Southern Railway: Difference between revisions
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By [[1971]] the Southern Railway operated 6,026 miles or railroad, as well as several subsidiaries, including the class 1 [[Alabama Great Southern Railroad]] and [[Central of Georgia Railway]] that served central Alabama. That year Southern reported 26.1 billion net ton-miles of revenue freight and 110 million passenger miles. In the [[Birmingham District]] the Southern Railway owned and operated the [[Birmingham Terminal Station]] downtown, as well as the massive [[Norris Yards]] in [[Irondale]]. | By [[1971]] the Southern Railway operated 6,026 miles or railroad, as well as several subsidiaries, including the class 1 [[Alabama Great Southern Railroad]] and [[Central of Georgia Railway]] that served central Alabama. That year Southern reported 26.1 billion net ton-miles of revenue freight and 110 million passenger miles. In the [[Birmingham District]] the Southern Railway owned and operated the [[Birmingham Terminal Station]] downtown, as well as the massive [[Norris Yards]] in [[Irondale]]. | ||
In [[1980]] the Southern Railway joined with the Norfolk & Western Railway to form the [[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern Corporation]], which began operating as the Norfolk Southern Railroad in [[1982]]. | |||
==History== | ==History== | ||
The origin of the Southern Railway traces to the founding of the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which was chartered to operate from Charleston, South Carolina in December 1827. It began railroad service on a 6-mile line in December 1830 and had extended its line 133 miles to Hamburg, South Carolina by 1833. By [[1857]] the Memphis & Charleston Railroad connected that line across the Appalachian Mountains. That link was severed during the [[Civil War]], with many of the war's major battles fought to disrupt or defend rail connections which could be used to supply armies or besieged cities. | The origin of the Southern Railway traces to the founding of the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which was chartered to operate from Charleston, South Carolina in December 1827. It began railroad service on a 6-mile line in December 1830 and had extended its line 133 miles to Hamburg, South Carolina by 1833. By [[1857]] the Memphis & Charleston Railroad connected that line across the Appalachian Mountains. That link was severed during the [[Civil War]], with many of the war's major battles fought to disrupt or defend rail connections which could be used to supply armies or besieged cities. | ||
After the war's end, much of the race to rebuild the railroads was engaged in opening western rivers and the [[Birmingham District|mineral district]] of the Southern Appalachians to Gulf Coast and Atlantic ports and markets. Labor shortages prompted some companies to exploit [[convict lease system|convicts leased from state prisons]] as virtual slaves. The war and [[Reconstruction]] had devastated personal and business fortunes and state treasuries in the South, so many of these rail ventures were also under-capitalized. The situation presented an opportunity for J. P. Morgan to acquire and reorganize several lines as the Southern Railroad in [[1894]]. | After the war's end, much of the race to rebuild the railroads was engaged in opening western rivers and the [[Birmingham District|mineral district]] of the Southern Appalachians to Gulf Coast and Atlantic ports and markets. Labor shortages prompted some companies to exploit [[convict lease system|convicts leased from state prisons]] as virtual slaves. The war and [[Reconstruction]] had devastated personal and business fortunes and state treasuries in the South, so many of these rail ventures were also under-capitalized. The situation presented an opportunity for J. P. Morgan to acquire and reorganize several lines as the Southern Railroad in [[1894]]. The railway and its subsidiaries continued to grow rapidly for the next two decades, plateauing at nearly 8,000 miles of rail across 13 states when the network reached New Orleans, Louisiana in [[1916]]. | ||
Between [[1939]] and [[1953]] Southern converted all of its locomotives to diesel power, becoming the first major U.S. railway to fully retire steam locomotives. The company's decision to hold its territory during the merger wave of the 1960s was later regretted, especially the failure to secure a direct connection to Chicago by purchasing the [[Louisville & Nashville Railroad]] or one of its predecessors. The company's efforts to obtain that connection in the 1970s through the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission failed. | |||
