masthead_shortlines
rebelroutes
Shortline

Mississippi Central Railroad

msci_state The Mississippi Central Railroad operates over 50 miles of shortline trackage from Oxford, Mississippi, north to Grand Junction, Tennessee. Until the 1930s, this segment was a part of the Illinois Central's primary north-south mainline and included a regional headquarters facility in Water Valley, Ms. However, the line fell to secondary status when major traffic shifted to the IC's mainline through Memphis. Pioneer Railcorp has owned the operation since 1993, when it purchased it from the Natchez Trace Railway and owner Kyle Railroad. The railroad's principal shipments are wood products and fertilizer, interchanging with BNSF Railway (former Frisco) at Holly Springs and Norfolk Southern (former Southern) at Grand Junction. Additional MSCI lines in the region include 11 miles in Iuka, Mississippi, and 46 miles from Corinth, Mississippi to Red Bay, Alabama.

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See also our Mississippi Central Railroad scrapbook for the south Mississippi fallen flag

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See also our complete Pioneer Lines shortline holding company scrapbook

Motive Power

Mississippi Central #1605

  • builder:Electro Motive Division
  • model:GP9
  • type:B-B road switcher
  • built:Feb 1957, EMD #22016
  • series:4112 produced 1954-63
  • engine:EMD 567C (16 cyl, 1750 hp)
  • notes:
  • blt Chicago & Eastern Illinois #236
    to Louisville & Nashville #543
  • builder

    Locations

    hollysprings_clipping

    from Illinois Central Historical Society Green Diamond #100 / collection

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    For more information on the historic Illinois Central structure visit the Holly Springs Depot blog

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    Click to see the Mississippi Central yard area plotted on a Google Maps page

    Lagniappe

    journal_rwh
    December 2015

    The Mississippi Central saves the day ... or at least my latest railfan excursion.

    After a full day of meandering all over the Magnolia State and seeing precious little in the way of locomotives, moving or parked, Geep 1605 resting at the former freight house in Holly Springs was a welcomed sight. The sun was setting fast by the time I arrived, but I managed to capture a few shots in the yard before the shadows grew too long. 1605 is a long way from her Chicago & Eastern Illinois roots and now pushing 60 years old, but she looks ready for the next call to work in the Pioneer paint scheme. Holly Springs is great little spot to watch trains, as the old Frisco mainline north of the historic depot is busy with unit coal and freight traffic.

    Links / Sources

    This page was updated on 2015-12-07