The Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report

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

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ACL1504

I've hauled Maggie in on three separate occasions.

Last I heard, her record has been sealed and not available to the public. This may be due in part to a "guvment" convention held in Tahope where Maggie made a few friends who want to remain in good standing with their constituents.

Like Sergeant Schultz once said, "I know nothing".
"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

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

deemery

#512
Quote from: ACL1504 on February 08, 2020, 06:33:45 PM
...
Last I heard, her record has been sealed and not available to the public. ...

I guess that's why there was no accompanying photo of Maggie.  Too bad, but then this a G, or at least PG rated forum :-)

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

Judge

Dave - The only likeness we have been able to thus far find of Maggie Hussy is a short video taken when she was fishing in the Tahope River at age 15.  The video is on page 29 under The Rest of the Story.  Look for the link below the Pullman story. 

I am looking for more current photographs that I can publish on this G rated forum. 

The Judge

GPdemayo

And you know that we all love pictures Bill..... :)
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

Judge

#515
Saturday Report - 2-15-20  Temperature in the mid 70's and sunny here in Central Florida

The weekly meeting of the Board of Directors convened at 0830 hours.  The Board inspected the progress of the past week including installation of the facia on the Tahope Peninsula.  Some new palm trees were delivered for placement as the progress heads towards the Big Tahope River. 

The morning's railroading included a work-out for the ACL Alco S2 and a freight run of SAL F3's, and, with a power change, a GP7.  We are experiencing some problems with old (and I mean old) WOW Sound decoders.  The problems are with decoders that are so old they do not even have "Version 1" on them.  TCS happily replaces these old decoders with new and improved ones. 

Greg DeMayo arrived about 10:00 and participated in the fun until we went to lunch at Smokey Bones. 

After lunch we ran an 0-6-0 switcher and a 2-8-0 so we could hear the sound of steam.  An easy day on the A&S.

    The idea for today's story comes from a 1939 edition of Railroad Magazine, which in those days cost $.15. 

                                                                                                  First Day on the Job as a Fireman

    Willie Mason, a Tahope native, signed onto the Atlantic & Southern Railroad right after he came home from Europe after WWII.  He began working in the roundhouse but was soon promoted to brakeman.  He broke steam freight for three years and found himself on the extra board as a fireman.  Willie fired steam for a year and gained enough seniority to bid on a diesel-powered through freight that originated in Sanlando Yard and terminated in Jacksonville. 
    The first day on the job found Willie at the Sanlando diesel facility boarding a consist of three Seabord E7's.  The engineer that day was Michael O'Sullivan, a serious type, who was a 22-year veteran of the right-side seat.  O'Sullivan pulled the diesels out of the service facility and onto the mainline, heading for the yard lead into Sanlando Yard where the mixed freight consisting of 21 billboard reefers and a caboose had been assembled by the yard crew.  O'Sullivan coupled the E7's to the train. The brakeman connected the air hose to the engines and inspected the first few cars to make sure their brakes were operable.  After twenty minutes or so, the conductor signaled the air was good in the rear of the train and O'Sullivan eased the train out onto the mainline.  Two reefers were dropped at the Piney Woods Freight Station and O'Sullivan turned to his fireman, who was sitting in his chair with nothing to do, and said, "Willie, how would you lie to take her to Summit?"  Willie, who had never run a diesel locomotive in his life, was excited, to say the least.  He moved over to the engineer's seat and gingerly pulled the throttle a notch at a time until the engine speed indicator was at 49 mph, the maximum speed allowed between Piney Woods and the Ovalix. 
    The trip was uneventful until the train rounded a blind curve that hid a rural crossing at the Tahope Highway Intersection. To Willie's horror, there was a yellow 1947 Ford Coupe stopped on the track.  It appeared to be occupied by teenagers.  Willie pulled the knob that turned on the bell and gave repeated short blasts of the diesel's horn, to no avail.  The Ford just sat there.  Wilie panicked and put the brake into emergency, just about the time the driver of the Ford pulled off the track and waived, with his middle finger extended. 
    Unlike our familiar understanding of braking systems in automobiles - where an increase in pressure translates to an increase in braking power - air brakes on a train run in the opposite way.  By default, the air brake system is closed (the brakes are on).  When running, the air is pumped to fill brake cylinders on each car and the brakes are "opened."  When a triain engineer wants to apply brakes, he causes a reduction in the air pressure and that causes the brakes to "close," slowing the train in accordance with the amount of the reduction.  The logic of this system is if there is a pressure failure in the braking system, the brakes will automatically engage, thereby reducing the likelihood that a train would speed out of control. 
    When the emergency brake is applied there is a rapid loss of pressure, draining all of the air out of the brake cylinders, and the brakes slam shut.  As you can guess, this will cause the train to stop.  If the train is moving at speed, the stop will be violent and can result in a derailment.  Additionally, once the brakes are set for emergency, the train must come to a complete stop and the air must come back up to pressure before the train can move.
    The train passed the crossing and came to a stop about a half a mile down the track.  The conductor demanded an explanation as Willie waited for the the air to be recovered.  O'Sullivan addressed him, saying, "Well, Willie, did you learn anything today?"
    Willie, who was shaken up by the near-miss, went off on a tirade about how could those kids be so foolish and how it would have been a tragedy if their car had stalled.  O'Sullivan calmed him down and said, "That's why we never go to emergency until we see the fenders fly.  If we put the train into emergency every time one of these idiots pulls this stunt, either on purpose or through inattention, we would have the train in emergency on nearly every trip.  Eventually, our number would come up and we would have the train in a ditch, which could be devastating."
     It took over thirty minutes for the air to recover and for the dispatcher to give clearance for Willie to proceed to Summit.  On the way, he contemplated the valuable lesson he learned on his first day as a fireman on a diesel.

