Rusty - I am using the normal tool set on the Forum tool bar for font, color and size.

I copied and pasted Word text successfully in the past. 

I am writing this text like I normally would do and will attempt to change the font, font size, and color.

I typed the text, selected it and attempted to make the changes.  Still no luck.  I will study Rusty's response and try again.

Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report

The Board of Directors met at 0830 hours.  The A&S received an A-B-A set of C&O  FP7 diesels from Walthers and put them into service pulling our eleven-car passenger train.  These engines are powered by TCS WOW Sound.  Three more smooth side Pullman or Bud cars have picked up passengers and had lighting installed.  We will make changes to the passenger consist during our next meeting, two weeks from today.

We made some decisions about future updates.  Two of our Pacifics have the latest version of WOW Sound and the third, ACL P3 number 451, is next in line for updates.  We will return several of our earlier decoders to TCS for updates to several of our steamers.

I am still mystified as to why I cannot change font size or type and font color on this forum.  I will continue to work on the problem but I'm afraid no "stories" about the A&S will be published until I figure this problem out.

No report next Saturday.

Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report - 4-5-25

I am just getting used to the format on this forum.  I have quite a learning curve.  For some reason, when I select a font, a code appears.  The same with selecting size and color.  Tom and I tried to figure the problem out this morning but no luck.  Anybody out there have a suggestion. See the code above as an example.

Well, I shall stumble through this report today in hopes of getting my format problem solved.

The A&S Board of directors met promptly at 8:30 a.m.  New TCS WOW sound decoders have been installed in two of our ACL P5AA Pacifics and the result is amazing for two reasons:

(1)  The number of available whistles has significantly increased.  There are many more whistles from the U.S. and Canada as well as a few Banshees from the UK.  Most impressive is the whistle from Cass Shay number 6.  The whistle on that engine was originally mounted on an ACL Pacific, although I do not know if it was a P5A or a P5B.  You can hear it by accessing the website below.  I don't do facebook, but you can access the video without it.  I must tell you that the whistle on the TCS decoder is every bit as loud and clear as it is in the video.

https://www.facebook.com/CassScenicRailroad/videos/western-maryland-shay-no-6/961333268990983/

(2)  TCS has come up with a new chuffing sound they call "Chuffinity."  This improvement provides much more realistic sound than the boring four-chuff repetitive sounds on other decoders, including earlier TCS decoders.  The chuff varies with the weight of the train and the grade.  The chuff fades in and out just like a real steam engine and we were very impressed with the performance.  A low, soft chuff is heard when a light engine on level track makes a move and it picks up volume as the engine increases speed or starts to "work." 

We submitted two decoders to TCS a couple of weeks ago for repair/replacement.  TCS replaced them with the newest version of their decoders.  Tom installed them and the A & S GP7 runs like a top.  The other decoder was installed in one of the Pacifics mentioned earlier.

WE gave the newly repowered engines a spin around the layout and ran P5A 1559 (A Key Import from the 1970's) up the Ovalix to Summit.  It pulled thirteen freight cars and a brass caboose without difficulty.

Your reporter inspected and took possession of three C&O passenger cars for the purpose of installing HO size people in them.  The cars will be added to the C&O passenger train and replace some heavyweights in the consist.  The cars will be coupled behind our new FP7 A-B-A lash-up from Walthers.  TCS decoders are being installed at the TCS installation department and should be delivered soon.

I am going to skip the weekly story today in hopes of getting my format problem solved.  Chao for now.

Many thanks to all of you! I am going to spend some time today relearning the environment of this Forum.

OHE

Thanks for the kind words.  I hope I can keep the stories new and entertaining.

OHE

Jerry - Thank you for the kind words.  OHE

Atlantic & Southern Saturday Report - Saturday, March 28, 2025.

In response to many readers of this Forum, I have decided to continue publishing the Saturday Report covering the news and other happenings of the citizens of Tahope County, Florida, most of whom work for the Atlantic & Southern Railroad.

This report is several days late, for which I apologize. 

The latest news for the Atlantic & Southern is the acquisition of an A-B-A set of C&O FP7 locomotives from Walthers.  These locomotives are currently having their LoC Sound decoders replaced with TCS WOW Sound. The current C&O F3 diesels are freight units and we don't want anyone picking that nit.  Besides, the F3's are over 20 years old and need to be assigned to freight duties. 

Additionally, the Board of Directors have decided to set aside the heavy weight cars in the C&O consist and replace them with Pullman standard or Bud cars.  Those cars are being drawn from present inventory and should be in service within a couple of weeks.

We have had two decoders "go bad" for unknow reasons.  They were returned to TCS and were replaced with new decoders. 

I must admit I am having a little difficulty navigating on this forum.  I guess I will learn as I go.

I shall begin my return engagement by reviewing the Atlantic & Southern, its features, and the fictitious characters who populate Tahope County.