After passage of the 1980 Staggers Rail Act, which allowed the combination of the Chessie and [[Seaboard System Railroad|Seaboard]] systems into [[CSX Transportation]], the Southern Railway joined with the Norfolk & Western Railway to form the [[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern Corporation]] as a holding company based in Norfolk, Virginia. The Norfolk Southern Railroad began operating under that name in [[1982]]. | |||
After | |||
The | |||
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==Notable features== | ==Notable features== | ||
The Southern Railway was active in mechanization, used [[bank engine]]s, is widely credited with inventing [[unit train]]s for coal and new freight cars,<ref name="Kelly2001">{{cite book|author1=Brian Solomon|author2=Patrick Yough|title=Coal Trains: The History of Railroading and Coal in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAIiJCH4Kw8C&pg=PA13|date=July 15, 2009|publisher=MBI Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-61673-137-3|page=13}}</ref> and understood the power of marketing using the promotional phrase "Southern Gives a Green Light to Innovation".<ref name="SolomonYough2009">{{cite web |url=http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/04/selling-the-service |title=Selling the service: A look at memorable railroad slogans and heralds through the years |last=Kelly |first=John |date=April 5, 2001 |website=Classic Trains Magazine |publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]] |access-date=May 16, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> | The Southern Railway was active in mechanization, used [[bank engine]]s, is widely credited with inventing [[unit train]]s for coal and new freight cars,<ref name="Kelly2001">{{cite book|author1=Brian Solomon|author2=Patrick Yough|title=Coal Trains: The History of Railroading and Coal in the United States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oAIiJCH4Kw8C&pg=PA13|date=July 15, 2009|publisher=MBI Publishing Company|isbn=978-1-61673-137-3|page=13}}</ref> and understood the power of marketing using the promotional phrase "Southern Gives a Green Light to Innovation".<ref name="SolomonYough2009">{{cite web |url=http://ctr.trains.com/railroad-reference/operations/2001/04/selling-the-service |title=Selling the service: A look at memorable railroad slogans and heralds through the years |last=Kelly |first=John |date=April 5, 2001 |website=Classic Trains Magazine |publisher=[[Kalmbach Publishing]] |access-date=May 16, 2017 |quote=}}</ref> | ||
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==Passenger trains== | ==Passenger trains== | ||
Along with its famed ''[[Crescent (Amtrak)|(Southern) Crescent]]'' and ''[[Southerner (passenger train)|Southerner]]'', the Southern's other named trains included: | Along with its famed ''[[Crescent (Amtrak)|(Southern) Crescent]]'' and ''[[Southerner (passenger train)|Southerner]]'', the Southern's other named trains included: | ||
* '''''[[Aiken-Augusta Special]]''''' | * '''''[[Aiken-Augusta Special]]''''' | ||
* '''''[[Airline Belle]]''''' | * '''''[[Airline Belle]]''''' | ||
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* '''''[[Tennessean (train)|Tennessean]]''''' | * '''''[[Tennessean (train)|Tennessean]]''''' | ||
The Southern Railway also participated in the operation of the '''''[[City of Miami (train)|City of Miami]]''''', which was operated by the Southern Railway over Central of Georgia trackage from [[Birmingham]], to [[Albany, Georgia]], where it traded off with the [[Seaboard Coast Line]] until its discontinuation in 1971. | |||
The Southern Railway also participated in the operation of the '''''[[City of Miami (train)|City of Miami]]''''', which was operated by the Southern Railway over | |||
When [[Amtrak]] took over most intercity rail service in 1971, Southern initially opted out of turning over its passenger routes to the new organization. However, it shared operation of its flagship train, the New Orleans-New York ''Southern Crescent,'' with Amtrak. Under a longstanding haulage agreement inherited from [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] and the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], Amtrak carried the train north of Washington. By the late 1970s, growing revenue losses and equipment-replacement expenses convinced Southern it could not continue in the passenger business. It handed full control of its passenger routes to Amtrak in 1979. | When [[Amtrak]] took over most intercity rail service in 1971, Southern initially opted out of turning over its passenger routes to the new organization. However, it shared operation of its flagship train, the New Orleans-New York ''Southern Crescent,'' with Amtrak. Under a longstanding haulage agreement inherited from [[Penn Central Transportation Company|Penn Central]] and the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], Amtrak carried the train north of Washington. By the late 1970s, growing revenue losses and equipment-replacement expenses convinced Southern it could not continue in the passenger business. It handed full control of its passenger routes to Amtrak in 1979. | ||
