Alabama and Tennessee River Railway
Encyclopedia
The Alabama & Tennessee River Railway is a shortline railway operating (via lease) over trackage formerly operated by CSX Transportation
. The line's western terminus is a junction with the CSX (former Louisville and Nashville Railroad
) main line in Birmingham, Alabama
, near CSX's Boyles Yard. The eastern terminus is Guntersville, Alabama
, near the Tennessee River
. The parent comnpany of ATN is Omnitrax
, a major operator of American and Canadian short lines.
The route is a combination of the remnants three former lines: the Seaboard Air Line Atlanta
-Birmingham main line, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
former Mineral Belt line from Birmingham to Gadsden
and Talladega
, and the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
line from Guntersville to Attalla
, which once went further north to Huntsville
using a car ferry over the Tennessee River. All of these lines eventually fell under the ownership of CSX. CSX and its corporate predecessors abandoned the L&N line south of Wellington, Alabama, where it crossed over the SAL main line; later the SAL line was abandoned from Wellington to Atlanta. The portion of the former L&N line from just north of Attalla (at its junction the NC&StL line) through Oneonta
to Birmingham was sold to a quarry owner along the line, who intended to operate it as an independent shortline. Almost all of the line was later abandoned, leaving an L-shaped line from Birmingham to Guntersville. CSX operated this as the Alabama Mineral Subdivision.
In 2004, CSX leased the line to Omnitrax, which gave the line its current name. According to Omnitrax, there are more than three dozen online customers. The line includes a short branch to Ivalee, Alabama which serves a Tyson Foods
feed plant; this branch is a stub of the former L&N line to Birmingham. ATN interchanges with CSX at Boyles Yard, and with Norfolk Southern (former Southern Railway
) at Attalla.
The new railroad has gotten off to a rocky start. In July 2005, a conductor was killed when the car on which he was riding derailed, pinning him between the car and a trackside building. In August 2005, a runaway car on the line through the east side of Birmingham hit a car at a level crossing
; the car was traveling at a high speed, and the crossing's automatic barriers had not yet fully descended to street level, as the length of the train-detection track circuit was relatively short, as appropriate for the normally-slow speed limit on the line. Later that month, an ATN train heading south from Guntersville had eight to ten empty grain cars uncouple from the rear, sending the cars rolling back down the Sand Mountain grade toward Guntersville. Local police were notified to protect level crossings, but the train was able to reverse course and recover the runaway cars before any further mishap occurred.
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
. The line's western terminus is a junction with the CSX (former Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
) main line in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, near CSX's Boyles Yard. The eastern terminus is Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville, Alabama
Guntersville is a city in Marshall County, Alabama, United States and is included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. At the 2010 census, the population of the city was 8,197. The city is the county seat of Marshall County. Guntersville is located in a HUBZone as identified by the...
, near the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
. The parent comnpany of ATN is Omnitrax
OmniTRAX
OmniTRAX, Inc. is one of North America's largest private railroad and transportation management companies, providing management services to 16 regional and short-line railroads that serve 10 U.S...
, a major operator of American and Canadian short lines.
The route is a combination of the remnants three former lines: the Seaboard Air Line Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
-Birmingham main line, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
former Mineral Belt line from Birmingham to Gadsden
Gadsden, Alabama
The city of Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama, and it is located about 65 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 103,459. Gadsden is closely associated with the...
and Talladega
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 15,143. The city is the county seat of Talladega County. Talladega is approximately 50 miles east of Birmingham, Alabama....
, and the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating in the southern United States in Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia...
line from Guntersville to Attalla
Attalla, Alabama
Attalla is a city in Etowah County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 6,474. -2000 Census data:...
, which once went further north to Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
using a car ferry over the Tennessee River. All of these lines eventually fell under the ownership of CSX. CSX and its corporate predecessors abandoned the L&N line south of Wellington, Alabama, where it crossed over the SAL main line; later the SAL line was abandoned from Wellington to Atlanta. The portion of the former L&N line from just north of Attalla (at its junction the NC&StL line) through Oneonta
Oneonta, Alabama
Oneonta is a city in Blount County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 5,576. The city is the county seat of Blount County...
to Birmingham was sold to a quarry owner along the line, who intended to operate it as an independent shortline. Almost all of the line was later abandoned, leaving an L-shaped line from Birmingham to Guntersville. CSX operated this as the Alabama Mineral Subdivision.
In 2004, CSX leased the line to Omnitrax, which gave the line its current name. According to Omnitrax, there are more than three dozen online customers. The line includes a short branch to Ivalee, Alabama which serves a Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods
Tyson Foods, Inc. is a multinational corporation based in Springdale, Arkansas, that operates in the food industry. The company is the world's second largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork only behind Brazilian JBS S.A., and annually exports the largest percentage of beef out of...
feed plant; this branch is a stub of the former L&N line to Birmingham. ATN interchanges with CSX at Boyles Yard, and with Norfolk Southern (former Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
) at Attalla.
The new railroad has gotten off to a rocky start. In July 2005, a conductor was killed when the car on which he was riding derailed, pinning him between the car and a trackside building. In August 2005, a runaway car on the line through the east side of Birmingham hit a car at a level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
; the car was traveling at a high speed, and the crossing's automatic barriers had not yet fully descended to street level, as the length of the train-detection track circuit was relatively short, as appropriate for the normally-slow speed limit on the line. Later that month, an ATN train heading south from Guntersville had eight to ten empty grain cars uncouple from the rear, sending the cars rolling back down the Sand Mountain grade toward Guntersville. Local police were notified to protect level crossings, but the train was able to reverse course and recover the runaway cars before any further mishap occurred.