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route

Marianna & Blountstown Railroad

"The Route of Many Bumps"

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german he daily southbound freight of the Marianna & Blountstown, in the Indian summer of steam, heads out of Marianna, Florida, at sunrise on its country occasions of cotton and turpentine.

Lucius Beebe & Charles Clegg /
The Age of Steam / 1957

mbrc_state egyptian ormed in 1909, the diminutive Marianna & Blountstown Railroad conducted shortline service between its namesake towns in Calhoun County, in the Florida panhandle, 50 miles west of Tallahassee. A branch extended south to Myron, Florida, but was abandoned by 1940. Daily passenger service was offered until 1929, steam motive power was in use as late as 1947 when the road dieselized with a General Electric 70 tonner, and the shortline handled agricultural and lumber products until its abandonment in 1972. Interchange with the Louisville & Nashville's busy panhandle mainline was maintained at Marianna. At 29 miles in length, the little MBRY was Florida's shortest common-carrier railroad. A retired MBRY steamer is on permanent display near the depot site in Blountstown.

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For 63 years (1909-1972), the Marianna and Blountstown Railroad was Calhoun County's link to the commerce of the nation. Until 1929, the M&B (also affectionately known as "Many Bumps" or "Meat and Bread") provided passenger service, carried mail, agricultural products, manufacturing goods, and building products. In the early years, logging spur lines extended into remote areas of the county and millions of board feet of long-leaf pine lumber were shipped from local sawmills. During its operation, the 29-mile-long line was Florida's shortest railroad. Steam locomotive #444 was in operation when the M&B's first diesel engine arrived in 1947 and rests today on the exact location of the old M&B roadbed. Climb aboard the historic locomotive and caboose and visit the Depot Museum.

RiverWay South

mbrc_map

MBRC route map / RWH

mbrc_guide1930

1930 Official Guide ad / collection

Steam Motive Power

mbrc_steam_roster

collection

Marianna & Blountstown #70

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler"
  • built:Jun 1914, Baldwin #41463
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • 17x26" cylinders, 56" drivers
  • blt Georgia Coast & Piedmont #70
    to Georgia Car & Locomotive#433
    to Marianna & Blountstown, 1920
  • builder

    tag_closeup The Triple Four

    tag_bird tag_rare

    Marianna & Blountstown #444

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:4-6-0 "Ten Wheeler"
  • built:1911
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • 16x24" cylinders, 56" drivers
  • blt Brinson Railroad #444
    to Savannah & Northwestern #444
    to Savanah & Atlanta #444
    to Marianna & Blountstown #444, 1935
    on display at Blountstown FL
  • builder
    mbrc444i1 mbrc444i2 mbrc444i3 mbrc444i4 mbrc444i5 mbrc444i6 mbrc444i7 mbrc444i8 mbrc444i9 mbrc444i10 mbrc444i11 mbrc444i12 mbrc444i13 mbrc444i14 mbrc444i15

    Apr 2022 / RWH

    mbrc444_painting

    Charlie Hunter painting / collection

    Diesel Motive Power

    mbrc_diesel_roster

    collection

    Marianna & Blountstown #44

  • builder:Whitcomb Locomotive Works
  • model:45 tonner centercab
  • type:A-1-1-A industrial switcher
  • built:Oct 1942, Whitcomb #60198
  • engines:300 hp
  • notes:
  • blt United States Navy #65-00218
    to Marianna & Blountstown #44
    to General Steel Castings
    to Standard Steel Spring
    to
    to Railway Supply Co.
  • builder

    Marianna & Blountstown #75

  • builder:General Electric
  • model:70 tonner
  • type:B-B light switcher
  • built:1947
  • series:193 produced 1946-58
  • engine:CB FWL-6T (6 cyls, 660 hp)
  • notes:
  • blt Marianna & Blountstown #75
    to Whisler Equipment
    to Iowa Terminal #75, 1967
    to Sisseton Southern #75
  • builder
    mbrc75_letter

    personal correspondence / collection

    Rolling Stock

    Locationstag_locations

    tag_pinBlountstown

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    florida_seal Located in the Florida panhandle, the City of Blountstown offers a peaceful, rural lifestyle while enjoying the convenience of close proximity to services from neighboring larger municipalities. Blountstown is only a few minutes from interstate 10 and less than an hour from the beach, Panama City, Tallahassee (the state capital), as well as the Alabama and Georgia state lines. In 1880, Blountstown became the County seat of Calhoun County and a courthouse was built near the river. In 1903, another courthouse was constructed in new Blountstown. This courthouse was used until 1973 when the new courthouse was constructed. However, the old courthouse has been restored and is listed as a historic Florida landmark.

