Mississippi Central Railroad
The Mississippi Central Railroad operates over 50 miles of shortline trackage from Oxford, Mississippi, north to Grand Junction, Tennessee. Until the 1930s, this segment was a part of the Illinois Central's primary north-south mainline and included a regional headquarters facility in Water Valley, Ms. However, the line fell to secondary status when major traffic shifted to the IC's mainline through Memphis. Pioneer Railcorp has owned the operation since 1993, when it purchased it from the Natchez Trace Railway and owner Kyle Railroad. The railroad's principal shipments are wood products and fertilizer, interchanging with BNSF Railway (former Frisco) at Holly Springs and Norfolk Southern (former Southern) at Grand Junction. Additional MSCI lines in the region include 11 miles in Iuka, Mississippi, and 46 miles from Corinth, Mississippi to Red Bay, Alabama.
See also our Mississippi Central Railroad scrapbook for the south Mississippi fallen flag
See also our complete Pioneer Lines shortline holding company scrapbook
Motive Power
Mississippi Central #1605
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Mississippi Central #1605
to Louisville & Nashville #543
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Locations
Abbeville, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs depot
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
from Illinois Central Historical Society Green Diamond #100 / collection
For more information on the historic Illinois Central structure visit the Holly Springs Depot blog
Mississippi Central office
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Click to see the Mississippi Central yard area plotted on a Google Maps page
Sardis Lake bridge
Abbeville, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Lagniappe
Mississippi Central Twilight
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
Tanker Time
Holly Springs, Ms / Dec 2015 / RWH
The Mississippi Central saves the day ... or at least my latest railfan excursion.
After a full day of meandering all over the Magnolia State and seeing precious little in the way of locomotives, moving or parked, Geep 1605 resting at the former freight house in Holly Springs was a welcomed sight. The sun was setting fast by the time I arrived, but I managed to capture a few shots in the yard before the shadows grew too long. 1605 is a long way from her Chicago & Eastern Illinois roots and now pushing 60 years old, but she looks ready for the next call to work in the Pioneer paint scheme. Holly Springs is great little spot to watch trains, as the old Frisco mainline north of the historic depot is busy with unit coal and freight traffic.
Links / Sources
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fifth Edition (Kalmbach, 1996) 201
- Pioneer Railcorp website for their Mississippi Central Railroad operation
- Wikipedia article for Mississippi Central Railroad
- Diesel Shop roster for Mississippi Central Railroad