                                                                             
                                                                                                         The Scene of the Emergency


                                                                                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dScQpUyTYTs

                                                                                                Crossing the Tahope Highway intersection Safely





                                                                             
   
   

GPdemayo

Those billboard reefers sure make a great looking train.....good tale Bill.  8)
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

ReadingBob

Great story your Honor.   :D  Also a really neat train.  Love those billboard reefers.   ;)
Bob Butts
robertbutts1@att.net

There's a fine line between Hobby and Mental Illness.

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

Judge

#519
                                   THE REST OF THE STORY


If you think teenagers have learned anything since the 1950's, just look at this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyIW0r3-ruA

GPdemayo

Hey Bill.....check out this video of choo-choo's and Spanky's first full movie.  ;D


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyhd7gSxAC0
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

Judge

#521
Saturday Report - February 22, 2020.  Chilly 48 degrees at dawn, but sunny and mid 60's by noon.  Will warm back into the 80's tomorrow. 
   

The A&S Board met early this morning.  The meeting started at 8:15 a.m.  There was a tour of the progress on the Tahope Pennensula and a discussion bout how the scenery will progress in that area. 
     The CEO was given a round of applause for his determination to begin painting and installing sound in brass engines, hopefully in the Spring.  Delivery was made of a coal hopper lettered for the NC&StL RR.  Those of you who follow this report will remember that the Pennsy provides the motive power for the once a month coal train into  Tahope in exchange for the Pennsy president's free pass over the road.  The coal train is powered by Baldwin Sharks.  The attached video gives testimony to the quality of the sound made by Baldwin diesels.  They are going to outclass EMD you know.  And Baldwin would never consider merging with Lima Locomotive Works.  But these diesels are just a passing fad.  Steam will triumph as soon as the efficiency improves and the cost of maintenance drops. 
    The coal train was the subject of most of the morning running.  The train originated in The Bottoms and negotiated the constant 1% grade of the Ovalix without breaking a sweat.  The train exited on the Midlands and performed a photo run-by before delivering a hopper or two to the Tahope Roundhouse Yard.  The train retuned to The Bottoms to await another delivery day.  At that point, an ACL P-3, Number 451 powered a six-car passenger train around the Midlands with stops at Sanlando and Piney Woods.

