The Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report

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

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postalkarl

Hey Judge:

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

Karl

jimmillho

#346
As a witness to todays story, I can say that "it's the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God"

Trust me, this is a true story, as reported by the Judge.

Jim



ACL1504

"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

GPdemayo

What a great time to forget my hip boots..... ;)
Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL

Judge

Jerry, Greg, Jim, Curt et al.  - Thanks for taking the time to comment on my little stories.  I am amazed at the number of times the Saturday Report is accessed during the week. 

Judge

#350
The rest of the story.
I ran across this u-tube video this morning and thought I would use it to illustrate just how blind Russel Taylor was backing around Eaton's curve.  This clip involves a railfan who is lucky enough to get to run a GP9 back and forth for a couple of hundred yards.  I'm not impressed with our hero or his camera ability, but I am jealous of his opportunity.  Anyway, notice how poor the vision is in general and how blind the engineer is on a curve.  Having a Pacific size boiler sticking out in front of your view would give the same effect.  No wonder the railroads kept firemen to watch out the left side on these diesels.  Wonder what's going on with all those UP diesels spotted on the side tracks? Is this a scrap line? 

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

Judge

#351
Saturday Report August 24, 2019

The Board of Directors met at 0830 hours.  The meeting was short.  The only business was the question of acquisition of certain equipment including Southern RR passenger cars.  It was agreed that the A&S didn't have a dire need for more Southern equipment but, what the heck, it was on sale and no one knows what will happen to the Chinese market - and even if things work out, these cars will not be priced this low again.  Other miscellaneous purchases were made.  Next week will be a work day.  We are going to reorganize the placement of our freight and passenger trains, which are spotted on the ready on the Bottoms storage tracks.  There are nine tracks of varying lengths on each side so getting our long trains organized will be a fun challenge.

We started out the fun part of the day by running the new City of Miami on the Summit level.  Then we moved the Shark powered coal train to the Bottoms and brought up the tank car unit train.  The new C of G SD9 was put into her paces and she traveled up the Ovalix to Summit to pick up additional freight revenue. Greg DeMayo arrived about 10:30 and, after more running of the SD9, we traveled to Smokey Bones for lunch. 

The Babe made us cup cakes for desert and we ran a steamer through downtown Tahope.  We ran a diesel powered freight on the same route and the trip did not end until after nightfall.  The lights on the railroad are really super at night.

In the the story this week, we will attend the weekly Thursday night poker game that takes place on the A&S Pullman Solarium lounge and sleeping car that is spotted at the freight station in Tahope.  This game is closed to all except prominent local officials.  The car is available for weekend trips to Gainesville during football season to watch the Gators play football.

Readers who keep up with the goings on in Tahope know that Bruce Bonebreaker recently purchased the Trackside Tavern.  That establishment is described on page 21 of this thread.  It is a "rough place."  So rough, it has blood on the ceiling.

The Trackside Tavern was the subject  of discussion at this week's poker game.

                                                                                                     TAHOPE AIN'T LIKE NEW YORK

The Mayor, the Police Chief, the Fire Marshal, the City Attorney, and the President of the Tahope State Bank were playing poker one Thursday night several weeks ago in the Pullman Solarium lounge and sleeper car the A&S owns and makes available for use by such dignataries, when the subject of the Trackside Tavern came up. 

"Tahope's famous beer joint is getting quite a reputation," said the Chief.  "Making money had over fist."  "How's that?" asked the Mayor, "Bonebraker is only selling beer, pickled eggs and sausage.  And he's giving away the peanuts."

"Oh," said the Chief, "I dropped in the place one afternoon a few weeks ago and Bonebreaker set up a stage facing the bar.  He bought me a beer and put a nickel in the juke box and out came this young lady dressed in one of them new bikini outfits and she got on the stage and wiggled to beat all." 

"Bonebreaker asked me if'n I had any problems with that and I said I wouldn't say even if I did." 

"Then he signaled the girl, her name was Tawdry, and darned if she didn't slip the top of her bikini off and commence to wiggling and jiggling.  Then Bonebreaker asked me, "Do you see anything wrong with that?"  "And I said, There's got to be something wrong with that but I cain't say whut it is.  Maybe I better have another beer." 

"Then the girl walked over to where we were sitting and she leans down to me and says," "Table Daintz?"  "Well, I didn't know what to think about that so I said, yes.  With that, doncha know, she got up on our table and tuck off her bikini bottom and went to wiggling and a jiggling right there on the table. 

"What did you say to that? said the bank president?"  "Waal," said the Chief, "after a couple of hours had passed, I said Bonebreaker, Tahope is a far cry from New York and I recon I'll have to get Judge Thomas to put a stop to this improper exhibition."

