Alabama Southern Railroad
The Alabama Southern Railroad (reporting mark ABS) is a class III railroad that operates in the southern United States. The ABS is one of several short line railroads owned by Watco Companies. The railroad operates an 85-mile (137 km) line leased from the Kansas City Southern Railway. It began operating in 2005.
 Alabama Southern Railroad freight in Tuscaloosa on June 20, 2016 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Reporting mark | ABS |
| Locale | Alabama and Mississippi |
| Dates of operation | 2005– |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 85 miles (137 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | Official website |
History
The Alabama Southern's line is composed of three Kansas City Southern branch lines totaling 85.6 miles (137.8 km): the Tuscaloosa Subdivision (Columbus–Tuscaloosa), the Warrior Branch (Tuscaloosa–Fox, Alabama), and the Brookwood Branch (Brookwood, Alabama–Brookwood Junction).[1] The line runs between Columbus and Brookwood, with trackage rights over the Kansas City Southern from Columbus to Artesia, Mississippi.[2]
The line was originally constructed by the Mobile and Ohio Railroad which was purchased through a foreclosure sale by the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (GM&O) on August 1, 1940. The GM&O merged with the Illinois Central on August 10, 1972, resulting in the Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. On March 31, 1986, the MidSouth Rail Corp. purchased 373 miles (600 km) of track, which included this line, from the Illinois Central Gulf. On January 1, 1994, the Kansas City Southern bought out Midsouth Rail.
The railroad began operating on November 20, 2005.[3] The railroad interchanges with the KCS at Artesia, CSX Transportation in Brookwood, and the Norfolk Southern Railway in Tuscaloosa.[2]
See also
- List of United States railroads
- List of Alabama railroads
- Watco Companies List of all of Watco's railroads
Notes
- "Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C.—Lease and Operation Exemption Including Interchange Commitment—The Kansas City Southern Railway Company" (PDF). Surface Transportation Board. 29 December 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- "Alabama Southern Rail Map" (PDF). Watco Companies. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- "Employer Status Determination: Alabama Southern Railroad" (PDF). Railroad Retirement Board. 13 March 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
References
- Press Release Announcing Alabama Southern Railroad July 20, 2005
- The Historical Guide to North American Railroads – 2nd ed., (Kalmbach Books, 2000) for info on the Class I mergers.
- Trains.com Information on MidSouth Rail
- SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America – Southern States by Mike Walker (Steam Powered Publishing & SPV, 2001) Ownership and detail of rail line.