Eastern Railroad Discussion > Alabama Railroad (ALAB) Abandonment question?

So on Sunday, I was traveling east to north Florida to visit family and dropped in at Flomaton, Alabama to see what CSX had lounging around and the L&N coaling tower Along the old MNO&P.

With the PD and MNO&P dead, I decided to see if ALAB had anything in town. They surely did, but hardly much to get excited about. They had a pioneer NW2, 108, sitting at Junction road. The engine was surrounded by what I assume is storage covered hoppers. Supposedly it was sold to a company.

If the ALAB was abandoned from north of Monroeville, AL- south to Flomaton, why does it appear as if there was recent activity? Apparently for the last year or so they have been working with the 108- I guess what remaining business that remains in the way of car storage. Just curious if anyone might know?

Thanks!

Posted from iPhone

Surprised they lasted this long!
When I retired from CSXT in 2005, they did not have much business left and all the little wooden trestles were starting to show their age. Not to mention miles of small rail.

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, OR

Unfortunately Steve, that railroad suffered a lot of neglect and their traffic never rebound. Pioneer works on bare minimum on a lot of their stuff, so it’s not surprising.

Apparently in Flomaton, to mention, there is a stick of rail in spiked and turned over off the main. I’m assuming this was for an embargo that eventually turned into abandonment according to STB filings in 2019.

It’s sad, but it is what it is. I think they got plagued after a bridge north of Monroeville to a major customer became too big of an issue and it was embargoed, forcing the customer to go by truck.

I’m just curious why it still appears they are still doing stuff on the very very southern end in Flomaton while the STB filings show abandonment?

Posted from iPhone

Just guessing, they may have save the south end to store cars. The first bridge is at R610 which would allow about two miles to store cars  with one crosing to cut.
The only shipper we had back in the day was a Plywood Mill between Monroton and Peterman and out on the M&R we had Harrigan Lumber saw mill. There was a large wood yard north of Peterman but it close years ago. We use to pull 80+ car trains off the Southern Alabama back in the 80's. 
There was a bridge between Monroton and the plywood mill could be the one that failed.
Always thought the tunnel at Tunnel Springs would make a neat sub terrian  home. Always cool in there during the heat of summer!

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, Or



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/11/20 22:48 by ln844south.

Can somebody please give me a brief description of the Alabama Railroad and why they want to abandon it?

In 1991, CSXT sold 61 miles of track from Flomaton to Corduroy, AL to Wabash and Grand River railroad. Later that year, WGRR sold the track to ALAB which became Pioneer Rail Corp’s newest railroad.

At the time the railroad was fairly healthy in the 90’s and into the early 2010’s. There is 60 bridges located on the railroad and according to the STB docket- ALAB has no engineering drawings or plans or record of build but believes most of the bridges are at least 50 years old at the time of the abandonment filing. I believe the bridge problem was a majority of their reason to abandon AND a lack of overhead traffic which obviously created a hole in being able to keep financial sustainability.

According to the STB docket, ALAB filed to abandon an outlined portion as quoted in 1995:

“ ALAB abandoned the northern portion of the branch line from Milepost 662.62 at Beatrice to Milepost 666.3 at Corduroy in 1995.”

In mid 2019 ALAB filed fo abandoned the nearly 48 miles of remaining track from Flomaton (MP 607.73) to Peterman, near Tunnel Springs at MP 655.2 which is 47.5 miles of track.

Here is the STB filing:

https://www.stb.gov/decisions/ReadingRoom.nsf/51d7c65c6f78e79385256541007f0580/e1f6c0f1ad98e092852583e400662ca5?OpenDocument


With conclusion, they were still doing okay from what I understand a few years back. A couple years prior to abandonment, they began to diminish. It looks like bridge issues, lack of traffic and customers- made them depart. They were based in Monroeville and for a long while had three GP16’s (two or three were in ATSF paint). Pretty neat shortline that is on its way out the door. I’m just curious when they’ll pull the Interchange out and start salvaging the railroad.

Posted from iPhone

Don't remember the exact dates, but it is the southern part of the former L&N Southern Alabama Subdivision that ran between Flomaton, Al and Selma, Al with three branches. The Manistee and Repton branch, the Camden Branch and the Vredenburgh branch. . CSX abandoned the northend from Corduroy to just south of Western Jct. with a daily run left to the interchange with the former Frisco at Hybart, Al.
CSXT got trackage rights over the former Frisco, which became BN than BNSF and now Alabama and Gulf from Atmore, Al to Hybart, Al thus abandoning from Beatrice, AL to Hybart via Corduroy. Alabama Railroad got the remnants from Beatrice to Flomaton. This trackage was getting alot of defered maintance to include numerous small trestles. What was once a 35mph railroad was a 10mph railroad and I seem to remember Yard Limits from Flomaton to Beatrice.
Spent a lot of time working those jobs in both tTrain than Engine service.
I stand to be corrected if necessary.

Steve Panzik
Chiloquin, OR

My understanding  & I do not know all the details, a company has purchased the line from Flomation, AL to Tunnel Springs, AL.  It must be some industry on this portion  that has needed rail service.
Thanks
McCullough Pettis
Oxford, Ms 

New name (ARR) Alabama Railroad LLC , startup  about November 20, 2020.
Thanks
McCullough Pettis
Oxford, Ms

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/11/06/2020-24734/alabama-railroad-llc-acquisition-and-operation-exemption-line-of-alabama-railroad-co-inc