Mississippi Delta Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi Delta Railroad is a shortline railroad company operating from Swan Lake
to Jonestown, Mississippi
, a distance of 60 miles (96.6 km); the railroad interchanges with the Illinois Central at Swan Lake. Currently the railroad is owned by Coahoma County and was a former subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways
shortline group. The current operator is C&J Railroad Company.
Primary commodities include corn, cottonseed products, propane, and rubber, which generates approximately 1,000 annual carloads. Interchange is made with Canadian National Railway
at Swan Lake.
gained control of the line by 1885 and subsequently fell under the control of the Illinois Central in 1892 upon their acquisition of the Y&MV. The Lula - Jonestown route was constructed by the Mobile & North Western railroad in 1879 and later acquired by the Y&MV.
Gulf & Ohio began operation of the Mississippi Delta railroad in 1985. This included operation of the Delta Oil Mill private railroad from Lula to Jonestown, as well as the route from Lyon and Swan Lake leased from the Illinois Central.
The railroad hauled soybeans, cotton seed byproducts, lint
, carbon black
, and rubber
, with traffic amounting to nearly 4,000 annual carloads in 1995. Annual carloads on the Mississippi Delta railroad declined from 3,273 in 1997, 1,709 in 1998, 591 in 1999, to only 296 by the year 2000. This amount was insufficient to cover the costs of operating the line, as the resulting annual freight revenue fell from $478,298 in 1998 to only $71,069 in 2000. The sharp drop in line traffic and revenue after 1997 was attributed to the closure of the Archer Daniels Midland
soybean processing plant in Clarksdale, which accounted for 61% of traffic.
As a result of the sharp decline in annual carloads between 1995 and 2000, Gulf & Ohio sought to abandon the line. Instead, G&O and Coahoma county reached an agreement whereby the latter would purchase the railroad - including the leased portion from Illinois Central - and the former would continue to serve the line until a new long term operator could be found. Gulf & Ohio continued service until June 30, 2001 after which C&J Railroad Company began operation of the railroad.
Currently the railroad still operates from a connection with the Canadian National at Swan Lake, with cottonseed products, propane
, and rubber constituting the majority of the 1,000 annual carloads over the line.
Swan Lake, Mississippi
Swan Lake is an unincorporated community located in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi, United States. Swan Lake is approximately north of Glendora and south of Webb along Swan Lake Road. Swan Lake has a post office with ZIP code 38958. It is hard to say when Swan Lake became an official...
to Jonestown, Mississippi
Jonestown, Mississippi
Jonestown is a town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,701 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Jonestown is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
, a distance of 60 miles (96.6 km); the railroad interchanges with the Illinois Central at Swan Lake. Currently the railroad is owned by Coahoma County and was a former subsidiary of 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...
shortline group. The current operator is C&J Railroad Company.
Primary commodities include corn, cottonseed products, propane, and rubber, which generates approximately 1,000 annual carloads. Interchange is made with Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
at Swan Lake.
History
The Louisville, New Orleans, & Texas railroad completed construction of the railroad between Clarksdale and Lula in 1884. The Yazoo & Mississippi ValleyYazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad
The Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad was incorporated in 1882 and was part of the Illinois Central Railroad system . Construction began in Jackson, Mississippi, and continued to Yazoo City, Mississippi. The line was later expanded through the Mississippi Delta and on to Memphis, Tennessee...
gained control of the line by 1885 and subsequently fell under the control of the Illinois Central in 1892 upon their acquisition of the Y&MV. The Lula - Jonestown route was constructed by the Mobile & North Western railroad in 1879 and later acquired by the Y&MV.
Gulf & Ohio began operation of the Mississippi Delta railroad in 1985. This included operation of the Delta Oil Mill private railroad from Lula to Jonestown, as well as the route from Lyon and Swan Lake leased from the Illinois Central.
The railroad hauled soybeans, cotton seed byproducts, lint
Lint
Lint may mean:* Fibrous coat of thick hairs covering the seeds of the cotton plant* Lint , an accumulation of fluffy fibers that collect on fabric** Navel lint, an accumulation of fluffy fibres in one's navelLint may also refer to:...
, carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
, and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, with traffic amounting to nearly 4,000 annual carloads in 1995. Annual carloads on the Mississippi Delta railroad declined from 3,273 in 1997, 1,709 in 1998, 591 in 1999, to only 296 by the year 2000. This amount was insufficient to cover the costs of operating the line, as the resulting annual freight revenue fell from $478,298 in 1998 to only $71,069 in 2000. The sharp drop in line traffic and revenue after 1997 was attributed to the closure of the Archer Daniels Midland
Archer Daniels Midland
The Archer Daniels Midland Company is a conglomerate headquartered in Decatur, Illinois. ADM operates more than 270 plants worldwide, where cereal grains and oilseeds are processed into products used in food, beverage, nutraceutical, industrial and animal feed markets worldwide.ADM was named the...
soybean processing plant in Clarksdale, which accounted for 61% of traffic.
As a result of the sharp decline in annual carloads between 1995 and 2000, Gulf & Ohio sought to abandon the line. Instead, G&O and Coahoma county reached an agreement whereby the latter would purchase the railroad - including the leased portion from Illinois Central - and the former would continue to serve the line until a new long term operator could be found. Gulf & Ohio continued service until June 30, 2001 after which C&J Railroad Company began operation of the railroad.
Currently the railroad still operates from a connection with the Canadian National at Swan Lake, with cottonseed products, propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
, and rubber constituting the majority of the 1,000 annual carloads over the line.