Meridian and Bigbee Railroad

Infobox SG rail
railroad_name=Meridian & Bigbee Railroad
marks=MB, MNBR
locale=Mississippi / Alabama
start_year=| end_year=present
hq_city=Meridian, MississippiThe Meridian & Bigbee Railroad Reporting mark|MB, MNBR is a Class III railroad that operates 189 miles of railroad from Meridian, Mississippi eastward to Burkeville, Alabama. Additionally, the M&B has trackage rights over CSX from Burkeville to Montgomery, Alabama. CSX has reciprocal trackage rights over the entire M&B.

The M&B is owned by Genesee and Wyoming Inc. After Hurricane Katrina, it served as a run-through bridge route for CSX to connect with the Kansas City Southern at Meridian, thereby avoiding interchange at New Orleans.

The M&B was chartered on December 24, 1926. Construction advanced eastward to Cromwell, Alabama in April 1928, and finally to Myrtlewood, Alabama where it connected with the L&N in 1935. [ [http://bellsouthpwp.net/j/c/jcb5857/mrrm/history.html Nussbaum, Nick: History of Meridian railroads] ] [ [http://www.carrtracks.com/mb105.htm Photo of Meridian & Bigbee Railroad Engine 105 at Meridian terminal] ]

In 2003 the M&B took over the ex-L&N line from Myrtlewood to Selma, Alabama and the ex-Western Railway of Alabama line from Selma to Burkeville. CSX retained ownership between Montgomery and Burkeville, where there is a large industrial customer.

In 2007, the line gained publicity when a train hauling parts of the Space Shuttle solid rocket booster derailed on an overloaded bridge weakened by heavy rains. [cite news|url=http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070503/NEWS02/705030321/1009|first=Lisa|last=Horn|publisher="The Montgomery Advertiser"|title=Train carrying boosters for space shuttle derails] In September 2007, interchange between KCS and CSX was moved to other lines.

References