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Great River RailroadServing the Port of Rosedale, Mississippi |
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Bolivar County has always enjoyed a deep connection to the Mississippi River. Since the earliest days of the paddlewheel steam boats, Bolivar residents have recognized the Mississippi as a uniquely valuable resource. So when the opportunity to develop a port presented itself in the early 1970s, the county was determined that the project would be handled with the utmost care and professionalism, beginning with a top-flight feasibility study. The result: A port ready to provide superior service, featuring a 150-foot wide channel over 2.7 miles long with an additional 400' width turning basin on the upper end and a "T" shaped 211' x 51' general cargo dock with a crane adjoining a 20 acre hydraulic fill for a terminal.
The Great River Railroad was formed in late 1979 to take over a portion of the former Yazoo & Mississippi Valley's (later Illinois Central) Riverside Division in northwest Mississippi. The shortline acquired and operated the line from the port town of Rosedale, on the Mississippiu River, south to an interchange with the Columbus & Greenville Railway at Metcalfe, just north of Greenville — 32 miles total. Traffic averaged 200 cars a year of agricultural products, manufactured steel items, and lubricants, all handled by a pair of former military Alco switchers, until the line was embargoed in 2001. In 2020, new Mississippi-based shortline operator Chicago Rock Island & Pacific announced plans to rehabilitate the Great River line and operate it again in partnership with the Port of Rosedale. Interchange would begin again with the Columbus & Greenville at Great River Junction, at Metcalfe — a rare shortline to shortline interchange point.
1910 Official Guide / collection
GTR route map / RWH
1994 Official Guide ad / collection
from American Shortline Railway Guide
by Edward Lewis (1996) / collection
Louis Saillard / collection
Article
“The Rock” to Begin Phase 1 of Port of Rosedale Restoration
August 2020
The first phase in the restoration of the Great River Railroad rail service to the Port of Rosedale, Miss., is set to commence. The Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, a Mississippi LLC, is to begin clearing and repairing track leading to the Port of Rosedale in Bolivar County, Miss.
This Great River Railroad restoration “adds to and complements the current mission and future growth of the Port of Rosedale.” The rail line interchanges with the Columbus & Greenville Railroad outside of Greenville, Miss.
The Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, LLC is headquartered in Hernando, Miss. “The Rock” operates The Mississippi Delta Railroad (MSDR), based in Sumner, Miss., which operates a total of 85 miles of track in Northwest Mississippi from a connection with the Canadian National Railway at Swan Lake, Miss. The MSDR has two expansive yards located in Clarksdale, Miss., as well as numerous sidings and auxiliary tracks for car storage. The MSDR’s principle commodities include scrap, paper, polystyrene, PVC, fertilizer, cotton, grains and other agricultural products.
The Port of Rosedale is “a total intermodal facility, offering unrivaled access to both the lower Mississippi River and the Arkansas River navigation systems, the Port of Rosedale is strategically located only 100 miles from Memphis and within a 500-mile radius of major markets, including Houston, Birmingham and Atlanta. Additionally, our temperate climate combined with all-weather capacity ensures non-stop productivity.”
“It is exciting to be part of this effort that will ultimately bring jobs to the Mississippi Delta,” said Robert Riley, CEO, Chicago Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. “We believe that this effort will significantly enhance the competitive advantage of the Port of Rosedale as it expands and attracts new tenants. We are ready to work with them to attract new tenants, to grow the capabilities of existing tenants, and to boost and expand intermodal capabilities.”
“The members of the Rosedale-Bolivar County Port Commission, the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors, and I are all pleased and excited in the anticipation of seeing the transformation of the Great River Railroad from a neglected but very valuable asset to what we hope to be a shining symbol of the revitalization of opportunity and growth for an area in need of both,” said Robert Maxwell, Director of the Port of Rosedale.
