Gulf Breeze Mobile - Birmingham - Huntsville - Chattanooga Past and Future?

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Dreezy, I was sorely mistaken with my posting to which you rightly took exception.

Huntsville is on the SRY Chattanooga-Memphis line which during 1964 had "two a day". The daylight Birmingham Special was coach only at that time; The Tennesseean still had a Knoxville-Memphis Pullman line but passed through Huntsville Westbound at some O-dark-30.

The L&N passed through Decatur as noted by Mr.
Dreezy, which Huntsville is some 19 miles to the East. I was relying on an occurrence during Summer 1969 at an internship with MA Bell. Time for the annual inventory so all us dumb ones were sent about the land to put on a White safety hat, wear a suit and tie, and "look officious" (what a joke; any stuff of value Arthur Andersen had their people observing). I remember a careerist was being sent to a Western Electric facility in Huntsville. I remember the boss saying "Marty's taking the train down to Huntsville" and presumed that meant the Humming Bird from Dearborn Station. Likely that is what he tode, but was met at Decatur.

So I sincerely apologize to the Forum for my misinformation. Again, thank you Mr. Dreezy.

[Dreezy]

No worries, Mr. Norman; it's merely a technicality. I was being over-zealous (and a snob) by making a issue of it. As a millenial and railfan in a state with (almost) no passenger trains, I'm frankly envious of the pre-Amtrak memories you have that I lack. Moreover, Mr. Perkowski is quite correct. The difference between A-Day and the Carter Cuts is only eight years, but it's been long enough that it probably wouldn't make much of a difference with respect to the restoration of service.

[bill613A]

FYI to Mr. Norman. Your colleague most likely rode the every other day SOUTH WIND if he went directly from Chicago to Decatur. The HUMMINGBIRD was discontinued in January of 1969.

[Tom6921]

I had a thought: Had Katrina hit New Orleans when the Gulf Breeze was still running, but threatened would it have been restored sooner than the Sunset east of New Orleans. If so, perhaps it would have given the train a "temporary" reprieve until the "suspended" service on the Sunset was restored.

[Woody]

Why not continue on to Huntsville? It seems a nearly straight shot on the existing line along I-65 to Decatur, then an even straighter shot over into Huntsville.

Is there a route from Decatur to Huntsville? And thence to Chattanooga?

Some may recall that I've posted about a wish/plan of the Commonwealth of Virginia that would take the Roanoker on down to Bristol on the VA/TN border, ultimately Knoxville-Chattanooga-Atlanta.

But a workable Atlanta station may never happen. Instead, could they take the train Chattanooga-Huntsville-Birmingham-Montgomery-Mobile-Florida/New Orleans?

[MattW]

Yes. It's the NS Chattanooga-Memphis mainline. It joins CSX at Stevenson, AL (northbound) until just before Chattanooga.

[R&DB]

New Orleans - Mobile - Montgomery - Atlanta would make a nice Regional,

[Station Aficionado]

New Orleans - Mobile - Montgomery - Atlanta would make a nice Regional,

That was the route of the Crescent up until around 1969. It was, I think, the Southerner (??) that ran via Birmingham and Meridian (as the Amtrak version of the Crescent does) It would a good route still except for the station situation in Atlanta. Could a train coming off CSX even access the Atlanta station?

Another thought I’ve had is to run a train (either a section off the Crescent or a separate train) Birmingham-Montgomery-Mobile-New Orleans. That could also have the makings of a regional corridor (without having to solve the Atlanta situation).

[prokowave]

New Orleans - Mobile - Montgomery - Atlanta would make a nice Regional,

That was the route of the Crescent up until around 1969. It was, I think, the Southerner (??) that ran via Birmingham and Meridian (as the Amtrak version of the Crescent does) It would a good route still except for the station situation in Atlanta. Could a train coming off CSX even access the Atlanta station?

Another thought I’ve had is to run a train (either a section off the Crescent or a separate train) Birmingham-Montgomery-Mobile-New Orleans. That could also have the makings of a regional corridor (without having to solve the Atlanta situation).

That would be nice to see. I know there have been some movements towards a Mobile-Montgomery-Birmingham, but the governor is pretty hostile towards rail. It would be great to have a train doing a daytime BHM-NOL-BHM via MOB to complement the Crescent. IIRC NOL-BHM is one of its top city pairs

In the meantime, at least one of the trips MOB-NOL will essentially be an extension of the City of New Orleans. I don't know if it has been considered, but I think it would be nice to extend the Sunset Limited out to Mobile. The timings wouldn't be too horrible with a 5-6am departure from MOB and arrival about 1-2am. Allowing for a daytime trip to and from Houston would be a nice way to fill seats on the corridor, even if only 3 days a week.

