East Coast Railway construction. The railroad was the first and only to cross the keys to Key West which at its time was a phenomenal feat.I recommend this book to any and all interested in trains and/or Florida history.Mr. Bramson is a delightful man, an excellent writer and teacher. Read Florida East Coast Railway, you will not be sorry. Also I recommend his book Speedway to Sunshine for even more history of both the FEC and Florida.Betty Jean Andrianoff

Growing up on Florida's east coast, the FEC was the hometown railroad. Very little has been written about this interesting carrier, and most of what has, tends to focus on the Key West line and operations during the Florida boom years, leaving gaps in the story of the postwar and modern eras.This book is an excellent companion to Mr. Bramson's earlier work - "Speedway to Sunshine," and we see many more images of interest to anyone curious about what the railroad accomplished AFTER the hurricane wiped out the Key West extension.I especially enjoyed seeing black & white photos of the line's E and F units in blue, rather than their fancy dress colors of the early streamline phase. While you can't squeeze everything in, this comes close.This is a darned good all-in-one reference for the nominal fan who wants the straight 4-1-1 about this railroad, for the hard-core FEC enthusiast who wants everything written about the line, and even for the Florida historian interested in the development of the east coast.Two thumbs up from this reader!

If this is a topic you're interested in, this is the book for you. Thanks!

Bought this for Christmas for my husband. He can't put it down. Have to say author Seth Bramson, puts the history of Florida Rails into a book so interesting that is hard to put down. Thank you Seth.

Seth bramson knows his stuff about the FEC! I own many of his books and this new one was a treat, even has one of my own photographs in it!

This is just as it was described. Giving as a Christmas gift to a hugh railroad buff, sure he is going to love it. Thanks.

Super interessant, tolle bilder und historische alte docs und postkarten abgebildet,Landkarten, streckenführungen etc angezeigt.Nur nicht vor feiertagen ( wie zb.weihnachten bestellen, kommt nicht pünklich) hat mehr als ne woche lieferzeit, kommt vermutlich daher weil es ein us import ist.Buch lohnt sich!