Bay Line Railroad
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Panama City, Florida |
| Reporting mark | BAYL |
| Locale | Florida Panhandle and southeastern Alabama |
| Dates of operation | 1994– |
The Bay Line Railroad (reporting mark BAYL) is one of several short line railroad companies owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc. It operates between Panama City, Florida, and Abbeville, Alabama, with trackage rights on CSX's Dothan Subdivision between Dothan and Grimes, Alabama. The line interchanges with CSX's PA Subdivision at Cottondale, Florida, and their Dothan Subdivision at the trackage rights section near Dothan, Alabama. It also interchanges with the Chattahoochee and Gulf Railroad in Dothan, Alabama.
History
The main line was formerly known as the Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railway (reporting mark ASAB), which ran 82 miles from Panama City, Florida to Dothan, Alabama. The railroad was founded in 1905 by A. B. Steele. Upon completion of the line in 1908, the railroad boasted connections to three Class 1 railroads: Louisville and Nashville, Central of Georgia and Atlantic Coast Line.
Throughout its history the line's primary business was freight hauling; however, passenger service was available from the line's inception until 1957. The bulk of the freight hauled on the line was made up of wood or wood products. Atlanta was reached via trackage rights over the Central of Georgia Railroad, from Dothan, Alabama, via Albany, Georgia, and Macon.
The railroad was an early adopter of diesel power. By 1947, all steam locomotive power was gone from the line. In that same year, the railroad was granted Class 1 railroad status. This had an interesting side effect of making the Bay Line the first Class 1 railroad in the United States to be 100% dieselized.
After the death of its founder, the railroad was owned by a series of large corporations including Coca-Cola, United Fruit and International Paper.
Rail Management Corporation purchased the line from Stone Container Corporation on December 31, 1993. At the start of operations on January 1, 1994, the name of the railroad was officially changed from the Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad to the Bay Line Railroad. At this time, the company had 36 employees and approximately 100 miles of trackage. [1][2]
The portion of The Bay Line's route from Grimes to Abbeville, Alabama, along with trackage rights to Dothan along CSX, was previously owned by A&G Railroad, LLC. The two companies merged on June 26, 1996.[3] A&G Railroad, which had been owned by Railroad Services, Inc., began operations on January 1, 1994.[4] From March 1, 1989 to December 31, 1993, the Abbeville-Grimes line was known as the Abbeville-Grimes Railway Company, Inc.
On May 26, 2005, it was announced that all assets of Rail Management Corporation were to be bought by Genesee and Wyoming, Inc. with an effective date of June 1, 2005. The Bay Line Railroad was included in this purchase. As of 2007, the Bay Line Railroad continues operations as part of Genessee and Wyoming's Southern Region.
References
- Robert G. Lewis. Handbook of American Railroads (1956 Edition).
- John Sistrunk. The Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay Railroad. Railfan and Railroad Magazine. March, 1988.
- Genesee and Wyoming, Inc. (May 26, 2005), Genesee & Wyoming Announces Agreement to Acquire Short Line and Port Railroads from Rail Management Corporation.
- ^ United States Railroad Retirement Board, bcd94-72.pdf (PDF).
- ^ United States Railroad Retirement Board, bcd94-63.pdf (PDF)
- ^ United States Railroad Retirement Board, bcd97-56.pdf (PDF)
- ^ United States Railroad Retirement Board, bcd94-106.pdf (PDF)