And hopefully we'll get the NOL-BTR service up and running in a few years which would open up more possibilities.

[west point]

No problem accessing ATL station from Montgomery. CSX tracks actually join NS tracks near ATL airport. But you have the same problem of delays at Howell CP being crossed by NS tracks

[Jeff Smith]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsvill ... #Railroads

...
Huntsville has two active commercial rail lines. The mainline is run by Norfolk Southern, which runs from Memphis to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The original depot for this rail line, the Huntsville Depot, still exists as a railroad museum, though it no longer offers passenger service.

Another rail line, formerly part of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), successor to the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL), is being operated by the Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority (HMCRA). The line connects to the Norfolk Southern line downtown and runs 13 miles (21 km) south, passing near Ditto Landing on the Tennessee River, and terminating at Norton Switch, near Hobbs Island. This service, in continuous operation since 1894, presently hauls freight and provides transloading facilities at its downtown depot location. Until the mid-1950s, the L&N provided freight and passenger service to Guntersville and points South. The rail cars were loaded onto barges at Hobbs Island. The barge tows were taken upstream through the Guntersville Dam & Locks and discharged at Port Guntersville. Remnants of the track supporting piers still remain in the river just upstream from Hobbs Island. The service ran twice daily. L&N abandoned the line in 1984, at which time it was acquired by the newly created HMCRA, a state agency.

A third line, the Mercury and Chase Railroad, runs 10-mile (16 km) weekend tourist rides on part of another former NC&StL and L&N line from the North Alabama Railroad Museum's Chase Depot, located in the community of Chase, Alabama. Their collection includes one of the oldest diesel locomotives in existence (1926). The rail line originally connected Huntsville to NC&StL's Nashville-to-Chattanooga mainline in Decherd, Tennessee. The depot was once the smallest union station in the United States when it served the NC&StL and Memphis and Charleston Railroad, the predecessor to the Norfolk Southern.
...

[ryanch]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huntsvill ... #Railroads

...
Huntsville has two active commercial rail lines. The mainline is run by Norfolk Southern, which runs from Memphis to Chattanooga, Tennessee. The original depot for this rail line, the Huntsville Depot, still exists as a railroad museum, though it no longer offers passenger service.

Another rail line, formerly part of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N), successor to the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL), is being operated by the Huntsville and Madison County Railroad Authority (HMCRA). The line connects to the Norfolk Southern line downtown and runs 13 miles (21 km) south, passing near Ditto Landing on the Tennessee River, and terminating at Norton Switch, near Hobbs Island. This service, in continuous operation since 1894, presently hauls freight and provides transloading facilities at its downtown depot location. Until the mid-1950s, the L&N provided freight and passenger service to Guntersville and points South. The rail cars were loaded onto barges at Hobbs Island. The barge tows were taken upstream through the Guntersville Dam & Locks and discharged at Port Guntersville. Remnants of the track supporting piers still remain in the river just upstream from Hobbs Island. The service ran twice daily. L&N abandoned the line in 1984, at which time it was acquired by the newly created HMCRA, a state agency.

A third line, the Mercury and Chase Railroad, runs 10-mile (16 km) weekend tourist rides on part of another former NC&StL and L&N line from the North Alabama Railroad Museum's Chase Depot, located in the community of Chase, Alabama. Their collection includes one of the oldest diesel locomotives in existence (1926). The rail line originally connected Huntsville to NC&StL's Nashville-to-Chattanooga mainline in Decherd, Tennessee. The depot was once the smallest union station in the United States when it served the NC&StL and Memphis and Charleston Railroad, the predecessor to the Norfolk Southern.
...

That's interesting, I guess. But is there some other event or thought that prompted you to resurrect a thread with no posts in 5 months beyond just adding a bit of Wikipedia content?

Does the Mercury and Chase really exist only for the weekend tourist rides? There's track like that in NW Indiana, but in addition to the excursion train, it loads a fair number of grain cars, and I'd be surprised if the railroad museum could keep the track in good condition without the additional revenue.

[Jeff Smith]

That's interesting, I guess. But is there some other event or thought that prompted you to resurrect a thread with no posts in 5 months beyond just adding a bit of Wikipedia content?

Does the Mercury and Chase really exist only for the weekend tourist rides? There's track like that in NW Indiana, but in addition to the excursion train, it loads a fair number of grain cars, and I'd be surprised if the railroad museum could keep the track in good condition without the additional revenue.
[/quote]

The discussion of a connection to Mobile's new service.