Ludowici, GA on the ACL

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Gentlemen, I am searching for information on Ludowici, GA, on the Coast Line. I'd appreciate hearing your stories about the town and ACL's service there, including anything on the Georgia, Coast and Piedmont RR connection. If you happen to know any other employees who are familiar with this area and may have something to offer, please forward their name/address so I may contact them. Thanks for your help! JG

-- John Golden (Golden1014@yahoo.com), December 23, 1999

Answers

While was just a youngster in the late sixties, I do remember vividly a CBS-TV News report about Long County and Ludowici and the billboard Gov. Lester Maddox put up there warning motorists of the speed trap. I think the state may be close to such a measure for Waldo, FL. Sorry, no railroad info.

-- Danny Harmon (Distsig@aol.com), December 29, 1999.

the speed trap situation in Ludowici got so bad that Gov. Maddox finally revoked the town's police privileges and assigned the State Patrol to handle the police work, not only to sit and run the "bubble gum machine". I think that maneuver was a stop gap until he could find out the legality of revoking the town's charter (therefore its police privileges). The charter and police privileges were reinstated sometime in the early 1970's.

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), December 27, 1999.

The thing I remember about Ludowici, GA, in 1960-63, was the speed traps and trick traffic light at the U.S.301 intersection/turn downtown. The police used to sit in a store and watch someone approach the traffic light with a green aspect. Just as the driver entered the intersection, the policeman used a remote box to suddenly turn the light red.

The un-lucky motorist was then given a ticket for running a red light.

Ludowici, was marked on AAA maps as a speed trap. This was before the Interstate highway system and the traffic had to go through town. It got so bad that Governor Lester Maddox, stationed a Georgia State Patrolman at each city limit sign with his red light "bubble gum machine" (before blue lights) flashing as a warning to approaching motorist's. The speed traps were also a lucrative endeavor for the city.

It was much safer to pass through town on the Champion or Havana Special.

At the time I was on an ACL signal gang, and often had to drive through there.

-- Curtis E. Denmark Jr. (curtisd@knology.net), December 23, 1999.


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