- Alabama Southern Railroad
Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Alabama Southern Railroad
logo_filename=
logo_size=
old_gauge=
marks=ABS
locale=Columbus, Mississippi toBirmingham, Alabama
start_year=November 6 ,2005
end_year=present
hq_city=Pittsburg, Kansas The Alabama Southern Railroad reporting mark|ABS is aclass III railroad that operates in the southernUnited States .ABS is one of several
short line railroads owned by theWatco Companies .The ABS consists of convert|85|mi|km of track between
Columbus, Mississippi andBirmingham, Alabama , withtrackage rights overKansas City Southern /CSX between Brookwood, Alabama andBirmingham, Alabama . The line interchanges with theKansas City Southern at Columbus, MS. It alsointerchanges with theNorfolk Southern atTuscaloosa, Alabama and with CSX at Birmingham, Alabama.The tracks were leased to
Watco Companies by the Kansas City Southern effective November 6, 2005, resulting in the formation of three railroads; theArkansas Southern Railroad ,Louisiana Southern Railroad , and the Alabama Southern Railroad. The Alabama Southern consists of the Kansas City Southern's Tuscaloosa Branch, which includes the Tuscaloosa Subdivision east ofColumbus, Mississippi toTuscaloosa, Alabama , the Warrior Branch between Tuscaloosa andFox, Alabama , and the Brookwood Branch from Brookwood Junction toBrookwood, Alabama .History
The entire line from Columbus, MS to Brookwood, AL was formerly operated by the
Kansas City Southern with theColumbus and Greenville Railway reporting mark|CAGY, having trackage rights over the line.The line was originally constructed by the
Mobile and Ohio Railroad which was purchased through a foreclosure sale by theGulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad (GM&O) onAugust 1 1940 . The GM&O merged with theIllinois Central onAugust 10 1972 resulting in theIllinois Central Gulf Railroad .On
March 31 1986 , theMidSouth Rail Corp. reporting mark|MSRC, purchased convert|373|mi|km of track, which included this line, from the Illinois Central Gulf. OnJanuary 1 1994 the Kansas City Southern bought out Midsouth Rail.Sources
*Press Release Announcing Alabama Southern Railroad July 20, 2005 [http://www.watcocompanies.com/news/press_releases/2005/07-20-05%20KCS%20Watco%20News%20Release.pdf]
*The Historical Guide to North American Railroads - 2nd ed., (Kalmbach Books, 2000) for info on the Class I mergers.
* [http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/003/281ewkja.asp?bitPrintable=1 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.ee also
*
List of United States railroads
*List of Alabama railroads
*Watco Companies List of all of Watco's railroadsExternal links
* [http://www.watcocompanies.com/Railroads/ABS%20(Alabama)/ABS%20main%20page.htm Official Page]
* [http://www.watcocompanies.com/Railroads/ABS%20(Alabama)/ABS_map.htm Route Map]
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