Touring the Florida East Coast Key West Extension

Our tour of Cal Winter’s Florida East Coast Key West Extension model railroad starts with Train 42, the daily local from Key West to Miami. We find the 462 parked in front of the passenger’s station. The tall building houses the railway express and custom service. At the north end of Trumble Point Yard, 42 rolls by the section formant’s house and some other section gang builders, all decked out in yellow.

The depression does not seem to have hit this part of the country yet. Tourism is still strong and so is the local produce business. Engine 153 leaves the land of Key West and heads to Stock Island over a short trussle. This entire route north is a mix of fill, bridges, water, and hope; hope that business remains and the hurricanes don’t come. The Pacific moves from Big Pine Key and now over a bridge. Leaving the bridge the oversee reaches an unnamed island. Then finally, part of Seven Mile Bridge comes into view.

Seven Mile Bridge features the Moser Swing Bridge. The reduced speed is called for here. Pigeon Key sits in the middle of the bridge. The five mile portion is behind while the two mile section awaits the 462. Most of these islands in the keys serve as home for the railroad’s workers. The B&B gang here paints the bridges every two years because of the heavy salt water exposure. At the south end of Marathon, the people on the dock could be fisherman or sightseers. The 462 will stop here for water at the twin tanks. To continue the tour, watch the full video. For more on model railway scenery techniques or model railroad structures, visit the Model Railroad Academy archives.