QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Kozzie: This is language from way, way, way, before you or I were born, and dates to long before the Wright Brothers had ever decided to build something more impressive than a bicycle. "Air Line" is an old term that means "the straighest line drawn between two points regardless of intervening geography." The SAL was that, in that it didn't swoop over onto the coastal plain on its route and connected its cities in a reasonable approximation of a straight line. The price it paid was a hill-and-dale alignment that made its operating costs excessive. As a result, a great deal of it has been abandoned. Air Line was a common idiom for any straight-line railroad before airplanes (much less airlines!) were invented. It was commonly used in advertising language that solicited passenger and fast-freight business. Other words in use at the time whose meaning has completely changed include "terrible", which circa 1880 meant "really good." I suppose people 100 years from now will be equally baffled by the current meaning of "bad."
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Met the ACL's standard they may have from a passenger's or shipper perspective, but not from an operating cost perspective, which is why the ACL route ultimately triumphed. I've heard it said by more than one person that the Florida service of ACL and SAL remained profitable up until Amtrak, and that ACL considered staying out of Amtrak. I have no evidence that this report is true, however.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Allen Jenkins Kozzie, thanks for your interest in the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and The Atlantic Coast Line Railway, which became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, in 1966. The Amtrak-The National Railroad Passenger Corp. Superceeded all national passenger service on May 1, 1971. Abruptly. The only sevice not involved, was the Sourthern Railway System. From the city of Jacksonville, Florida, north and west, the SCL was competitive to the SRR, and The Louisville & Nashville Railroad. South of J-Ville, the SCL turned southwest, away from the only other compeditor, the Florida East Coast Railway. The rail weight capacity dropped, 90 lb. (US pound weight) to 115 lb. per three foot yard(US yard lenght). In 1985, the weight restriction on the EMD SD50 locomotives, Isolated the heavy motive power to Lakeland, FL, to Tampa, FL. and north on the old SAL line from Lakeland to Baldwin, FL, 15 miles west of Jacksonville, FL. So the alleged monoply on rail service existed, until the world class compeditor CSX Transportation Corp. was formed in 1982. Bus, airline, auto transportation eliminated the hope for rail passenger service, a long time ago. Everyone in the world loved the "WED-way People Mover," and the monorail service which Walt Disney brought to Orange County, Orlando, Florida, with Walt Disney World, however no one forsaw the impending, need for such mass transportation. SCL, I know theywere "Pulling For You," but what a boring paint job! Enjoy Your Study on the Southeastern United States of America! ACJ.
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill Allen: (it's just Mark!), I don't know the answer to why ACL and some other roads painted the roofs of stainless-steel cars black. I think we can rule out "decreasing the air-conditioning load, though -- or to disguise the accumulation of cinders. Possibly this was done so the cars better matched non Budd-equipment or heavyweight cars that had been semi-streamlined and air-conditioned. Anyone know for certain?
QUOTE: Originally posted by M.W. Hemphill I've heard it said by more than one person that the Florida service of ACL and SAL remained profitable up until Amtrak, and that ACL considered staying out of Amtrak. I have no evidence that this report is true, however.
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