The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was an

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

company that started during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was built to connect the

Shelby Iron Company The Shelby Iron Company was an iron manufacturing company that operated an ironworks in Shelby, Alabama. The iron company produced iron for the Confederate States of America and was destroyed towards the end of the American Civil War. The company ...

Shelby, Alabama Shelby is a census-designated place and Unincorporated area#United States, unincorporated community in Shelby County, Alabama, Shelby County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 1,044 as of the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. The ...

, to the

Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company was incorporated under act of Alabama on March 4, 1848.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 213. Wash ...

Columbiana, Alabama Columbiana is a city and the county seat of Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,462. History Columbiana, originally called Columbia, was selected as the county seat of Shelby County in 1826 over riv ...

, a distance of about . It was a

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

railroad line Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to road ...

which was converted to in 1886

History

The Shelby Iron Company was a major supplier of Confederate iron during the Civil War, with almost all the iron produced being delivered to the Confederate Naval Works in Selma. Iron plating for the CSS Tennessee,

CSS Huntsville CSS ''Huntsville'' was a Confederate ironclad floating battery built at Selma, Alabama, from 1862 to 1863 during the American Civil War. History ''Huntsville'' was ordered on May 1, 1862, by the Confederate States Navy. She was launched at the ...

, and CSS Tuscaloosa was all manufactured by the Shelby Iron Company. By 1863, officials with the iron company were attempting to increase output, but were hampered by the lack of a railroad line. Confederate Ordinance officials prevented the construction for more than two years by threatening to have senior company employees conscripted if they built the line. Despite the threat, construction began in 1863 and was completed in January 1865.

Rolling stock

The railroad's only

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

, called ''The Decatur'', was purchased in 1864 from the

Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad The Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Rail Road Company was incorporated under special act of Alabama on February 7, 1850.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 19 ...

, and the company used

railroad car A railroad car, railcar (American English, American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and International Union of Railways, UIC), also called a tra ...

s borrowed from other carriers.Shelby Iron Company, CSARailroads.com

Destruction and rebuilding

The Iron Works was destroyed during

Wilson's Raid Wilson's Raid was a cavalry operation through Alabama and Georgia in March–April 1865, late in the American Civil War. U.S. Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson led his U.S. Cavalry Corps to destroy Confederate manufacturing facilities and was oppos ...

on March 31, 1865. Around 1867, the Shelby Iron Company reconstructed its rail spur from Shelby to Columbiana and the furnace was rebuilt by February 1869. The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was operated by the ironworks until it was purchased by 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 ...

in 1890 and made part of 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 ...

. Both operators provided sporadic passenger service until 1927.

References

Defunct Alabama railroads Railway companies established in 1865 Railway companies disestablished in 1892 5 ft gauge railways in the United States {{US-rail-company-stub