Red Mountain Railroad

The Red Mountain Railroad Line was the first attempt to provide railway transportation through Lone Pine Gap from Birmingham to the portion of Shades Valley that would later become Homewood.

History

The Red Mountain Line opened in 1889 with the help of the Clifton Land Company, which had purchased several pieces of land in Shades Valley. With the nearest roads to Birmingham over a mile east and west of their land, the Clifton Land Company hoped to encourage interest in living in the area by providing steam-powered rail service to it. Despite growth in the area, the railway line closed in 1893.

Route

The Red Mountain Railroad Line began on 20th Street South at 14th Street, where the South Highland Line ended. It followed 20th Street for one block before going east on 15th Avenue South. It then turned south on 22nd Street and up Red Mountain to a station on Warwick Court near the Red Mountain Casino at the top of the mountain. The line continued along Warwick to a switchback at Lone Pine Gap and another on the mountain's south slope. It then proceeded down Central Avenue, ending at Howard Street (now 28th Avenue South).

References

• Summe, Sheryl Spradling. (2001). Homewood: The Life of a City. Homewood, AL: Friends of the Homewood Public Library.