The Three Notch Railroad runs from a connection with

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

at Georgiana to

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 lowland ...

, . This

short line 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 United States and Canada. In the former, railroads are ...

was created in 2001 and is currently a subsidiary of

Genesee & Wyoming Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom; and formerly in Australia. ...

. Primary commodities include chemicals,

polypropylene Polypropylene (PP), also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications. It is produced via chain-growth polymerization from the monomer Propene, propylene. Polypropylene belongs to the group of polyolefin ...

, fertilizer, and agricultural products, amounting to 1,050 annual carloads. In April 2011, the Three Notch was named as one of the three railroads to be purchased by

RailAmerica RailAmerica, Inc., based in Jacksonville, Florida, was a holding company of a number of short-line railroads and regional railroads in the United States and Canada. In 2007, RailAmerica was acquired by Fortress Investment Group. Before that, it t ...

from

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 & O ...

for $12.7 million. RailAmerica was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in 2012.

History

The route was built in 1901 as the Alabama and Florida Railroad consisting of from

Georgiana, Alabama Georgiana is a town in Butler County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 1,738. Geography Georgiana is located in southern Butler County at 31°38'24.313" North, 86°44'21.991" West (31.640087, -86.739 ...

Graceville, Florida Graceville is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. It is near the Alabama state line. The population was 2,153 at the 2020 census. Geography The approximate coordinates for the City of Graceville is located at (30.959044, −85. ...

. It was operated by the

Louisville & Nashville 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 ...

between 1901–1982 and

Seaboard System The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986. Since the late 1960s, Seaboard Coast Line Industries had operated the Seaboard Coast Line and its sister railroads—notably the Louisville & Nashvill ...

from 1983 to 1986. The section between

Geneva, Alabama Geneva is a city in and the county seat of Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1875. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama metropolitan area. Since 1940, it has been the largest city of Geneva County, and had a population ...

and Graceville was abandoned January 16, 1984. The remaining line between Georgiana and Geneva was purchased by Gulf & Ohio Railways on July 28, 1986, and renamed to the Alabama and Florida Railroad. The purchase included the Andalusia and Conecuh Railroad from Andalusia to

Gantt, Alabama Gantt is a town in Covington County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 196. Geography Gantt is located in northern Covington County at (31.407503, -86.483577). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a ...

. The railroad to include of trackage was purchased by

Pioneer Railcorp Pioneer Lines (formerly Pioneer Railcorp) was a holding company for a number of American short-line railroads. Other subsidiaries offered locomotive and freight car leasing to its own railroads and to third parties, and also freight car cleaning ...

on November 23, 1992. of trackage from Georgiana to Andalusia, Alabama was sold back to Gulf & Ohio and named Three Notch railroad on June 11, 2001. This sale included the lease on the Andalusia & Conecuh Railroad. The

Alabama and Florida Railway The Alabama and Florida Railway was a short-line railroad headquartered in Andalusia, Alabama. It was owned and operated by Pioneer Railcorp of Peoria, Illinois. It operated a former Louisville and Nashville Railroad branch line from Andalusia ...

connected with Three Notch Railroad at Andalusia before abandonment of the remaining A&F in 2011.

References

External links

Three Notch Railroad official webpage - Genesee and Wyoming website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Notch Railroad Alabama railroads