Quirks
in the
News
Train items
WEBSTER, N.Y. — Collectors
jnd connoisseurs of vintage rail
road artifacts were in seventh
heaven when thousands of items
from the bankrupt Adirondack
Railway Corp. were put on the
auction block.
It took just six hours Satur-
dav lor about 350 railroad own
ers and enthusiasts from more
than a dozen states to snap up
the items, ranging from railroad
cars to coffee urns and fireh
oses. The auction earned more
than $179,000.
The most expensive catch of
the day was a 70-year-old Pull
man parlor and buffet car, cal
led'The Enterprise,” which was
purchased for $23,500 by the
Cape Cod and Hyannis Rail
road.
The items belonged to the
Adirondack Railway, a 1 18-mile
scenic stretch between Remsen
and Lake Placid.
The line had been aban
doned by the Penn Central Rail
road in 1972, but was revived by
the Adirondack for the 1980
Winter Olympics.
It wasn’t able to generate
much business after the Olym
pics, however, and declared
bankruptcy last April.
No pickers, they
IRVINE, Calif. — Most of the
two dozen “gringos” attracted to
(he reported $12-an-hour pay
for picking strawberries found
unemployment easier to endure
than back-breaking labor.
Only two of 25 novice pickers
who applied for work at the SF
Farms Saturday lasted past lun
chtime. The survivors, Carl and
Iris Edwards, found the work
similar to their old life on an
Israeli kibbutz.
The Immigration and Natur
alization Service created the job
opportunities last week when
more than 1,000 illegal aliens
who worked in Orange County’s
strawberry fields were rounded
up.
Growers were surprised by
the number of people who de
cided to give farm labor a try,
but few could stick it out.
“ The Mexicans are more
motivated,” said Don Wall, gen
eral manager of SF Farms.
They have kids starving back
home. The gringos don’t have
that kind of motivation.”
1 he dropouts are spoiled,
Edwards said.
Many of the would-be pickers
were attracted by reports thev
could make up to $12 an hour,
but that figure applies only to
the fastest pickers who can har
vest 2,800 berries in an hour,
Wall said.
I he work was slower for the
Edwards, who were picking at a
pace that did not exceed mini-
nium wage.
It's going OK,” Edwards
said. You can't think about how
your back hurts. You just have to
totally abstract yourself from
"hat you’re doing.”
Ragtop Revival
Id I ROI I — 1 he liig Three
E S. automakers say they don’t
expect sales windfalls but their
latest car offering will literally
•aise the roof, bringing with it
the Ragtop Revival.
For the first time in six years,
domestic automakers are selling
convertibles. When the model
v < 4 ar ends in September, Ford
Motor Co., General Motors
f jorp. and Chrysler will be parti-
. cipating in the so-called Ragtop
. Revival.
Auto executives said the con
vertible will not save the ailing
industry. It is estimated in the
' coming vear the car will be pur-
! ( based by only 75,000 customers
— barely more than 1 percent of
the f .S. industry's annual
• v o!ume.
However, the cars serve other
' purposes.
I hey draw shoyvroom traf-
, tic and generate publicity,” said
Robert Marcks. manager of the
'pedal vehicle projects for
Chrysler Corp.
i Chrysler’s LeBaron and
, Eh)dge diK) are the first of De
troit s new convertibles.
Ford is expected to offer a
! Mustang convertible.
CM officials said the conver-
| tihles — which will be aimed at
voting, higher-income buy ers —
j could catch the eve of car oyvners
" ho otherwise might buy an im
port.
At their freak in 1963, conver
tibles captured 7 percent of the
C S. car market. The demand
or «ur conditioning and sun
roofs, combined w ith safety con
cerns. led to a dow nturn in their
i vales.
Chrysler discontinued con
vertibles in 1971. Ford followed
suu in 1973 and GM in 1976.
uauunuii/i ayo J
March 31, 1982
anniversary
savings!
At JCPenney, good tailoring
goes right down to the price.
JCPenney
Manor East Mall, Bryan 779-4710
Shop 10 to 9 Monday through Saturday