                                              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojY9BlCQAQo&feature=youtu.be

                                     Here is a short video of the coal drag powered by Sharks.  Hear those Baldwin diesels rumble.

    "Reading Bob" Butts arrived around 10:30 a.m. and the crew departed for lunch at Smashburger's for lunch.  No Smokey Bones today.  We thought we would have a little variety.  Burgers were good.  We are likely to return.

    This week's story is taken from the October 1939 edition of Trains Magazine.  I often wondered where the cap railroaders wore during the steam era came from.  Now I know.  The true story originates with a fireman named George Kromer, whose friends called him "Stormy."  Stormy fired on the Chicago and Northwestern and one windy day the brakeman's cap blew off his head and it was lost.  The rest of the story happened sort of the way it is told below.



                                                                                                           The Railroader's Cap

    Sometimes it gets windy in February in Central Florida.  On one of those windy days, Diamond George Musselwhite, fresh off of his honeymoon with his new bride, Daffy, reported for work as the fireman on the Florida Special.  The Special was powered by one of the dozen R-1 4-8-4's, which were the pride of the ACL steam passenger fleet.  Diamond George climbed into the cab of the big R-1, ready to man the stoker.  The signal switched to a clear board and the Florida Special was on its way to Jacksonville. 
    As the train passed over the Great Divide, the wind blew through the cab with a mighty gust, blowing George's cap off of his head and into the chasm below.  Well, George was fit to be tied and had to fend off sparks and cinders for the rest of the trip. 
    When George returned to the roundhouse that evening, he set himself down at the crew table and said, "Boys, I gotta swell idea." 
    That evening he spoke with Daffy, saying, "I figure that by shaping some cloth and putting a sunshade on it, you could make a good strong cap that's not likely to blow off in the wind." 
    "Waal, maybe I could," said Daffy, who excelled at shop and auto mechanics in high school.  She found some heavy material that looked like mattress tacking and made a floppy cap with a bill and a springy sweatband that would not blow off in the wind.  The cap was big enough to where it could be pulled down over the ears in cold weather.  Diamond George proudly wore it to work the next day.
    The crew at the roundhouse admired the cap.  "Fatso" Johnson, the A&S engineer, said, "Now that is my idea of a cap.  I wunder if you could git your Missus to make me one?"  "Me too," said 'Tater" Cartwright.
    "Well, I'll see if she'll oblige," said George.
    The next day the crew all marveled at the caps Daffy made and all of them wanted one.  "If anybody but Diamond George had that cap, he'd make a million dollars," said the Maintenance Foreman, Will Fixer. 
    George was convinced he had an item that would be in demand, so he went to a garment factory in Orlando that manufactured uniforms for the state prison and asked if they would make the caps.  The owner said, "I don't see how you can sell more than a few dozen, but I'll make as many as you want to pay for at 25 cents each." "Fine," said George, "make a hundred dozen and I'll be back to pick them up next week." 
    George started selling the caps by wearing his in places like Sweaty Betty's Diner and eateries up and down the line from Tampa to Jacksonville.  In no time he had sold the entire order and needed more.  As time went by, the manufacturing site had to be moved to Nooo Yawk and orders of thousands of dozens of caps were manufactured and sold. Sure enough, George made his million dollars and those caps are still selling like hotcakes.
    And Daffy bought a brand new 1949 pick-up truck, complete with a "coon tail" on the aerial. 



                                                                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeO67oX0auU

                                                                                                        The Florida Special

                                                               

                                                                                                  George "Stormy" Kromer

                                                                   

                                                                                                       Stormy's Railroader's Cap
                                                                                     

Zephyrus52246

I had forgotten to read last week's report during my siege at work.  Both wonderful stories, Bill.  And the videos are great, too.

Jeff

GPdemayo

Amazing creation.....and she did it without duct tape & bailing wire.  ;D  Great story Bill.  8)
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

ACL1504

These here stories just get better and better.

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

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