Mississippian
The Road of the Bentonite Baldwins
The 24-mile long Mississippian Railway was dubbed the "Bentonite Road," referring to the clay bonding material produced by a bentonite plant in Smithville built in 1944 that generated much of the line's traffic in the 1950s and 60s. Popular among steam fans for a pair of former Frisco Baldwins operated by two brothers, the Mississippian survived the transition to diesel power and remains a working shortline.
The Mississippian was built in 1924 for hauling lumber products from Fulton, Mississippi, south to a connection with the Frisco Railway at Amory. The discovery of large deposits of bentonite clay in the 1950s bolstered the Mississippian's carloadings and ensured the survival of the railroad for many more years. During those years, the pike relied on a pair of ex-Frisco Baldwin steamers for motive power -- both of which survive today in museum and tourist hauling service. In 1986 the road was sold to the Itawamba County Development Council, which transferred operation over to the Mississippian Railway Cooperative -- a non-profit entity directly representing industries that relied on the railroad to transport their products. Today the line serves an industrial park in the south part of Fulton, and interchange is made at Amory with Frisco (later Burlington Northern) successor Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
MISS route map / from Mississippi Rails
While legally owned by the Itawamba County Port, the railroad is wholly funded and operated through the Mississippian Railway Cooperative, a third-party nonprofit group created in the 1980s to oversee its operations. Although not as active as it once was, the railroad is still used regularly by three local companies: Tri-State Lumber, Mueller Brass and Ferguson Enterprises. Additionally, several out-of-county customers use the railroad to unload shipments at Itawamba County Port on a semi-regular basis.
Steam Locomotives
Mississippian #10
Amory, Ms / Jun 1940 / collection
Mississippian #10
to Mississippian #10, 1925
scrapped at Birmingham, AL, 1947
Mississippian #76
Smithville, Ms / Aug 1966 / JCH
Mississippian #76
leased to Frisco #76, 1925
to Mississippian #76, 1947
to Penn View Mountain #76, 1967
to Gettysburg #76, 1976
to Ohio Central System, 1999
See also our Jonesboro, Lake City & Eastern shortline scrapbook for more Baldwin #76 photos
Mississippian #77
Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Mississippian #77
to Frisco #77, 1926
to Mississippian, 1947
to North Alabama Railroad Club, 1967
to Magnolia State Rwy, 1984
to Central Western Rwy, 1989
to Alberta Prairie #41
See also our Mississippian #77 excursion scrapbook for more Baldwin photos
from 
magazine - Jan 1987 / collection
Diesel Locomotives
Mississippian #321
Fulton, Ms / Nov 1964 / collection
Mississippian #321
Fulton, Ms / Nov 1964 / collection
Rolling Stock
Mississippian #630
wooden caboose / Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Mississippian #939
homebuilt caboose / Amory, Ms / May 1970 / JCH
caboose, MoW equipment / Amory, Ms / Apr 1970 / JCH
Locations
Amory
Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Amory, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Smithville
Smithville, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Smithville, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Smithville, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Smithville, Ms / Aug 1966 / JCH
Smithville, Ms / Aug 1966 / JCH
Smithville, Ms / Aug 1966 / JCH
Fulton
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / May 1960 / JCH
Fulton, Ms / Nov 1964 / collection
Lagniappe
I was so pleased to receive the following email correspondance from Patricia Horne and her brother:
We are looking at your pics of the Mississippian in the 1960s. The pic of two kids, if I am not mistaken, is of me and my sister. We sat on those tiles several days and watched the train. My grandmother ran a store right behind the tracks and my grandfather ran a cotton gin on the other side of tracks. Enjoyed looking at pics.
It was a exciting time in the late 50's and 60's there in Smithville. If the train came by my grandmother's store around 12, it would stop and they would get off and eat. There was five of us boys around there and we would jump on the caboose and ride about two miles down the track to a fishing hole. The train would stop there and water up. We either walked back or waited till it came back about three or fours hours later and rode back and jump off back in town. We did more swimming than fishing and had time to dry out before going home. Again thanks for picture. I will show it to my mother, she grew up by the tracks.
I love receiving this kind of note out of the blue, and my dad would have been "tickled pink" to know his impromptu subjects relived this simple moment so many decades later. He loved visiting the Mississippian in the 1960s during various family travels across the Magnolia State.
Anticipation
May 1960 / JCH
Handoff
May 1960 / JCH
Inspector
Amory, Ms / Apr 1970 / JCH
Links / Sources
- Wikipedia article for Mississippian Railway
- Mississippi Rails Mississippian page
- Edward A. Lewis, American Shortline Railway Guide - Fourth Edition (Kalmbach, 1991) 169