Pine Belt Southern Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Pine Belt Southern Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating on two disconnected track segments in east central Alabama. Upon its start in 1995 the railroad ran over a branch from Nuckols to Hurtsboro, Alabama
. In 1996 a second branch was acquired, extending from Roanoke, Jct., near Opelika
, to Lafayette, Alabama. Together the lines totaled 42.4 miles (68.2 km) and the railroad was controlled by Richard Abernathy.
Both track segments were abandoned beginning with the Hurtsboro segment in 2002 and the Lafayette line in 2003.
, Bullock
, and Macon
Counties was constructed as part of the Mobile & Girard Railroad
in the mid-19th century. In 1850, Alabama was granted a right of way across US government lands from Girard, Alabama
(across the Chattahoochee River
from Columbus, Georgia
) to Mobile Bay
. By the outbreak of the Civil War
, the line had been completed from Girard to Union Springs
. The line was completed to Troy
in 1870 and later as far as Andalusia
.
In 1879, the Central of Georgia Railroad
expanded into Alabama with the purchase of the Montgomery & Eufaula Railroad. Several Alabama shortlines
were thereafter acquired, including the M&G. The Central of Georgia became part of the Southern Railway in 1963; Southern and Norfolk & Western Railway merged for form Norfolk Southern in 1982. NS gradually abandoned the former M&G line. First from Andalusia to Goshen
in 1986, and then from Troy to Hurtsboro in 1988.
PBRR purchased the remaining line from the NS interchange at Nuckols ( Milepost S-304.00) to Hurtsboro (Milepost S-329.00) on July 27, 1995. Traffic on the line was 95% sand (US Silica Company west of downtown Hurtsboro), 4% logs, and 1% inbound finished lumber.
After the sand distributor that accounted for the overwhelming majority of traffic on the line lost its key rail supplied customer, the line was found to no longer be economically viable. The last train operated over the line in 2000. On May 1, 2002, PBRR filed a Notice of Exemption with the Surface Transportation Board
for abandonment of the line. Though the Macon County Commission was granted a public use condition by the STB to explore acquisition of the right of way for public use, the line officially abandoned on June 1, 2003. The ties and rails were removed though the roadbed remains.
to LaFayette (milepost T-339.66). The line was a portion of the East Alabama Railway which operated in the late 19th century. The East Alabama Railway was later bought by the Central of Georgia Railroad
subsequent to 1895. The route from Opelika to Roanoke
was known as the “Johnney Ray Train” and the “Roanoke Rocket”. The northern portion of the line from LaFayette to Roanoke was abandoned in 1982. Central of Georgia corporate successor Norfolk Southern sold the line to PBRR on August 9, 1995. One customer shipping pulp wood and wood chips was served by the branch line at the time of the sale.
The PBRR branch had interchange agreements with both CSX and Norfolk Southern. PBRR also had trackage rights
over CSX from downtown Opelika (interchange with NS) to Roanoke Junction northeast of Opelika. The line serviced the East Alabama Lumber company and the Langly Wood Yard in LaFayette. The tracks ended at 2nd Avenue North in LaFayette.
In 2001, East Alabama Lumber filed for bankruptcy and sold to a company that was a user of trucks for transportation and elected not to continue to use rail to serve the East Alabama Lumber facility. Additionally, Langly Wood Yard switched to truck to supply pulp wood to the paper mills.
A group of local governments consisting of Lee County
, Chambers County
, and the City of LaFayette, led by the City of Opelika intervened in the STB hearings in an attempt to establish a Rails to Trails footpath to be known as the . Despite the intervention before the STB, the efforts failed and the line was formally abandoned in 2004 after not operating since 2001.
Hurtsboro, Alabama
Hurtsboro is a town in Russell County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 592. It was founded in 1857 as Hurtsville and named for Joel Hurt, Sr....
. In 1996 a second branch was acquired, extending from Roanoke, Jct., near Opelika
Opelika, Alabama
Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477...
, to Lafayette, Alabama. Together the lines totaled 42.4 miles (68.2 km) and the railroad was controlled by Richard Abernathy.
Both track segments were abandoned beginning with the Hurtsboro segment in 2002 and the Lafayette line in 2003.
Between Nuckols and Hurtsboro
The twenty-five miles of track operated by PBRR in RussellRussell County, Alabama
Russell County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel Gilbert C. Russell, who fought in the wars against the Creek Indians. As of 2010, the population was 52,947...
, Bullock
Bullock County, Alabama
Bullock County, Alabama is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Colonel Edward C. Bullock of Barbour County. Living descendants of Colonel Bullock include prominent American cinema film actress, Sandra Bullock. As of 2010 the population was 10,914. In 1867, Union Springs...
, and Macon
Macon County, Alabama
Macon County is a county in the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Nathaniel Macon, a member of the United States Senate from North Carolina. Developed for cotton plantation agriculture in the nineteenth century, it is one of the counties in Alabama within the Black Belt of the South.As...