It makes sense, when organizing such a review, to begin with the physical aspects of the Atlantic & Southern Railroad.  Naturally, I have rejected that suggestion and have decided to first re-introduce some of the characters who live and work around the City of Tahope, which is the Tahope County Seat.

Many of the residents of the City of Tahope have ancestors who arrived there in the Antebellum days of the 1850's and most of them are related one way or another.  Some of the family trees have few branches. 

The last names of the older families reflect midieval occupations, such as Tanner, Baker, Miller, Taylor, Wagoner, or Cartwright.  The "wimmins" mostly have names of flowers or plants, such as Rose, Honeysuckle, Peaches, or Petunia. 

The average citizen who was born and raised in Tahope has a high school education from Tahope High School, where Pauline Reeve is principal.  The inhabitants who live outside of the City are less educated and are referred to by outsiders as "red necks" or "swamp dwellers." 

We will focus on those who live within the city today.

The City government is headed by the Mayor, Bud Millstone, who is also a conductor on the A&S.  The City Council meets on Friday afternoons each week to discuss what little business may come before it.  Usually, the Mayor, the Police Chief, the local judge, and other important personages adjourn after the Council meeting and play poker in the Pullman passenger car which is spotted next to the freight depot.  Food is supplied by Sweaty Betty's Diner and adult beverages come from the tavern located nearby. 

The Police Chief is William Woodman, age 42, whose family has lived in Tahope since 1852.  His great grandfather was the fireman on "The General," the Confederate locomotive involved in the Great Locomotive Chase from Big Shanty to Chattanooga during the 1860's.  Woodman has no formal training in law enforcement, but, as he says, he "don't need none." 

The other officer in the police department is Eldridge Poovey, age 36, who wears a police uniform complete with motorcycle boots and who cuts quite a figure when he exits the department's 1947 Dodge squad car to write a traffic Citation. 

The local judiciary is composed of Circuit Judge Elvin P. Thomas, who presides over the local courts one week each month.  Judge Thomas, who is 60 years of age, was elected in 1924 and has become a fixture on the bench.  He is known for his folksy comments from the bench and his ability to be fair under the most trying circumstances.

The only lawyer in town is Marvin Bello, a 1930 graduate of the University of Florida's College of Law.  He is the city attorney and, seeing no conflict, also represents the A&S Railroad.

The president of the Tahope State Bank is J. Pierpont Forester, who is married to Rose.  They have a teenage daughter named Peaches, who is sweet on "Tater" Cartwright, the foreman of the engine service facility located down the street from the bank.  Peaches is a recent graduate of Tahope High and works as a secretary at Sokol's Mattress Company.  All is not well in the Forester family.  Rose has her eye on Officer Poovey and marital difficulties will no doubt provide a local scandal in the future.

Speaking of scandals, the editor of the Tahope Daily News, Roger Ragweed, delights in discovering them.  He recently found Freddy Merchant, the owner of "Three Fingered Freddy's Fireworks" in a local tavern making sweet nothings with Maggie Hussy.  Freddy's wife, Gertrude, who weighs in at 240 pounds, arrived on the scene and Freddy ended up in Tahope General with several stitches. 

The main industry in Tahope, besides railroading, is the citrus processing plant located south of downtown.  Another business is Sokol's Mattress Company, located near by.  Sokol's provides mattresses for all of Central Florida and is quite successful.  Mr. Sokol employs Peaches Forester as his secretary and administrative assistant. 

While the list of citizens described here is not exhaustive, it gives the reader an idea of life in a small town in Central Florida in the early 1950's. 

I will focus on the railroaders in my next report.

I spoke with Tom this afternoon.  He says he will post an update here tomorrow.  Looking good!

Well, for the first time in four years Central Florida has had a freeze.  The temperature was 31 degrees when I got up this morning at 6:00 a.m. and at 12:00 noon, it has climbed up to 51 degrees.  Not to worry.  It is supposed to be in the 80s by Thursday.   

The "Freeze of 1983" was the worst in my lifetime.  It killed all the citrus trees and the growers decided it was more profitable to sell their land to developers than to replant orange trees.  They not only got the price of the land but also participated in the development profits - all without investing (risking) a dime. Anyway, the days of driving through Orange and Lake Counties and seeing miles and miles of orange groves have been over since 1983 and any citrus that is left is being grown in South Florida.

I live in Sanford, which is north of Orlando on the St.Johns River.  It used to be an agricultural center that was famous for vegetables, mostly celery.  The farms have long ago been sold to developers.  This has resulted in increased traffic and, since the developers never fully pay for their impact, local taxpayers have picked up the tab. 

It is not all bad.  Sanford is on the shore of Lake Monroe, which is really not a lake at all, but a wide spot in the St. Johns River.  It is a large lake and the city has taken care to keep it attractive.  I have attached a link to show you what the lakefront looks like. 