“I am excited for the chance to work with someone with the vision to see the tremendous potential for re-opening this railroad and what it can bring in the way of economic development for Bolivar County and surrounding areas,” Maxwell added. “It will vastly increase the reach and capacity of the Port of Rosedale by allowing it to regain the status of a truly multi-modal transportation hub for freight and commodities of all types. It will increase the Port’s value and effectiveness for Bolivar County and the State of Mississippi while expanding our connection to the rest of the world. We anticipate the expansion of existing businesses as well as the attraction of new businesses to the area as a result of the increased reliability of transportation via the Port of Rosedale and the Great River Railroad.”
Andrew Corselli - Railway Age
photo above Sumner, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
HawkinsRails thanks the Great River Railroad for permission to photograph on their property
Motive Power
Great River #2
Rosedale, Ms / Jan 2015 / Terry Redeker
Great River #2
to National Air & Space Admin #2
to Great River #2
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jan 2015 / Terry Redeker 
Great River #8341
Rosedale, Ms / Jul 2017 / John Schumann
Great River #8341
to Great River #8341
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Locations
Metcalfe
The wye at Metcalfe, Mississippi, belonged to the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley, where its Riverside Division mainline (Vicksburg to Memphis) met the smaller Leland District branch. Both lines would pass through the Illinois Central into the Illinois Central Gulf merger. By the 1980s, however, the Columbus & Greenville Railway used the southeast and southwest corners of the wye to access Greenville — bypassing their former mainline from the Stoneville into town. Great River Railroad used the northwest corner of the wye for interchange with CAGY. During this period the wye was known in timetables as Great River Junction.
Click to see the Metcalfe wye area plotted on a Google Maps page
southeast CAGY leg / Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
southwest CAGY leg / Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
See also our Columbus & Greenville Western Towns scrapbook for more Metcalfe photos
northwest GTR leg / Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Metcalfe, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Winterville
Winterville, Ms / 1982 / Louis Saillard
Benoit
Benoit, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the community of Benoit plotted on a Google Maps page
Jun 2020 / RWH
Benoit, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Benoit, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Beulah
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Illinois Central #1901
Beulah, Ms / Mar 1906 / Gary Everhart collection
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the location along Railroad Avenue plotted on a Google Maps page
Jun 2020 / RWH
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
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Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the Beulah Road crossing plotted on a Google Maps page
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the industrial park spur Mississippi Route 1 crossing plotted on a Google Maps page
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Port of Rosedale
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Bolivar County has always enjoyed a deep connection to the Mississippi River. Since the earliest days of the paddlewheel steam boats, Bolivar residents have recognized the Mississippi as a uniquely valuable resource. So when the opportunity to develop a port presented itself in the early 1970s, the county was determined that the project would be handled with the utmost care and professionalism, beginning with a top-flight feasibility study.
The county hired a nationally recognized engineering firm, and a report was presented in February, 1974 indicating that a port development project was economically feasible and should be strongly pursued. Immediately, the Board of Supervisors petitioned the Mississippi Legislature to create a five-person County Port Commission within Bolivar County, and after five energetic individuals were appointed from the five districts within the county, this dedicated group hit the ground running. Their full-speed-ahead effort that took them from Bolivar County to the U. S. Corps of Engineers District Headquarters in Vicksburg, MS, to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the Port of Rosedale facilities plotted on a Google Maps page
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
North of the Port of Rosedale, in Rosedale proper, the remains of the former Yazoo & Mississippi Valley Railroad depot and water tank still remain in the ground along the mainline right of way.
1910 Official Guide ad / collection
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Click to see the former Y&MV depot site plotted on a Google Maps page
Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Jun 2020 / RWH
Lagniappe
Samford & Sons
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
The Once Great River
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Captain's Chair
Jun 2020 / RWH
The Port Will Rise Again
Rosedale, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Remembering the Yazoo & Miss Valley
Beulah, Ms / Jun 2020 / RWH
Links / Sources
- Port of Rosedale website
- Railroad Picture Archives Great River roster
- Wikipedia article for Great River Railroad
- “The Rock” to Begin Phase 1 of Port of Rosedale Restoration - Railway Age
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 141
- Charles W. McDonald, Diesel Locomotive Rosters - Third Edition (Kalmbach, 1992) 76