Yesterday I made my attempt at duplicating the Seaboard's operations during packing season (mid-June/mid-July) on the Charleson Subdivision. This entailed running local freight #67 from Andrews, S.C. to Savannah, GA. SAL freights on this route transit the fictional island of Coosahaw, my 10' x 12' layout. The major town on this island is Port Semmes, a kind of, sort of analog to the town of Beaufort, S.C. The rest of the named locations are more or less wide spots in the road or important to the railroads that serve it. Yes, railroads, seeing as how the ACL and Southern also provide service to the island. Both roads, using the same rails, provide 5 day a week local service to Coosahaw - one train a day. Coosahaw gained this service because of the discovery of deep, but not extensive phosphate fields in the 1880's. Meanwhile there was a considerable influx of shrimpers and fishermen and their boats. Also local farmers found that there was a considerable market in the North for their early season strawberries and - the tastiest tomatos to be found anywhere. The Carolina Atlanic RR, especially impressed by early phosphate shipments, extended a branch that crossed both the Southern and ACL lines in the area. By the 1930's the Carolina Atlantic RR despairing of the minimal east-west traffic, sold the branch to the ACL and SOU. Both roads being competitors with Seaboard were happy to intersect its main freight line which came to Coosahaw in 1916. Named locations on the SAL are Coosahaw #1 (north bridge), CA crossing, Corbett's Corner (Corbett packing shed), Oyster Pond, Sycamore (the Copenhaver spur begins here, down which are two industries; Low Counry Box & Pallet Co. and Farm spur). Further locations are Spanish Fort, Jameson, and Davis (where interchange wihe ACL/SOU takes place), Beach Road, and finally Coosahaw #2 (south bridge). The Coosahaw River and it's adjacent marsh seperates the island from the mainland. On my layout, both bridges, and CA Crossing are in staging. In any case, #67 entered my layout just north of Corbetts Crossing, and since entrance to the packing shed is northbound only, there was no work there for the local. At Sycamore however, there were definitely cars to be worked. A boxcar of wire and metal fittings for Low Country Box and two empty FGEX reefers for Farm Spur. To be picked up from Low Country was an empty box car and two loaded FGEX reefers from Farm Spur. After the requisite moves by #67's power (GP-7 #1814 and F-3 #4030), the train was re-assembled at Sycamore. As the local continued south at the island wide speed limit of 30 m.p.h. at Spanish Fort, the CTC signal was showing that #67 should take siding (actually, don't have any working signals on the layout yet). Coming to the south end of the long passing siding at Davis (which is also the intechange with the joint ACL/SOU lines), one of the head-end crew got on the phone to the dispatcher in Savannah and was told that #67 would be stuck at Davis for two north-bounds, Extra 1921 North and regularly scheduled passenger train #25, the "Boll Weevil." These two trains would have to pass before the interchange could be worked. After about an hour, both X1921 North (a solid train of FGEX reefers) and #25 had both cleared. Work could then begin at the interchange. Waiting for #67 were two loaded wood racks, two wood chip hoppers, and an empty Seaboard STB box car. To be set-out were two Wilson Car Line meat reefers and a silver SAL insulated box full of Budweisers finest from Tampa. While #67 was picking up the waiting cars intending to use them as a handle for the 3 set-offs, two Southern RS-3's appeared (the so-called "Joint Terminal Morning Man"). Completing its' work #67 disappeared under the Beach Road Viaduct headed toward Coosahaw #2 (south) bridge. The Southern RS-3's then went to work incorporating the 3 new cars into the string they brought down from the joint yard, Loblolly. This is an account of my first real ops on my layout. I still had work to do since I then became C&E on the Southern yard job.
