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Ornaments for Sale Ferdy Flyer Engine Ornament
And thus the Ferdy Flyer was born, with its first official trip in 1908! Reputedly the shortest independent-owned railroad in the nation during its 85 years of operation, the Ferdy Flyer chugged daily over 6.48 miles of track to Huntingburg and back again. Engine No. 3, a shiny 50-ton locomotive built in 1913, pulled an 1880 manufactured coach up hill and over dale, transporting male students to and from the Huntingburg High School before a secondary school was built in Ferdinand in 1951. The train also brought thousands of guests for the annual St. Ferdinand Church picnic. In addition to people, the Ferdy Flyer carried products as diverse as communion wine, locally made furniture, raw building materials, mail and tobacco. (NOTE: No. 3 was the third engine purchased in the first five years.) Alas, what the Ferdy Flyer never did was make money. With the advent of truck transportation and an automobile for every household, the railroad went into decline. The tracks are gone and the Ferdy Flyer, pulled by Engine No. 3, is just a lovely memory. |
Ornament cost: $12 (plus $3 s&h) Want to buy more than one ornament? Shipping and handling is only $1 for each additional ornament! All ornaments are on sale at Tin Lizzie’s in Ferdinand, the Dubois County Museum in Jasper, or by sending payment to: Ferdinand Historical Society PO Box 194 Ferdinand, IN 47532-0194 Or email us: information@ferdinandhistory.org. Or visit our booth during Ferdinand Christkindlmarkt November 21-22, 2009 Forest Park High School Markt Quantities of some ornaments are very limited. |
1906 was a very good year for the Town of Ferdinand. A Commerce Club was formed by community members who took it upon themselves to found a newspaper and to begin selling stock in the Ferdinand Railroad Company.