The Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report

Started by Judge, January 05, 2019, 03:59:09 PM

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BandOGuy


Wouldn't want to eat any of that barbecue shipped across the pond.
Might get really ripe in transit.
Working on my second million. I gave up on the first.

Judge

   
    This week's report and story is delayed due to administrator updates.  Photographs won't post so I will wait until tomorrow to post the Saturday Report and this week's story.  Sorry about that!  Not my fault.
   

   
                                                                                                   

Judge

No Saturday Report this week.  I am having trouble posting photographs! Again!  Something about the new update......Sorry.  Maybe next Saturday.

MAP

Dang!  I was looking forward to your report Bill.
Mark

ACL1504

Quote from: Judge on May 27, 2019, 09:43:51 PM
No Saturday Report this week.  I am having trouble posting photographs! Again!  Something about the new update......Sorry.  Maybe next Saturday.


Bill,

I couldn't post photos either. I reported the issue to JD.

Tom ;D
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

Judge

I don't know why I can't seem to post anything.

Judge

I have tried for over two hours to post a Saturday Report on this forum and I give up.  When I copy the report from WORD and paste it to this reply box it copies and pastes without a problem.  Then when I try to post it I get referred to the Administrator and asked to try again.  I give up!  At least for today.  Sorry.

Janbouli

Quote from: Judge on June 01, 2019, 05:02:55 PM
I have tried for over two hours to post a Saturday Report on this forum and I give up.  When I copy the report from WORD and paste it to this reply box it copies and pastes without a problem.  Then when I try to post it I get referred to the Administrator and asked to try again.  I give up!  At least for today.  Sorry.
Try making your report in notepad , sometimes Word adds a lot of stuff that forum software doesn't like too much, it looks like simple text , but it's not.  Just copy paste it to notepad and then copy paste to a forum post.
I love photo's, don't we all.

ACL1504

Bill,

I go back to my original suggestion for you in posting. Typing it in word is fine. Once done, print your story and then type it into the "Reply" section.

I never use word with anything on this forum. I type directly to the "Post reply", proofread it and make any changes necessary. I'll then hit "Preview" and proofread once more.

Try just typing directly into the "Post reply". Then you can copy and past photos from the gallery.

Tom ;D
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

Judge

Tom - I'm going to do it your way and see if I have any better luck.  I need to advise forum members that until the latest update I had no problem copying and pasting from a WORD document.  Since that is the format I use to prepare my reports and stories, I will now have to "retype" my materials. 

Judge

#235
Saturday Report - June 1, 2019.
    The Board of Directors Meeting of the Atlantic & Southern RR started right on time Saturday morning.  The question on the agenda for discussion was whether to purchase a new road switcher from the Central of Georgia RR.  (The Southern RR owns most of the CofG stock).  The decision was unanimous and a new SD9 from BLI should arrive for inspection this week.  A source has been located for Central of Georgia caboose decals so a new freight train should be in business soon.

    There has been much progress towards completing the yard at Summit.  The turn-outs are set to operate manually with a really innovative (at least to your reporter) device which is a wire running from each turn-out to the facia board.  The wire is a "push and pull" arrangement and will be finished with a knob.  The system is quite simple and it really works!  The advantages of the system are (1) the cost savings for the purchase of over 15 switch motors; (2) zero electrical problems or maintenance; and (3) no need to throw switches from the handsets.  Switch motors will operate the turn-outs off the mainline that runs through the yard so the signaling system will work.

    Operations were somewhat limited Saturday.  A run by the Champion from Summit to the Midlands and back was made with two FP7A units providing the power.  The FP7's handled the trip up and down the Ovalix without difficulty.  However, we are still having problems with couplers on the passenger cars and some of them will have to be sent to the shop for adjustment.

    A freight train powered by SAL Citrus Scheme E6's made the trip up and down the Ovalix to the Midlands and back without incident.  No problems with freight cars.

    Friend and member of the SBG Greg DeMayo arrived about 10:00 a.m.  Grreg was on his best behavior, which was appreciated by all.  Greg likes to do little mischievous things like moving a structure from one place to another just to see if we notice the change.  A bit of ballast mysteriously got moved from a track in the engine service area and placed in a pile nearby.  Greg denied that he was responsible for relocating the ballast and we believed him.  Officer Poovey of the Tahope Police Department will investigate further.

    The switchmen were not on the ball Saturday, causing several derailments, but no wrecks.  Brownies were issued. You just can't get good help these days.

    The crew broke for lunch promptly at 11:00 a.m. and traveled to Smokey Bones.  After lunch, there was another short operating session.  A heavyweight passenger train powered by ACL P5A 1516 provided service to the folks in the Midlands and the gang departed A&S property shortly thereafter.

