| By: | William H. Davis Jr. |
| Dates: | 12/18/2010 - 12/18/2010 |
| Album Info: | Birmingham Southern Railroad ( BSRR, AAR reporting mark BS ) was a short line railroad which operated as a subsidary of Transtar, a Pittsburg, Pa. based operator of several short line railroad companies. Its local offices were located in the Flintridge Building in Fairfield. In 2011 the railroad was sold to Watco Transportation Services of Pittsburg, Ks. & reorganized as the Birmingham Terminal Railway. Organized in 1899, BSRR was one of the busiest local rail systems in the United States. It operated on 84 miles of track, providing switching services in the Birmingham area. Lines included a primary route from East Thomas to Bessemer, Al. with interchanges with BNSF, NS, & CSXT carriers. The route included Thomas, Ensley, Fairfield, & Woodward. A 2nd line split off between Ensley & Fairfield & continued past Norrell Junction ( where the owners of the Oak Grove Mine operate a spur to Concord ). From there the line continued through Mulga to Port Birmingham. The railroad operated an Ensley Yard & East Thomas Yard. Customers served by BSRR are U.S. Steel, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, Choctaw Pipe, Western Pipe Services, Griffin Wheel, A&K Railroad Materials, Honeywell, American Firelog, Ergon, Koppers Tar, Vulcan Materials, Wade Sand & Gravel, Hanna Steel, Hubbell Steel, & Southline Steel. |