"By the way," said the Mayor, "Were is Judge Thomas?  He's usually on his third drink of bourbon by this time of night.  Game ain't the same without us taking his money from the pot." 

"He ain't far," said Walter the bartender, " I sees him a-commin' up the road right now."

When the judge arrived and was briefed on the situation he said, "Well, you boys get Marvin here to file a complaint and I'll take testimony with the Tahope Daily Blatter present and make a ruling as soon as the Chief explains exactly what happened." 

"You mean this will all be in open court?" said the Chief.  "Of course, said the judge."  "If that be the case, maybe we ought to forget the whole thing." 

With that, the City Attorney, Marvin Bello, stated, "Chief, if you don't shut him down there's nothing the city can do.  He ain't violating no city ordinances and his licenses are current."

After several weeks went by, the Thursday night poker club members noticed the Trackside Tavern was closed and boarded shut.  "How'd that happen? said the City Attorney. I didn't file suit."

"Foreclosed the mortgage," said the bank president.  And the reputation of Tahope was saved.

                                                   

                                                          A&S Solarium car conveniently spotted next to the Trackside Tavern

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

jimmillho

Bill, I really love all these "True" Stories about the citizens of Tahope and surrounding areas. ;) ;) ;)

Jim

Judge

#354
August 31, 2019

Well, you would think the off-shore hurricane would cause us to pay attention to the weather, and maybe we will on Tuesday/Wednesday.  It was last week when one of Florida's famous summer lightning storms fried the power supply for the A&S Railroad.  As luck would have it, no replacements were available locally so one was ordered from Digitrax.  The lack of power did not rule out a brief meeting of the A&S bored directors and we had salads at Smokey Bones.  Afterwards, the track maintenance crew was installed for the photo accompanying this week's story and, after marveling at the new pest control building and the apiary for the bee keeper, we called it a day.

This week's story is one of a bad first day on the job.  Everybody has had one of those, but our Bottoms dweller, Short Stack, has more than his share.  Recall his mishap backing Number 71 into the turntable pit and his arrest for almost stealing a locomotive.  It seems when time passes, memories fade, so Short Stack was rehired as the jack man on the A&S's track maintenance section.

                                                                                                 Short Stack and the Section Foreman

After Pat O'Malley passed away, his partner, Michael O'Toole was promoted to chief civil engineer.  They sent another great big Irishman named Malone to take the track maintenance section.  The events that took place on Malone's first day on the job are related here by one of the Irish section workers, Brian O'Sullivan.

"Malone whas a fine man.  Being Irish, he liked his whiskey, but he never did ask the section to buy him none.  That summer they hired this fella named Short Stack to be the jack man on the track.  We was removing abandoned rail on the north end of the Midlands and it whas one hot day - temperature in the high 90's. 

"When noon came, we got our lunch pails, and as we wear all used to the hot sun, we sat right doon on the track to eat our lunch.   Malone took his coat and laid it on the track to sit on to keep the rail from burning him, as the sun had heated the rail hotter than a cooking stove.  When he throwed his coat doon it landed on a rail joint which whas opin about an inch, maybe more."

"That mornin' Short Stack had broken the handle on his spike mall and he go to fixin' it while we ate lunch so he would have it when we started back to werk.  He got the new handle in place and needed to test it so he gave a good wack to the end of the rail ware Malone whas sitting.  He never thought the blow would cause the rail joint to close, but it went together with a bang and caught the flesh of Malone's hind parts and took out a slug as big as fifty cents.  We had to pull him off that joint and he hollowed bludy murder and everything else he could hollow."

"We hauled him to Tahope to Doc Staysic and he had a bad time with it.  He showed it to me after it healed up and you would never think it would make the scar that it did."

"Short Stack visited Malone in the hospital and made his peace with him.  Malone knew he didn't mean to do it, but when the conversation ended, Short Stack thought it best to return to life in The Bottoms.

                                                                       

                                                                                That's O'Sullivan in the brown overalls, watching the drama.  Short Stack is wearing
                                                                                                the yellow shirt and Malone is kneeling.  Photo taken before lunch.
                                                                         
                                                                     

PRR Modeler

Curt Webb
The Late Great Pennsylvania Railroad
Freelanced PRR Bellevue Subdivision

ACL1504

Wez gotz sum mighty fine folks work'n for us'n on the A&S RR. Only the finest employees.

That hurt just read'n it. :'(

Tom 8)
"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

Rollin

It's just like the butcher who backed into his meat grinder...he got a little behind in his work.  OUCH!

GPdemayo

Gregory P. DeMayo
General Construction Superintendent Emeritus
St. Louis & Denver Railroad
Longwood, FL


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