The Anniston and Atlantic Railroad was a 53-mile

narrow-gauge railroad A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...

built between Anniston and

Sylacauga, Alabama Sylacauga is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 12,578. Sylacauga is known for its fine white marble bedrock. This was discovered shortly after settlers moved into the area and has bee ...

via Talladega and

Murphy Murphy is an Irish surname meaning "Sea Warrior". Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac Murchaidh"/" Mac Murchadh" (son of "Murchadh") derived ...

. It was founded by A.L. Tyler of Anniston, who obtained a charter on August 17, 1883, and opened the 30-mile stretch between Anniston and Talladega on May 15, 1884. An extension to Sycamore, Alabama, was opened on September 15, 1884, and to

, on December 1, 1886. The line was built to haul

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

and

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

to Anniston, where it could be transferred to the

standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

Southern Railway. 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 ...

purchased the line in 1890 along with the associated standard-gauge Anniston and Cincinnati Railroad. To this, the L&N added the Shelby Iron Company's railroad to create the

Alabama Mineral Railroad Alabama ( ) is a state in the Southeastern and Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama is the ...

. The A&A's narrow-gauge track was converted to standard gauge later that year. Much of the

right-of-way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...

still exists as part of the CSX Corporation's trackage in the area.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anniston Atlantic Railroad 3 ft gauge railways in the United States Defunct Alabama railroads Narrow-gauge railroads in Alabama Predecessors of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Railway companies established in 1883 Railway companies disestablished in 1890 American companies disestablished in 1890 American companies established in 1883