Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad

Last updated
Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad
Locale Alabama
Dates of operation1852 (1852)1871 (1871)
Successor Selma and Meridian Railroad Company
then The Alabama Central Railroad Company
then East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad Company
then East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company
Track gauge 4 ft 8 12 in (1,435 mm)
Previous gauge 5 ft (1,524 mm)
American Civil War era

The Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Rail Road Company was incorporated under special act of Alabama on February 7, 1850. [1]

Alabama State of the United States of America

Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by 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 30th largest by area and the 24th-most populous of the U.S. states. With a total of 1,500 miles (2,400 km) of inland waterways, Alabama has among the most of any state.

Contents

The Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Rail Road Company constructed 77.3 miles (124.4 km) of railroad line between Selma, Alabama and York, Alabama during the years 1852 through 1864. [2]

Selma, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 20,756 as of the 2010 census. About 80% of the population is African-American.

York, Alabama City in Alabama, United States

York is a city in Sumter County, Alabama, United States. Founded around 1838 after the merging of two communities, Old Anvil and New York Station, the latter a station on a stagecoach line. The rail came through in the 1850s and later, the "New" was dropped from York Station in 1861. With the discovery that another community in Alabama bore that name, the "Station" was dropped and York was formally incorporated on April 6, 1881. At the 2018 census the population was 97, down from 2,854. From 1920-1980, it was the largest town in the county. Since 1990, it has been the second largest city behind the county seat of Livingston.

On November 29, 1864, the name of the company was changed to The Selma and Meridian Rail Road Company. [1]

The Selma and Meridian Rail Road Company was incorporated under special act of Alabama on February 7, 1850 as The Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Rail Road Company. On November 29, 1864, the name of the company was changed to The Selma and Meridian Rail Road Company.

The property eventually became part of Southern Railway Company on July 7, 1894, through Southern's acquisition of a successor company, the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway Company. [3]

Southern Railway (U.S.) railway company in the United States, active 1894–1990

The Southern Railway is a name of a class 1 railroad that was based in the Southern United States. The railroad is the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894.

East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway

The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad (ETV&G) was a rail transport system that operated in the southeastern United States during the late 19th century. Created with the consolidation of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad in 1869, the ETV&G played an important role in connecting East Tennessee and other isolated parts of Southern Appalachia with the rest of the country, and helped make Knoxville one of the region's major wholesaling centers. In 1894, the ETV&G merged with the Richmond and Danville Railroad to form the Southern Railway.

See also

Confederate railroads in the American Civil War

The American Civil War was the first in which large armies depended heavily on ralroads to bring supplies. For the Confederate States Army, the system was fragile and was designed for short hauls of cotton to the nearest river or ocean port. During the war, new parts were hard to obtain, and the system deteriorated from overuse, lack of maintenance, and systematic destruction by Union raiders.

Notes

  1. 1 2 Interstate Commerce Commission. Southern Ry. Co., Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 214. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. OCLC   297351688.
  2. ICC, Southern Ry. Co. valuation report, 1931, p. 220.
  3. ICC, Southern Ry. Co. valuation report, 1931, pp. 212, 571.

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The Richmond and York River Railroad Company was incorporated under an act of the Virginia General Assembly on January 31, 1853. The State of Virginia subscribed to 60 per cent of the capital stock. The company built and initially operated 39 miles (63 km) of railroad line between Richmond, Virginia and West Point, Virginia on the York River. The railroad prospered during the first year of the American Civil War but was wrecked during the Peninsula Campaign. It was rebuilt after the Civil War. In 1894, it became part of the Southern Railway Company.

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Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad

Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad Company was formed by the consolidation of Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company, Georgia and Alabama Rail Road Company and Dalton and Jacksonville Railroad Company on August 6, 1866. The consolidation agreement was ratified by the Georgia General Assembly on December 13, 1866 and by the Alabama Legislature on February 8, 1867.

The Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad Company in North Carolina was incorporated under act of Tennessee on February 26, 1852 and under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855 as Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad Company. The name of the company was changed to Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad Company in North Carolina on February 23, 1861.

The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad Company was incorporated under special act of Tennessee on January 27, 1848.

The East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad Company was incorporated under special act of Tennessee on February 19, 1836 as the Hiwassee Rail Road Company.

Cahaba, Marion and Greensboro Railroad Company was incorporated under act of Alabama on February 9, 1850, as The Marion and Alabama River Transportation Company.

Rogersville and Jefferson Railroad Company was incorporated under special act of Tennessee on February 27, 1852.

The Alabama Central Railroad Company was incorporated under the general laws of Alabama on June 22, 1871, by certificate of incorporation dated June 21, 1871.

References

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