Alabama Railroading and Railfanning Through "The Heart of Dixie"

Alabama railroading has been around since 1832 and the state became an important source of traffic in later years for railroads with its many natural resources. From a railfan perspective the state has an interesting mix of operations from the southern coastal lowlands near the Gulf of Mexico to its northern mountains where the state’s only tunnel at Carara, near Talladega, is located.

The State of Alabama has its beginnings with railroading in 1832 when the little Tuscumbia Railroad, originally horse-powered, was chartered to connect Tuscumbia, Alabama with Decatur. It was the fourth incorporated railroad in the country and was the first built west of the Alleghenies. As Alabama railroading became established its natural resources began to be tapped with railroads finding sources of traffic from such things as timber, coal, and iron.

In later years Alabama would be accessed by several classic fallen flag railroads such as Illinois Central, Louisville & Nashville, Atlantic Coast Line, Southern Railway, and the Gulf, Mobile & Ohio all of which built, or at one time owned, lines within the state’s borders.

In terms of overall mileage, currently Alabama ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack; however, as has happened with most states, it was once home too much, much more. The short table below lists its mileage rise and decline.

Today, through mergers, abandonments, and acquisitions Alabama has been reduced to just two Class I carriers, CSX and Norfolk Southern which command 86% of the state’s rail mileage although BNSF Railway, Canadian National and Kansas City Southern also have a presence (although their total mileage is less than 400 combined). However, they are not the only two railroads still operating within the state as there are several shortlines found there. These include the Alabama & Gulf Coast Railway, Birmingham Southern Railroad, East Alabama Railway, Huntsville-Madison County Railroad Authority, Jefferson Warrior Railroad, Southern Alabama Railroad, and Terminal Railway-Alabama State Docks.

Regarding the Class I carriers, major facilities in Alabama can be found in Birmingham - Boyles Yard for CSX, Norris Yard for Norfolk Southern and Thomas Yard for BNSF Railway - as well as another for NS, Sheffield Yard.

While Alabama railroading is not high on passenger trains, Amtrak does currently operate one train through the state, the Crescent, which stops at Anniston, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa.

There are also plenty of tourist railroads and museums dotting Alabama. These include the Foley Museum, Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum, Historic Huntsville Depot, and the North Alabama Railroad Museum. Lastly, Alabama has a few relic stations still standing, Montgomery Union Station and Mobile & Ohio Gulf Terminal in downtown Mobile (for any history, rail, and/or architecture buff these stations are worth the drive to see). So, if you are interested in more on the state’s rail history or just looking for something to do you may want to visit one of these places.

All in all, Alabama railroading still has plenty to see and experience so if you are in the area or planning to visit, a quick stop to a museum or trackside railfan is definitely well worth your time!