The Southern Alabama Railroad was a shortline railroad formerly operating between a connection with

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Çan ...

Goshen, Alabama Goshen is a town in Pike County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 266, down from 300 in 2000. It incorporated in 1907. History A post office called Goshen has been in operation since 1839. The town was named after t ...

, about . The railroad currently exists as the

Conecuh Valley Railroad The Conecuh Valley Railway, L.L.C. connects with the CSX at Troy, Alabama, and travels to Goshen, Alabama. This short line railroad was created after 2001 from the former Southern Alabama Railroad and is currently owned and operated by Gene ...

subsidiary of

Gulf and Ohio Railways Gulf & Ohio Railways is a holding company for four 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. Gulf & ...

. The railroad was controlled by Richard Abernathy, the owner of several shortlines in the South. The Southern Alabama railroad operated only at Troy, with the remainder of the line to Goshen embargoed for the majority of the shortline's operational history.

History

Originally constructed by the

Mobile and 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. The line was constructed with a track gauge of . Construction The Mobile a ...

(later

Central of Georgia 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 cons ...

) from Columbus to Searight between 1870 - 1891, the line eventually connected with the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of t ...

Andalusia, Alabama Andalusia is a city in and the county seat of Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,805. History Andalusia was first settled in 1841 after flooding of the Conecuh River and the surrounding lowlands ...

. The Central of Georgia became part of the

Southern Railway Southern Railway or Southern Railroad may refer to: Argentina * Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway, Argentina * Southern Fuegian Railway, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina Australia * Main Southern railway line, New South Wales, Australia * Southern r ...

in 1963, and the Southern Railway became part of the

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (3 ...

in 1990. The line between Goshen and Gantt was abandoned September 13, 1982. The segment between Troy and Goshen was then sold to the Abernathy Group on October 31, 1988. Abandonment of the Hurtsboro to Troy portion by Norfolk Southern occurred March 8, 1989, leaving CSX in Troy as the only other railroad connection to the Southern Alabama railroad. The railroad was sold to Gulf & Ohio Railways and renamed the Conecuh Valley Railroad on November 7, 2001.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Southern Alabama Railroad Defunct Alabama railroads Spin-offs of the Norfolk Southern Railway