SOCIETY UPDATES & NEWS

IMPORTANT !!!      Our 2nd Quarter issue of Lines South is being readied for mailing to members.    If you think you haven't renewed, you're probably right!!!!!.     Please take a moment and check, or email us for your membership status.    MEMBERSHIP@ACLSAL.ORG    RENEW it TODAY via our Pay-Pal option.

SEABOARD-COAST LINE MODELER :: NEWEST ISSUE #16 NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD!!!!     Grab your FREE copy by going to our menu bar and selecting the S-CL Modeler link.    

TAMPA...May 10-13, 2012.      Register now for the Society’s May 11-13 mid-year membership meeting in Tampa, Florida.    The base of operations will be in Plant City, a railroad town just east of Tampa and the site where the “A” and “S” lines cross as they leave the area and head north.   Plant City is located between the yards at Tampa and Winston, and is near the yard at Mulberry plus the Bone Valley.    Two Amtraks pass through daily, plus many freights.    Our hotel location will be the Red Rose Inn, located at I-4 and SR 39 in Plant City.   The Red Rose is about 15 miles east of I-75 and 25 miles east of Tampa.   It features a beautiful lounge and restaurant.    And, about 100 yards out the front door is the ex-SAL Tampa-Wildwood mainline.   Downtown is about a mile away, with plenty of shopping opportunities.    We have secured a very attractive room rate of $69, including continental breakfast, but this rate is guaranteed only until April 13 – reserve your room now!

On Friday we will have a bus tour of the area featuring stops in the Bone Valley – including some locations that are normally very hard to get into – and much more.    NOTE: We will have a full day on the bus, and so we must leave the hotel promptly at 7:00 a.m.! Please plan ahead and don’t be late … and thus get left.    Friday night will be railfanning at the Plant City depot with a catered Cuban sandwich box meal.    Speakers for Saturday night will include Jackson McQuigg, an authority on the history of Tampa Union Station and author of the book of the same name.    Meanwhile, during the day on Saturday, please join us (on your own) at Amtrak’s National Train Day and the Tampa Union Station’s 100th anniversary celebration at TUS in downtown Tampa.    The society and other vendors will have tables there.   Get the registration form by clicking   -- HERE --  for to open on your computer.

IMPORTANT!!! Due to space limits on the tour bus as well as the banquet area, we can accommodate registrants only on a first-come, first served basis; the bus is limited to 57 persons.    Register at once to make sure you don’t get left out!    In addition please e mail me at as soon as possible at joates9@tampabay.rr.com with the number of people that you plan to register – this will help us greatly in our meeting planning.

Society Updates - Please Note   First, our Century Club membership rate is NOW $135 instead of the $100 we've charged in the past.    You still get a calendar with your Century Club membership.    Secondly, do not send any Society mail, payments, inquiries, membership renewals, etc to Box 244, Weldon, NC.    Our address is Box 551371, Jacksonville, FL, 32255-1371.    Sending mail elsewhere causes unnecessary delays and confusion.    Thirdly, we are STILL recieving orders from Florida residents that do not include sales tax.    You must pay sales tax when ordering products from within Florida.    The rate is SEVEN (7%) of the value of the product without shipping regardless of where in Florida you live.    Thank you for your attention to this information.

DEALS forYOU!  

Clearance Sale - Half Price on Selected Lines South Issues, Books. The Company Store has to make room for new inventory, and our space crunch is your ticket to some incredible bargains on selected back issues Lines South and three excellent books: Selected issues of Lines South, only $3 each - see catalog for list.    YOU MUST ADD APPROPRIATE shipping charges to each order.

>>SUPER SPECIAL DEAL:
All four 2008 issues, $10
All four 2009 issues, $10


>>HALF-PRICE BOOK SPECIALS:
Orange Blossom Special, $12
The Sleeping Car, $12
Just Call Me Hayes, $10

Our NEW CALENDAR Our NEW 2012 CALENDAR is here ready for the new year.    The new 2012 Society calendar has just been delivered and is ready to ship.    This year features a dramatic cover shot along SCL's own mountain line, the rugged former AB&C through eastern Alabama.    This action-packed scene is followed by 13 other beautifully printed historic views of ACL, SAL, and SCL trains.    Enjoy these brilliant images all year and beyond for just $12.95 plus shipping.    Order now, our catalog #C-12.

   

CHECK OUR NEW PRODUCTS PAGE FOR A COUPLE OF EXCITING OFFERINGS

Our catalog has been updated.     Click the following link to open a .pdf with the latest product catalog, price list and order form. - CLICK HERE - Take a peek at some of our newer items.    

The 25th Anniversary issue of Lines South - our 100th magazine -     This special issue highlights our 25th year, and includes some of our usual excellent feature material plus some special articles by long-time members and friends that look back over the history of our railroads, the society, and some favorite railroaders.    The covers feature a collage of all 100 issues we've put out, providing a dramatic picture of the fine articles and photos our contributors have brought you over the years.    Back issues are available and you'll be sure to want this collector's item in your collection.    Don't miss out - join us NOW!

                                       

Some of you have commented that email sent to our "typical" Society addresses is not going through.    Internet service providers have increased security due to an all-time high in spam that is, unfortunately, weeding out the "good" mail as well.    IF you cannot get through to our posted email addresses, you may mail me direct > XSPAMabdean@comcast.net     Simply remove the "XSPAM" from the email address when doing this.

COMPANY STORE AND CATALOG PAGES UPDATED. NEW PRODUCTS AVAILABLE

Use the link on the left to access the Company Store and Catalog.    

• BOOKS - 3 new ones.     NEW from Arcadia is Auto-Train, by Wally Ely, with over 200 vintage photographs of the history of the Auto-Train.    The carrier began as a private venture in 1971, offering the "longest passenger train in the world" with auto-ferry service between Lorton, Virginia, and Sanford, Florida.    The original Auto-Train Corporation, founded by the late Eugene Garfield, struggled financially in spite of its immense popularity.   The company faced numerous crises, including financial setbacks and equipment problems due to damage from several major derailments, which led to the corporation's demise in 1981.    The concept was revived in 1984 when Amtrak added the Auto Train service to its east coast schedule, and continues as a well-patronized service today. Auto-Train presents photographs from the early operations to today, including images of the train, its equipment and passengers.   Our discount price is just $19.00, plus shipping; order now, our catalog #BK-64.
  
  Also NEW on our bookshelf from the line of Arcadia softcover titles is Railroading in Pinellas County, by Vincent Luisi.   The book traces the west coast Florida county's railroad heritage in photos and captions for the past hundred years.   Almost all the book's 128 pages feature two black and white photos each of vintage Pinellas scenes in Clearwater, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, St. Petersburg, and many other locations along both the ACL and SAL lines that once ran from the north down the peninsula to "St. Pete."    The photos came largely from the extensive collections of historical societies in the area, and include dozens of action shots, freight and passenger trains, depots, locomotives, employees, and other railroad scenes.    The books are in stock now for immediate shipment, our catalog #BK-65. Our discount price is just $19.00, plus shipping.
  
  Well-known author Bill Griffin has partnered with Tom Dixon to write a new book, Virginia's Railroads, that portrays the Old Dominion's major rail lines with histories, maps, and numerous photos.    Both ACL and Seaboard rate a long chapter each of course, together with N&W, C&O, B&O, RF&P, PRR, L&N, Clinchfield, Virginian, and several shortlines.   Among the book's highlights are numerous aerial views and maps of the various yards in Richmond.    The attractive 144-page hardback book, our catalog #BK-68, is available at our discounted price of just $27 plus shipping.