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==Company officers== | ==Company officers== | ||
Presidents of the Southern Railway: | Presidents of the Southern Railway: | ||
* Samuel Spencer | * Samuel Spencer, 1894–1906 | ||
* William Finley | * William Finley, 1906–1913 | ||
* | * Fairfax Harrison, 1913–1937 | ||
* Earnest E. Norris | * Earnest E. Norris, 1937–1951 | ||
* | * Harry A. DeButts, 1951–1962 | ||
* | * D. William Brosnan, 1962–1967 | ||
* | * W. Graham Claytor Jr, 1967–1977 | ||
* | * L. Stanley Crane, 1977–1980 | ||
* Harold H. Hall | * Harold H. Hall, 1980–1982 | ||
==[[Heritage unit]]== | ==[[Heritage unit]]== | ||
Revision as of 13:10, 3 March 2020
The Southern Railway (SOU), operated by the Southern Railway Company was a class 1 railroad that operated across the Southern United States from headquarters offices in Washington D.C. It was created in 1894 by financier John Pierpont Morgan with the merger of the Memphis and Charleston Railroad; the Richmond and Danville system; and the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad. Through further acquisitions and merger it eventually combined nearly 150 predecessor lines.
By 1971 the Southern Railway operated 6,026 miles or railroad, as well as several subsidiaries, including the class 1 Alabama Great Southern Railroad and Central of Georgia Railway that served central Alabama. That year Southern reported 26.1 billion net ton-miles of revenue freight and 110 million passenger miles. In the Birmingham District the Southern Railway owned and operated the Birmingham Terminal Station downtown, as well as the massive Norris Yards in Irondale.
In 1980 the Southern Railway joined with the Norfolk & Western Railway to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation, which began operating as the Norfolk Southern Railroad in 1982.
History
The origin of the Southern Railway traces to the founding of the South Carolina Canal & Rail Road Company, which was chartered to operate from Charleston, South Carolina in December 1827. It began railroad service on a 6-mile line in December 1830 and had extended its line 133 miles to Hamburg, South Carolina by 1833. By 1857 the Memphis & Charleston Railroad connected that line across the Appalachian Mountains. That link was severed during the Civil War, with many of the war's major battles fought to disrupt or defend rail connections which could be used to supply armies or besieged cities.
After the war's end, much of the race to rebuild the railroads was engaged in opening western rivers and the mineral district of the Southern Appalachians to Gulf Coast and Atlantic ports and markets. Labor shortages prompted some companies to exploit convicts leased from state prisons as virtual slaves. The war and Reconstruction had devastated personal and business fortunes and state treasuries in the South, so many of these rail ventures were also under-capitalized. The situation presented an opportunity for J. P. Morgan to acquire and reorganize several lines as the Southern Railroad in 1894. The railway and its subsidiaries continued to grow rapidly for the next two decades, plateauing at nearly 8,000 miles of rail across 13 states when the network reached New Orleans, Louisiana in 1916.
Between 1939 and 1953 Southern converted all of its locomotives to diesel power, becoming the first major U.S. railway to fully retire steam locomotives. The company's decision to hold its territory during the merger wave of the 1960s was later regretted, especially the failure to secure a direct connection to Chicago by purchasing the Louisville & Nashville Railroad or one of its predecessors. The company's efforts to obtain that connection in the 1970s through the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission failed.
After passage of the 1980 Staggers Rail Act, which allowed the combination of the Chessie and Seaboard systems into CSX Transportation, the Southern Railway joined with the Norfolk & Western Railway to form the Norfolk Southern Corporation as a holding company based in Norfolk, Virginia. The Norfolk Southern Railroad began operating under that name in 1982.
References
- "Our History" (2012) Norfok-Southern Railway news release - accessed March 3, 2020