                                                                                                     TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT

    Your reporter would be less than observant if he did not report to his dismay and surprise this month's MR covered a layout from "up Nawth" in Pennsylvania that is called the Atlantic & Southern.  It seems that the modeler was originally going to model the ACL and the Southern RR, but he strayed from that laudable direction and now has a railroad that has steel manufacturing facilities and other smelly stuff that would overpower the scent of orange blossoms and tropical flowers in Florida.  Yet he still calls this pike the Atlantic & Southern.  The Board of Directors considered sending him a cease and desist notice because the Atlantic & Southern located in Tahope County, Florida has common law trademark claims to the name.  After all, the present owners of the A&S inherited the name and all rights to it from the late and great Al Bixbie sometime in the 70's.  However, after consultation with the A&S general counsel, Marvin Bello, the Directors decided to leave well enough alone considering there is no competition between the two railroads. 

    This week's story involves our vagabond friends Newt and Short Stack, who you remember, are cousins and used to live with their parents in the two cracker shacks located at Eaton's Curve.  Since their eviction from those premises, they have taken up residence in The Bottoms, where they live the carefree life of hobos and occasionally get into difficulties.  The piece today relates their activities on that rainy summer evening when they decided to steal a steam locomotive.

                                                                                                  THE LOCOMOTIVE THEFT ADVENTURE

    It gets real dark after the sun goes down during the summer in Central Florida and it is especially dark in the freight yard at Sanlando.  Add 90-degree heat, 98% humidity, and a constant drizzle of rain and not even the freight yard night watchman would venture out of his office shack to check out the going's on in the yard.

  These conditions provided Newt and Short Stack with the perfect opportunity to be up to mischief.  They crept into the freight yard to check out the rolling stock and see if there was anything of value that was loose.  They had a modicum of luck when they found a ventilated box car with the car door unlocked.  Inside were boxes of fresh fruits. 

    After eating their fill, they wandered down the track towards the Pure Oil storeage facility.  It was there they discovered a steam switch engine panting inside the fenced enclosure with two tank cars coupled to it.  It was ACL's 1150, a USRA 0-6-0, and the gate was open. 

   

     They uncoupled the tank cars from the engine and climbed into the cab.  Short Stack, who had some limited experience as a hostler, shoveled coal into the firebox to bring the steam pressure up.  In a few minutes, there was enough pressure to move the engine, so they decided to go for a ride.  Short Stack put the reverse lever into the back corner and cracked the throttle for a little steam.  The engine responded and slowly backed out into the yard. 

       

    They became more adventurous and added a little more steam as they headed for the mainline.  Soon the amateur railroaders were heading towards Eaton's Curve.  It was there they decided to blow the whistle to attract the attention of their parents who were sitting on the front porch of Daisey's shack drinking beer.  The sound of the whistle attracted the attention of the Tahope Police Department and Officer Poovey gave chase to the switcher.  Our heroes abandoned the engine in the vacinity of Barlow's Bar-B-Que and were arrested and charged with Grand Theft of the locomotive.

    Marvin Bello was once again called upon to defend our two vagabonds and when he appeared before Judge Elvin P. Thomas on the day of trial, he moved to dismiss the charges.  The judge agreed.  "No larceny," said his honor, "the locomotive never left A&S property."  No charges were brought for the stolen fruit because the defendants "et the evidence."
   
    A reporter from the Tahope Daily Blatter interviewed Newt as he left the courtroom.  When asked about his participation in the loco caper, Newt rermarked, "I was tempted to succeed at doing something this week, but I got arrested before anything happened."  And, as they say, "So it goes."

   

ACL1504

Love it, the antics of these two vagabonds is gonna git'em kilt one day.

Tom ;D
"If we are to guard against ignorance and remain free, it is the responsibility of every American to be informed."
Thomas Jefferson

Tom Langford
telsr1@aol.com

deemery

Quote from: Judge on June 02, 2019, 10:00:23 AM
...
    Marvin Bello was once again called upon to defend our two vagabonds and when he appeared before Judge Elvin P. Thomas on the day of trial, he moved to dismiss the charges.  The judge agreed.  "No larceny," said his honor, "the locomotive never left A&S property."  No charges were brought for the stolen fruit because the defendants "et the evidence."
...

I was thinking, "Maybe prosecutor could go for 'Theft of Service'," but I'm sure Counsel for the Defendants would point out that no one was served by that move.

dave
Modeling the Northeast in the 1890s - because the little voices told me to

GPdemayo

Good one Bill.....God knows I try to behave, but it's really hard sometimes.  ;D
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

Judge

Dave - The problem is that traditionally, theft required both manucaption (taking in hand) and asportation (carrying away).  That is why a shoplifter doesn't become a thief until she passes the point of sale.  It is also why our vagabonds did not commit theft.  Unfortunately, in states like Florida, the legislature has done away with both requirements.  Now it is enough for the culprit to try to deprive the owner (or custodian) of a right to the property.  I suppose it would be theft to try to temporarily deprive someone of the use of a document or even an intangible like a stock option.  But today's story takes place in 1950 and at that time the legislature still preferred to limit theft convictions to actual thieves.

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