Eastern Railroad Discussion > Grenada

As some of you know, Iowa Pacific worked with the North Central Mississippi Regional Rail Authority to acquire Grenada Railway from its owners.  This week we surveyed the line to see what condition it is in.  On Wednesday we went from Grenada to Canton.

1.  Between Tie Plant and Duck Hill.  Yes, we were on the rail
2.  IC Station at Winona (now a restaurant) featuring an Amtrak station sign
3.  The chainsaw came out at least a dozen times the first day.
 

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Looks like you were in the Congo instead.

John Miller
Conestoga, PA

4.  This bridge needs some minor repair.  The Grenada Railway embargoed the south end of the railroad because of this bridge.  That precipitated the abandonment filing.
5.  The depot at West was originally at Pickens, then it was moved to Vaughan to be part of a Casey Jones museum, then to West.  The best Casey Jones museum in my opinion is the one at Water Valley started by the late Bruce Gurner.
6.  Some of the track looked great, but the newest ties were from 1986, so a lot of new ties are needed.

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Thanks for the peek. What were the speed limits back in IC "glory days"?

7.  We stopped at Vaughan to pay our respects to fallen railroaders.  Casey's famous wreck was April 30, 1900. In that same year nearly 2,000 railroaders died in the line of duty.  We remember Casey because of the song.  Great strides have been made in safety since 1900, but there are still railroaders who don't make it home, and we are all motivated to change that...
8.  The next morning, standing on the platform at Grenada looking south.  I can still picture the Mars light on the lead locomotive coming under the bridge almost a mile away, and the train screeching to a stop in less than a minute.  Who knows, maybe it will happen again for me and others who might like to see that!
9.  My Chief Engineer couldn't resist taking this picture.  I am looking south, waiting for number 2, although it isn't due yet.  Won't be due for a while....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/15 11:22 by eee.

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We then headed north from Grenada....

10.  Yalobusha River bridge with the old pier to the left, and a lot of driftwood in the lower part of the picture.
11.  A set of these was mounted at each end of the bridge, to automatically rerail the train and keep it from wrecking the bridge.  Wonder if this works....
12.  The railroad hasn't been surfaced for 20 years, but there are a lot of recently installed ties.  Note that the track is sliding toward the side of the bridge.  Not good.

So, our business model is to buy properties that aren't making it, and turn them around.  It's a difficult model because you burn through a lot of cash fixing the railroad and just losing money until the revenue growth comes along.  But, we have had several successful projects, and this one has real potential.  And real challenges.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/15 11:21 by eee.

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Thanks for the look at the railroad line.  A lot of work in front of you. 

I remember in 1974-77 roaring down this line at 79 mph on Amtrak's Panama Ltd.   A distinct memory is this: #58 the nb train would come through these stations in the evening.  The train would stop at Canton, Durant, etc.  From the dining car window we would look out and see 50+ people standing on the platform.  We soon learned that every relative of the people traveling, came down to the station to see them off.   Yes, if there were 50 on the platform, maybe 10 people actually boarded the train.

The Panama/City ridership in 1974 was 196,000.  In 2013 it was 253,000 which is almost a 30% increase.  The US population increased 48% over the same period....

MEKoch Wrote:
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> Thanks for the look at the railroad line.  A lot
> of work in front of you. 
>
> I remember in 1974-77 roaring down this line at 79
> mph on Amtrak's Panama Ltd.   A distinct memory
> is this: #58 the nb train would come through these
> stations in the evening.  The train would stop at
> Canton, Durant, etc.  From the dining car window
> we would look out and see 50+ people standing on
> the platform.  We soon learned that every
> relative of the people traveling, came down to the
> station to see them off.   Yes, if there were 50
> on the platform, maybe 10 people actually boarded
> the train.

I can't imagine that those permanent rerailers would work at anything but a low speed.

Looks like a good spot for the Alamosa F unit collection to end up! Kudzu anyone??

Out

Why are the rails so shiny, any business. I followed this line a couple of years ago from Jackson and saw no sign of life north of the auto plant ten miles or so north of Jackson? I have ICG TT#1 1980 showing seveny nine on the Canton for passenger fifty for freight and TT authority given to Panama Limited #58, 59 and intermodal #50, 51.
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/15 14:36 by 3rdswitch.

They tried out a lot of unique things in Grenada....

Such as the Billups Neon Crossing Signal.  Sorry for the photo quality.  A print from 1967...

CPR_4000 Wrote:
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> I can't imagine that those permanent rerailers
> would work at anything but a low speed.

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I never knew a speed limit above 79, but timetables from 1947 show a 100 mph speed limit with an all roller bearing train....

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
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> Thanks for the peek. What were the speed limits
> back in IC "glory days"?

I hope to do better than the Alamosa F-unit collection.

callum_out Wrote:
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> Looks like a good spot for the Alamosa F unit
> collection to end up! Kudzu anyone??
>
> Out



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/15 14:04 by eee.

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Interesting pictures. Man that Kudzu is some nasty looking stuff. I hope it does not invade PA.
John

It's not real crazy about very cold winters.

Out

Wishing you guys the absolute best in your endeavors Ed!  If any group of businessmen can make this a viable piece of railroad I know you all can.

Neither am I

callum_out Wrote:
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> It's not real crazy about very cold winters.
>
> Out

This thread beats the overpopulation of heritage units. Not that I don't love the heritage units, but this is actual railroad history unfolding before our eyes. Thank you for sharing. 

Very interesting story and photos. Thanks for sharing, and good luck!

Al Seever
Phoenix, AZ