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Alabama & Florida Railway Company
At its peak length, the Alabama & Florida Railway Company operated a 78 mile stretch of shortline trackage in south central Alabama. From a connection with the CSX at Georgiana, Alabama, the line stretched eastward through Opp and on to Geneva. The trackage was Seaboard Coast Line at the time it was acquared by Peter Clausen in 1986 and first operated as a shortline. Commodities included pulpwood, chemicals, plastics, and agricultural products. In 2001, the Alabama & Florida Railway, under the control of Pioneer Railcorp, sold a 33-mile segment of its track from Georgiana, AL to Andalusia, AL, to the Three Notch Railroad (TNR), which is owned by Gulf and Ohio Railways.
Motive Power
Alabama & Florida #1214
EMD SW9 / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #1214
- builder:Electro Motive Divison
- model:SW9
- type:B-B switcher
- built:unknown
- series:786 produced 1951-53
- engine:EMD 567B (12 cyls. 1200 hp)
- notes:
- _________
Alabama & Florida #2391
EMD GP16 (1950) / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #2391
- builder:Electro Motive Divison
- model:GP16 (rebuilt)
- type:B-B road switcher
- built:1950
- series:160 units rebuilt by SCL 1979-82
- engine:EMD 567 (16 cyls. 1600 hp)
- notes:
- SCL Uceta rebuild program
Alabama & Florida #6076
EMD GP9 (1956) / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #6076
- builder:Electro Motive Division
- model:GP9
- type:B-B road switcher
- built:1956
- series:3436 produced 1954-59
- engine:EMD 567C (16 cyls. 1750 hp)
- notes:
- ex Baltimore & Ohio
Alabama & Florida #6084
EMD GP9 (1956) / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #6084
- builder:Electro Motive Division
- model:GP9
- type:B-B road switcher
- built:1956
- series:3436 produced 1954-59
- engine:EMD 567C (16 cyls. 1750 hp)
- notes:
- ex Baltimore & Ohio
Alabama & Florida #6094
EMD GP9 / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #6094
- builder:Electro Motive Division
- model:GP9
- type:B-B road switcher
- built:unknown
- series:3436 produced 1954-59
- engine:EMD 567C (16 cyls. 1750 hp)
- notes:
- __________
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Rolling Stock
Alabama & Florida #4007
50' boxcar / Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Alabama & Florida #4089
50' boxcar / Jackson, Ms / unknown / RWH
Locations
Alabama & Florida offices
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Lagniappe
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Opp, Al / 1990 / RWH
Going back to the days of my childhood interest in trains, I've always had a love affair with locomotive cabs. I suppose every boy of earlier eras dreamed of being a locomotive engineer, perched high atop the rails with a commonding view of the line. I have a hunch one never really grows out of those kinds of dreams, and what I remember most about visiting the Alabama & Florida in 1990 was the oppurtunity to climb all over and in several Geeps parked from their duties. Like many southern shortlines, the AF "yard" was a casual place. With no one around, and cab doors perched wide open, and in the days long before post-911 security issues, diesel cabs were too much a temptation for this kid. At the time, the AF rostered a handsome set of first generation Geeps and switchers. We saw no action that day; but I didn't mind. Sitting in the right hand seat was action enough.
Links / Sources
- Pioneer Railcorp - current owner of the Alabama & Florida
- Wikipedia article for Alabama & Florida
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 17
- Charles W. McDonald, Diesel Locomotive Rosters - Third Edition (Kalmbach, 1992) 12