| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| akimmons |
Posted - 12/04/2007 : 2:09:42 PM November Fifteenth, Nineteen Hundred Fifty-Six
Royal and Edisto Railroad Front Street Royal, South Carolina
Dear Sirs,
The Royal and Edisto Railroad was founded in the late 1890s by three Lowcountry businessmen, including my grandfather, Luther. They envisioned a 100 mile mainline between Charleston and Savannah that would link Port Royal Harbor with inland South Carolina and Georgia. They expected their local ownership and business contacts would woo many customers away from the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Air Line, both of which had existing lines along that route.
Unfortunately, their perceptions of their standing in the community were, shall we say, exaggerated. That, combined with the difficult economic times, led to slow growth, high debt and an uncertain future. (The mainline rails never made it to either Charleston or Savannah. In the East they terminate at an interchange with the Seaboard at Coosaw; in the west, at an end-to-end connection with the Southern Railway’s line out of Columbia at Edisto, near the ACL’s mainline.)
But fate intervened in the Nineteen Teens as the country prepared for war in Europe. The tiny port facilities along Port Royal Sound were expanded and improved to handle the overflow from the already crowded ports at Charleston and Savannah. By now, my father was running the railroad and he made the most of the circumstances. The RnE prospered right up until the Big Crash in ’29.
During the Thirties the railroad struggled just to make payroll. Despite his heroic and often desperate efforts, my father was forced by his creditors to sell a majority of the shares in the RnE to a consortium led by the Southern and the Central of Georgia. Both roads had long sought a route to Port Royal to compete with the ACL’s subsidiary Charleston & Western Carolina. My father was successful, however, in preserving the Royal and Edisto as a stand alone business and remaining as its President.
With war again looming on the horizon, business began improving in the early Forties and was booming by the end of the decade. My father retired six years ago and passed the leadership of the railroad to me.
The Royal and Edisto remains a profitable enterprise today though our best years may be behind us. The construction of the interstate highway system and the growing use of trucks by smaller shippers have created new competitors for us. Of course, hardly anyone travels by train anymore and we discontinued passenger service a few years ago. This has led us to trim costs wherever possible. Our right of way may not be as handsome as some of the bigger roads and all of our locomotives are hand-me-downs from our corporate big sisters. Yet we have survived, which is an accomplishment many other short lines can not claim. And we continue to offer outstanding service to you, our valued customers. We thank you for your loyalty.
Humbly submitted,
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| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| akimmons |
Posted - 01/14/2013 : 08:28:20 AM Rick stopped by this weekend after the Division Meet and took some really nice photos of the RnE. He posted them here:
http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=38844
Take a look!
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| akimmons |
Posted - 12/31/2012 : 9:30:13 PM Hi Tom I've been "off the grid" this week but I see Pete answered your question. This is one of the certificates in the NMRA AP program leading to (someday) Master Model Railroader. I posted some other details in a thread on the Construction forum. |
| Orionvp17 |
Posted - 12/30/2012 : 10:22:37 PM quote: Originally posted by INRAIL
Congratulations Arnold! Is this one of those NMRA awards?
Tom,
This is indeed an NMRA Award, for "Master Builder, Scenery." Requirements are found here:
http://www.nmra.org/education/achievement/ap_scenery.html
Pete in Michigan |
| INRAIL |
Posted - 12/27/2012 : 9:32:40 PM Congratulations Arnold! Is this one of those NMRA awards? |
| akimmons |
Posted - 12/20/2012 : 6:23:37 PM Hey Guys Thanks again!
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| BandO Boy |
Posted - 12/19/2012 : 7:17:07 PM Congrats, but a master's in scenery misses the mark... doctorate is more like it! |
| dnhman |
Posted - 12/19/2012 : 1:33:38 PM Well great going!! congrats,, |
| Grubes |
Posted - 12/19/2012 : 10:23:25 AM Arnold,
Congratulations and for those of us who've been fortunate enough to see your work in person, there's no doubt as to the excellence of your modeling.
Dave |
| akimmons |
Posted - 12/16/2012 : 6:19:52 PM Thanks again everyone! I posted some details on the certificate process, paperwork, suggestions, etc. in the AP Scenery Support thread in the Constuction forum if you're interested.
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| Tabooma County Rwy |
Posted - 12/16/2012 : 09:49:33 AM Congratulations, Arnold, your scenery is top-notch and inspiring and you deserve this award!
Al Carter |
| Rick |
Posted - 12/16/2012 : 07:46:00 AM Congratulations Arnold. |
| MarkF |
Posted - 12/16/2012 : 12:39:08 AM Congratulations Arnold! Well deserved. |
| akimmons |
Posted - 12/15/2012 : 10:28:50 PM Thanks y'all. It’s good to have the first one done. The judges were very helpful and I picked up some pointers I'll pass along in the Scenery thread for anyone who wants to go for this certificate. Eric... the RC tasted mighty fine! Had a Moonpie too! |
| dlwrailfan1 |
Posted - 12/15/2012 : 9:59:35 PM          
Well deserved. Your scenery is so so good.
Crack open a cold RC and toast your success! 
Just like an early Christmas present.  |
| snarlman |
Posted - 12/15/2012 : 9:26:10 PM Well Deserved Arnold! Congratulations!
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