    City of Blountstown

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    Click to see the Blountstown depot area plotted on a Google Maps page

    tag_closeup Memorial Park

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    Click to see the M&B Railroad Memorial Park plotted on a Google Maps page


    tag_clipArticle

    Old Panhandle Railroad Still Chugs Down Memory Lane

    January 2018

    blountstown_inset Very few images evoke a sense of Americana quite like those of the old railroad.

    They remind us of the romance we have with our past and are a symbol of the progress we’ve made throughout the fledgling years of our existence. Railroads helped shape our nation, and put us on track to a more prosperous union.

    The M & B Railroad served a small corridor in Northwest Florida beginning in 1909. The line ran between two nearby cities, Marianna, the “M”, and Blountstown, the “B”.

    “If you wanted to go anywhere other than maybe [by] a steamboat, this was the only way to get out of town,” said Blountstown Mayor Tony Shoemake.

    The line was just 29 miles long and it cost 15 cents for a one-way trip. It was the shortest railroad line in Florida.

    What takes 25 minutes to travel today, took two hours back then. The train traveled at 15 miles an hour. It also had a line that went 15 miles down to Scott's Ferry, but that was shut down in 1936.

    The M & B offered passenger service until 1929. The automobile and improved roads proved to be tough competition, but the need for commerce did not go away.

    “Blountstown was always known as [a] lumber [town],” said Shoemake.

    And lumber was what the train carried for years, among other products. Many would say M & B stood for "meat and bread" because of the commodities the railroad carried.

    “Then in the later years when it started to decline it started to stand for 'many bumps' 'cause the railroad was in, you know, such bad shape,” explained Shoemake.

    The railroad ultimately outlived its usefulness and in 1972 the last locomotive and its accompanying rail cars barreled down the M & B tracks for the final time.

    “A lot of local businessman tried hard to save the railroad…but weren’t able to,” said Shoemake.

    But the railroad would not go quietly off into the sunset. In 2007, Blountstown leaders received a grant to restore the old train depot.

    “We wanted to turn it into a small, local museum so we could showcase local history,” said Shoemake.

    Inside the museum you’ll find artifacts of the railroad’s storied past. From manifests to tickets to old typewriters and telegraphs, the museum showcases prized historical remnants of an era many want to keep alive in the hearts and minds of those who share a connection with the M & B.

    “And it’s an original seal for the M & B railroad," said Shoemake as he pulled out a stamp. "It’s what they used to put on all their official documents, and it embosses the emblem into the paper. What it says on it, it says, ‘Marianna & Blountstown Railroad Company’ and in the center it says ‘God help us!’”

    The museum extends outdoors and across the street as well.

    "The steam engine is a big draw," said Shoemake. "People stop in all the time."

    Locomotive number 444 was the last steam engine that roamed the tracks of the M & B Railroad. It was tracked down in Texas and brought back and restored. It sits on tracks where the old rail line once sat.

    “People [visit] that can remember when the train was running when they were young, and then you have people that just like trains in general because lots of people collect train memorabilia,” said Shoemake.

    The M & B's history is rich. Its stories unique. It may no longer make that 29-mile trek from Marianna to Blountstown, but it forever chugs down the tracks of the community’s collective consciousness.

    Ron Marasco / WJHG Panama City FL

    tag_pinMarianna

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    herald_ln1 The Louisville & Nashville railroad depot was built in 1881 and was used for many years to direct area freight and passenger service before it was replaced and moved across the street from the railroad station where it sat for many years. The building was badly damaged by fire in 1979. In 1982, the damaged building was purchased and was moved up the hill to its present location. By 1983 the beautiful restoration of the old Depot was completed. The Depot's charm and distinctive character will long be a reminder of the "olden days" when the trains whistled and belched over America. Marianna is fortunate to have such a fine restoration of an 1800 landmark, which serves very effectively today as an office complex.

    Marianna online

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    Click to see the former L&N Marianna depot plotted on a Google Maps page

    Publications

    mbrc_guide1920

    1920 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_guide1930

    1930 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_guide1940

    1940 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_guide1948

    1948 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_guide1965

    1965 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_guide1972

    1972 Official Guide ad / collection

    mbrc_register1926

    1926 Official Railway Equipment Register ad / collection

    mbrc_register1938

    1938 Official Railway Equipment Register ad / collection

    mbrc75_ad

    collection

    tag_scrapClippings

    mbrc_clipping1970

    from Railroading magazine #35 - Sep 1970 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1971a

    from EXTRA 2200 South magazine - Jul 1971 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1971b

    from Railroading magazine #40 - Sep 1971 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1972a

    from EXTRA 2200 South magazine - Mar 1972 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1972b

    from Railroading magazine #42 - Jan 1972 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1972c

    from Railroading magazine #44 - Fall 1972 / collection

    mbrc_clipping1974

    from EXTRA 2200 South magazine - May 1974 / collection

    mbrc_letter

    personal correspondence / collection

    tag_lagnLagniappe

    tag_snapSnapshots

    Links / Sources

    This page was updated on 2022-06-07