Gulfport CBC Railroad Movement

A happy sight for me as I cruised Gulfport Mississippi CBC. Lots of DODX and Army owned Flat Cars in storage. This is the first time in a few years I've seen movement on these rails. The base has recently been pulling up the unused rails but I'm happy to report they have also been repairing worn ties and ballast. Perhaps the military will get into gear and begin using railroads more often.

Saw two KCS Locos on Gulfport Seabee base. I talked to one sailor who said that's the first train to operate on board in 10 years. My question would be, How long can railroad tracks be used on a well balasted road without having maintance or inspections.

Maybe they are being positioned for a movement of equipment going to or coming home from Iraq. The 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division at Fort Riley, KS, is supposed to go back to Iraq. Also the Louisiana ARNG's 256th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized) is going to Iraq. These are heavy units, and thus most efficiently moved to their ports of embarkation by rail.

I mentioned earlier that CBC had worked on the tracks. Wow, was I ever Wrong... Just 1 month after I saw KCS engines moving cars over tracks they were removed. Two long pieces of railline were removed. The former Warehouses which was serviced by the rails had been converted to Office buildings. The base RR is no longer the big cartoon caption shape. The removal job looked to be very professional and most of the base is still active with Flat DODX car storage. Just imagine my shock when I had hoped to do some railfaning; then came accross an empty piece of Land with quick seed grass already taking root. I looked, then looked again. I didn't believe that the rails had been plucked from this earth so easily. One former ROW had a sidewalk built on it by the Seabees. Again a very professsional job. The question of how far will the military abandoned Rail shipment has been answered. Specialy when perfectly good infustructor is removed for a sidewalk.

Is CBC Gulfport's 65 ton parked inside or outside?

After a long search. I saw no engine on the base. Many tracks go into warehouses so the possiblity exists the Locomotive is in a covered secure storage. Similar to NAS Oceana's Loco being in it's own Maintance Facility. Also, the possibility exists that the Loco no longer resides onboard CBC.

Below is some data I collected on the site over a decade ago. If you would really like to track down some information on the operation, give 'em a call.

Also, regarding NAS Oceana, that line is long gone. The lone GE 44-ton sat undisturbed in its enginehouse for years while the track became overgrown with brush, and several years ago it was excessed and trucked out to the Modoc RR Academy in California.
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Transportation Branch
Public Works Center
NCBC Gulfport, MS 39501
(601) 871-2861
DSN: 868-2861

Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport operates 9.34 miles of track to move heavy equipment in and out of the base. Linked to CSX, the line is built with 100 pound rail and possesses no enginehouse. Operations are conducted from Monday through Friday, 0700 to 1530.

R/N = USN 65-00510

Builder = GE

Model = 65-ton

Built = 1942

Gulfport CBC sits Empty of Railcars today. ???All Evacuated for Katrina??? I believe so.