1902: Congress passes the Panama Canal Bill. Realizing he could have the closest railhead to the Panama Canal (Key West,) Henry Flagler begins to plan his Overseas Railroad. His Florida East Coast Railway already offered service to Miami.

1905: After years of engineering and planning, construction begins. Utilizing knowledge first shared by the Romans, aqueducts and bridges begin to span the lengths of water between each island. Hurricanes strike without warning, and they and construction accidents lead to considerable loss of life among the work crew.

1907: Regularly scheduled service begins between Miami and Marathon, with stops in between.

1912: After five more years of blood, sweat, tears and toil, the train finally makes it to Key West.