Counties was constructed as part of the Mobile & Girard Railroad
Mobile & Girard Railroad
The Mobile & Girard Railroad was an Alabama railroad which was constructed in the mid-19th century; a portion of the line continues in operation under different ownership.-Construction:The Mobile & Girard Railroad was constructed in the mid-19th century...
in the mid-19th century. In 1850, Alabama was granted a right of way across US government lands from Girard, Alabama
Girard, Alabama
Girard, Alabama was a town in the far north-east corner of Russell County, Alabama across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, Georgia.From 1832–1839 Girard was the seat of Russell County....
(across the Chattahoochee River
Chattahoochee River
The Chattahoochee River flows through or along the borders of the U.S. states of Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. It is a tributary of the Apalachicola River, a relatively short river formed by the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers and emptying into Apalachicola Bay in the Gulf of...
from Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
) to Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
. By the outbreak of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the line had been completed from Girard to Union Springs
Union Springs, Alabama
Union Springs is a town in Bullock County, Alabama, United States. The population was 3,670 at the 2000 census.-History:The area that became Union Springs was first settled by white men after the Creek Indian removal of the 1830s. Twenty-seven springs watered the land, giving rise to the name of...
. The line was completed to Troy
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....
in 1870 and later as far as Andalusia
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...
.
In 1879, the Central of Georgia Railroad
Central of Georgia Railroad
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the Macon and Western Railroad at...
expanded into Alabama with the purchase of the Montgomery & Eufaula Railroad. Several Alabama shortlines
Shortline railroad
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that operates over a relatively short distance relative to larger, national railroad networks. The term is used primarily in the USA and Canada...
were thereafter acquired, including the M&G. The Central of Georgia became part of the Southern Railway in 1963; Southern and Norfolk & Western Railway merged for form Norfolk Southern in 1982. NS gradually abandoned the former M&G line. First from Andalusia to Goshen
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...
in 1986, and then from Troy to Hurtsboro in 1988.
PBRR purchased the remaining line from the NS interchange at Nuckols ( Milepost S-304.00) to Hurtsboro (Milepost S-329.00) on July 27, 1995. Traffic on the line was 95% sand (US Silica Company west of downtown Hurtsboro), 4% logs, and 1% inbound finished lumber.
After the sand distributor that accounted for the overwhelming majority of traffic on the line lost its key rail supplied customer, the line was found to no longer be economically viable. The last train operated over the line in 2000. On May 1, 2002, PBRR filed a Notice of Exemption with the Surface Transportation Board
Surface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...
for abandonment of the line. Though the Macon County Commission was granted a public use condition by the STB to explore acquisition of the right of way for public use, the line officially abandoned on June 1, 2003. The ties and rails were removed though the roadbed remains.
Between Roanoke Junction and LaFayette
The PBRR also operated a 17.4 mile long branch line from Roanoke Junction (milepost T-322.40) near OpelikaOpelika, Alabama
Opelika is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. According to 2010 Census, the population of Opelika was 26,477...
to LaFayette (milepost T-339.66). The line was a portion of the East Alabama Railway which operated in the late 19th century. The East Alabama Railway was later bought by the Central of Georgia Railroad
Central of Georgia Railroad
The Central of Georgia Railway started as the Central Rail Road and Canal Company in 1833. As a way to better attract investment capital, the railroad changed its name to Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. This railroad was constructed to join the Macon and Western Railroad at...
subsequent to 1895. The route from Opelika to Roanoke
Roanoke, Alabama
Roanoke is a city in Randolph County, Alabama, United States.Roanoke is served by a weekly newspaper, The Randolph Leader. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 6,563.-Geography:Roanoke is located at ....
was known as the “Johnney Ray Train” and the “Roanoke Rocket”. The northern portion of the line from LaFayette to Roanoke was abandoned in 1982. Central of Georgia corporate successor Norfolk Southern sold the line to PBRR on August 9, 1995. One customer shipping pulp wood and wood chips was served by the branch line at the time of the sale.
The PBRR branch had interchange agreements with both CSX and Norfolk Southern. PBRR also had trackage rights
Trackage rights
Trackage rights , running rights or running powers is an agreement whereby a railway company has the right to run its trains on tracks owned by another railway company....
over CSX from downtown Opelika (interchange with NS) to Roanoke Junction northeast of Opelika. The line serviced the East Alabama Lumber company and the Langly Wood Yard in LaFayette. The tracks ended at 2nd Avenue North in LaFayette.
In 2001, East Alabama Lumber filed for bankruptcy and sold to a company that was a user of trucks for transportation and elected not to continue to use rail to serve the East Alabama Lumber facility. Additionally, Langly Wood Yard switched to truck to supply pulp wood to the paper mills.
A group of local governments consisting of Lee County
Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is named in honor of Robert E. Lee, commanding general of the Confederate Army. As of 2010 the population was 140,247. It is part of the Auburn, Alabama Metropolitan Area. The county seat is Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn...
, Chambers County
Chambers County, Alabama
Chambers County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of Henry H. Chambers, who served as a United States Senator from Alabama. As of 2010 the population was 34,215. Its county seat is Lafayette...
, and the City of LaFayette, led by the City of Opelika intervened in the STB hearings in an attempt to establish a Rails to Trails footpath to be known as the . Despite the intervention before the STB, the efforts failed and the line was formally abandoned in 2004 after not operating since 2001.