We live in the "historic district" which has homes built from the 1880s through the 1920s (the "Florida Boom" ended at the end of 1929, like everywhere else.)  We did not have to cover our plants to protect them from last night's freeze because our property is shaded by several giant oak trees that are over 100 years old and they provide sufficient frost protection.

                                                                                             https://sanfordfl.gov/

Saturday Report – January 29, 2022

   There will be no Saturday Report again this week because the President of the Atlantic & Southern Railroad is still recuperating from surgery. The weather here in Central Florida is chilly.  It was 41 degrees at dawn this morning and will only go into the high 50s today.  But there is lots of sunshine.  Sorry about that, New Englanders.
        While there is no report, there is a story.  Your reporter has noted that attention has not been paid to any of the characters who live in and around Tahope recently so this week's story is an update on the adventures of Newt Fisher and his cousin, Donnie "Short Stack" Turner.  Readers will recall these two, who regularly have scrapes with the law and have a hard time keeping a job with the railroad.  They live in The Bottoms which is a dimly lit area with a large railroad yard on the lower level of the A&S.  Newt and Shortstack live in a 1934 Airstream trailer parked next to the river.  The river provides them with fish, crabs, bathing opportunity, and cooking water for Mulligan Stew.  Their nearest neighbor is Boxcar Betty, who smokes cigars, drinks corn squeezins and has never lost a fight.
   For those of you who are new to the Saturday Report, there is some information about Newt Fisher and Short Stack interspersed within previous reports.  Examples include "Inhabitants of Eaton's Curve (page 8, , Life in the Bottoms (page 10), Code Talkers (p.19), Striking it Rich on a Student Trip (page 22), and The Ride to the Great Divide (page 23).  For information about Perkins' Farm see page 13.

                                                                                                   The Purloined Breakfast

   In late January 1949, Newt Fisher and his cousin, Donnie "Short Stack" Turner managed to convince the new yard boss at Summit to let them hire on as brakemen.
   For those readers who are not familiar with the weather in Central Florida, let me tell you that there are a few rainy grey days in January when the temperature gets down into the low 30s and the effect can be bone-chilling.  It was one of those days when our heroes climbed aboard a Coast Line M3 red caboose for the run from Summit to Tampa.  The train was powered by one of the Coast Line's famous P5B Pacifics, specifically designed for dual service duty and at home at the head of a freight drag or a 12-car streak of varnish, like the Southwind.
   It had been a long time since these characters had parked their carcasses in a red crumb box and the cold weather had whetted their appetites.  Newt started a fire in the coal stove and Short Stack checked the crummy' s larder to see what was available for breakfast.  He said, "Newt if we had some ham we could have ham and eggs if we had some eggs."  The lack of vittles required putting thought to the problem.  Quite a few delicacies could be gotten near the tracks if would-be foragers put their minds to it. 
   The Brains was consulted when he climbed aboard and agreed that something had to be done about breakfast.  Shortstack discovered the route that day would include a water stop at Piney Woods Station, which was located close by Farmer Perkins' farm.  The two brakies convinced the Brains that a purloined breakfast was better than no breakfast at all, so a plan soon developed.
        The train pulled out of Summit Yard an hour before dawn and was 10 minutes ahead of schedule when it came to a stop at the water tank at Piney Woods. The Brains walked up to the engine to speak with the engineer, Uncle Henry O'Leary, while Newt and Short Stack skedaddled past the orange grove and into Farmer Perkins' chicken coop. They snatched a handful of eggs, grabbed a ham from the nearby smokehouse, and made a run for it back to the train. 
        Farmer Perkins heard the commotion and stepped out onto his porch with his shotgun.  He shot into the dark a few times but, since he could not see the thieves, his buckshot went wild.  Newt had the presence of mind to snatch a few ripened oranges from one of Farmer Perkins' orange trees on their way back to the crummy. 
Soon the aroma of fried ham and eggs rose from the crummy' s smokestack and the crew feasted on breakfast washed down with Florida orange juice. 
         Newt, who suffers from a fear of accomplishment, said to Short Stack, "I feel like I can accomplish anything! I've always wanted to say that."  "And now you've accomplished it," said Short Stack 
         And the train pulled out of Piney Woods on time.

        Attached is a video taken a few years after our story showing the freght train (now diesel powered) passing Perkins' Farm and entering Piney Woods.  The train passes the Piney Woods Station and proceeds across the Suwanee River Lagoon (rainstorm) and beyond. 

                                                                                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxlI-UA2hII

Addendum to the December 31, 2021, Saturday Report.

