Conecuh Valley Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Conecuh Valley Railroad connects with the CSX
at Troy, Alabama
, and travels 15.04 miles (24.2 km) to Goshen, Alabama
. This short line railroad was created after 2001 from the former Southern Alabama Railroad
and is currently owned and operated by Gulf and Ohio Railways
.
Commodities include poultry feed, plastics, vegetable oil, assorted food products, and railcar storage, generating approximately 3,000 annual carloads.
In April 2011, the Conecuh Valley was named as one of the three railroads to be purchased by RailAmerica
from Gulf and Ohio for $12.7 million.
at Andalusia, Alabama
. The Central of Georgia became part of the Southern Railway
in 1963, and the Southern Railway became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway
in 1990.
The remainder of the original Mobile and Girard railroad was sold by the Southern Railway to the Southern Alabama Railroad
on October 31, 1988, and was under the control of the Abernathy Group. The line was later sold by the Southern Alabama Railroad to Conecuh Valley Railroad (Gulf & Ohio Railways
) on October 22, 2001.
The previous owner, the Southern Alabama Railroad, allowed the line outside of Troy to Goshen to deteriorate to the point that the line was no longer usable. In 2002 it was rehabilitated with funds obtained from the USDA as well as the state in order to restore service to peanut producers in Goshen.
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
at Troy, Alabama
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, and travels 15.04 miles (24.2 km) to Goshen, Alabama
Goshen, Alabama
Goshen is a town in Pike County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 300.-Geography:Goshen is located at .According to the U.S...
. This short line railroad was created after 2001 from the former Southern Alabama Railroad
Southern Alabama Railroad
The Southern Alabama Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating between a connection with CSX Transportation at Troy to Goshen, Alabama, about . The railroad currently exists as the Conecuh Valley Railroad subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways....
and is currently owned and operated by Gulf and Ohio Railways
Gulf and Ohio Railways
Gulf & Ohio Railways is a holding company for seven different short-line railroads in the Southern United States, as well as a tourist-oriented passenger train, and locomotive leasing and repair service through Knoxville Locomotive Works...
.
Commodities include poultry feed, plastics, vegetable oil, assorted food products, and railcar storage, generating approximately 3,000 annual carloads.
In April 2011, the Conecuh Valley was named as one of the three railroads to be purchased by RailAmerica
RailAmerica
RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada....
from Gulf and Ohio for $12.7 million.
History
Originally constructed by the Mobile and Girard Railroad (later Central of Georgia) from Columbus to Searight between 1870 - 1891, the line eventually connected with the Louisville and Nashville RailroadLouisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
at Andalusia, Alabama
Andalusia, Alabama
Andalusia is a city in and the county seat of Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 8,794.According to the 2007 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 8,705...
. The Central of Georgia became part of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
in 1963, and the Southern Railway became part of the Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
in 1990.
The remainder of the original Mobile and Girard railroad was sold by the Southern Railway to the Southern Alabama Railroad
Southern Alabama Railroad
The Southern Alabama Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating between a connection with CSX Transportation at Troy to Goshen, Alabama, about . The railroad currently exists as the Conecuh Valley Railroad subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways....
on October 31, 1988, and was under the control of the Abernathy Group. The line was later sold by the Southern Alabama Railroad to Conecuh Valley Railroad (Gulf & Ohio Railways
Gulf and Ohio Railways
Gulf & Ohio Railways is a holding company for seven different short-line railroads in the Southern United States, as well as a tourist-oriented passenger train, and locomotive leasing and repair service through Knoxville Locomotive Works...
) on October 22, 2001.
The previous owner, the Southern Alabama Railroad, allowed the line outside of Troy to Goshen to deteriorate to the point that the line was no longer usable. In 2002 it was rehabilitated with funds obtained from the USDA as well as the state in order to restore service to peanut producers in Goshen.