Gloster Southern Railroad
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Gloster, MS |
| Reporting mark | GLSR |
| Locale | Gloster, MS to Slaughter, LA |
| Dates of operation | 1987–2008 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Gloster Southern Railroad (reporting mark GLSR) was a United States shortline railroad that operated in Mississippi and Louisiana. The GLSR began operation in 1990 and provided freight service from Gloster, Mississippi, to the Illinois Central Railroad (now Canadian National Railway - CN) interchange at Slaughter, Louisiana.
The line was owned by Georgia-Pacific (GP) which had purchased and refurbished 35 miles (56 km) of an abandoned branch line to provide service to a GP oakwood mill in Gloster. The GLSR operated four or five freight trains per week until the plant closed in December 2002. One year later, Genesee and Wyoming Inc acquired three short-line railroads from GP. However, this sale did not include the GLSR.
In September 2004, GP announced that they would re-open the Gloster oakwood mill. However, they did not continue to operate the GLSR. On January 6, 2008, a local railfan observed a Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) train heading north through Lobdell, Louisiana. Behind the three KCS locomotives was a former GLSR CF7 locomotive which had its number boards covered with grey duct tape. The McComb Enterprise Journal reported on April 2, 2008, that the Georgia-Pacific Corporation is closing its railroad and that the town of Gloster was interested in the rail bed.[1]
The Gloster Southern Railroad applied to discontinue service on its entire line in December 2009,[2] and crews began removing the railway and roadbed. By June 2013, it was reported that all of the track had been moved and sold for recycle.
Equipment
| No. | Builder | Build Date | Model | Purchase Date | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1501 | AT&SF #17954 | May 1953 | CF7 | 04/86 | |
| 1502 | AT&SF | CF7 | Photo | ||
| 903 | AT&SF | SW900 |
References
- ^ McComb Enterprise Journal. 4/2/2008.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Gloster Southern Railroad Company LLC--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Amite and Wilkinson Counties, MS and East Feliciana Parish, LA". USDOT Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- American Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition, p135
- "CN Short Line Partners". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- "GP To Suspend Production". Archived from the original on 2007-04-20. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- "GP Sell Short-line railroads". Archived from the original on 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- "GP To restart two plants". Archived from the original on 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2007-05-07.
- "Surface Transportation Board - Gloster Southern". Retrieved 2011-06-20.
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