A couple of weeks ago, I reported on Locomotive Safety and Regulation - particularly boilers and the practice of "trading water for steam." (See p. 80).  Here is a website that has several photos of boiler explosions and an interesting video of an explosion in 1948 on the C&O involving a T-1 2-10-4.  Keep your water glass full and these accidents won't happen.  I suspect one of the members of this forum will recreate a boiler explosion disaster on his/her layout.  Hopefully, it will be a staged photograph. 

http://industrialscenery.blogspot.com/2015/11/boiler-explosion-of-c-t-1-3020-on-may.html

John - The Hooker and Son building is marvelous!  I guess you have lots of time to do tedious work like that - being snowed in and all.  I would have looked at the roof and said "not for me."  It will look great when finally installed on your empire.  Keep 'em coming!

Saturday Report -January 22, 2022.

There is no Saturday Report today because the Board of Directors meeting of the Atlantic & Southern Railroad was canceled.  The CEO is recovering from surgery and both directors must be present (including your reporter, who is the Railroad's Ticket Agent) for there to be a quorum.

The February 1938 edition of Railroad Magazine was selected to get ideas for this week's story, but it was hard to get past the first few pages of advertisements.  Here are examples: 

"Be a Passenger Traffic Inspector. – Trained Men in Demand – Positions Ready.  Men 19 to 50 -trained as railroad and bus passenger traffic inspectors are in constant demand.  Our short home-study course qualifies you quickly and, upon completion, will place you at up to $135 per month plus expenses to start or refund tuition. Standard Business Training Institute of Buffalo, N.Y, Div. 5002.  (No job description of just what a Passenger Traffic Inspector actually does was included in the ad.)

Start a Potato Chip Business in your home and make money.  Buy potatoes for $.02 per lb. and sell "greaseless" chips for $.035 per lb.  small investment buys complete equipment needed.  No experience is necessary.  Offered by Food Display Machine Corp., 3235 West Huron, Dept. D-232. Chicago.

LAW Study at Home – Legally trained men win higher positions and bigger success in business and public life.  They command respect Greater opportunities now than ever before.  Big corporations are headed by men with legal training. 
   More ability, more prestige, more money!  We guide you step by step.  You can train at home during spare time.  Degree of LL.B. conferred.  Successful graduates in every sector of the United States.  We furnish text materials, including a fourteen-volume law library.  Low cost, easy terms.  LASALLE EXTENSION, Dept. 258-L, Chicago.

I'LL TRAIN YOU AT HOME in your spare time for a GOOD RADIO JOB.  Many radio experts make $30, $50, $75 a week!  National Radio Institute, Washington, D.C.

HERE'S THE WAY TO BECOME AND EXPERT ON DIESEL ENGINES * International Correspondence Schools, P. O. Box 2206, Scranton, Penna.

FISTULA – Anyone suffering from Fistula, Piles, or Non-Malignant rectal trouble is urged to write for our FREE Book describing the McCleary Treatment for those insidious rectal troubles.  The McCleary Treatment has been successful in thousands of cases.  Let us send you our reference list of former patients living in every state of the Union.  The McCleary Clinic, D-207 Elms Blvd., Excelsior Springs, Mo.

In addition to the valuable products advertised, the February 1938 Railroad Magazine had a page of short 'jokes."  Here are three of them.  Humor in 1938 was a little different, but it is funnier after a cocktail or two.  (The jokes have been rewritten to have taken place on the A&S.)

                                                                                                     Slight Misunderstanding:
On the Atlantic & Southern, at Sanlando, there is one man who fills the position of caller, operator, and dispatcher, besides just about everything else that needs doing.  His title is Train Dispatcher.  One day a fellow from the General Office called on the phone with a rush message for transmission, asking who had received the message
   "Dodge," answered the Dispatcher.
   "Right, Mr. Hodge."
"The name is DODGE!" shouted the dispatcher.  "What would you do if someone threw a brick at you?"
   "Duck," he replied.  "O. K., Mr. Duck."

                                                                                                                 BEAR MEAT
   A certain brakeman on the A&S liked to be known as "hard-boiled."  One day he walked into Sweaty Bett's Diner, pounded on the counter and cried in a loud voice, "I want service." 
   The waiter asked for his order.
   "I want bear meat," said he.
   "Just what cut of bear meat would you like to have?"
   "Run the bear out here," was the reply.  "I'll tear out what I want." 

                                                                                               JUST LIKE OTHER PASSENGERS
   A lady boarded the Champion at the Summit Station, carrying her dog with her.  She asked the conductor, "If I pay my dog's fare will he be treated like any other passenger and be allowed to occupy a seat?"  The conductor answered, "Of course, madame.  He will be treated the same as any other passenger and can occupy a seat, provided he does not put his feet on it."

   



 

Curt - Very neat structure.  I like the contrasting materials on the covered outside entrance/fire escape stairway.  Of course, we don't have any of those covered stairways here in Florida because the weather is temperate and, although it frequently rains, true Floridians are used to afternoon showers that come and go.