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Sumter & Choctaw Railroad

Reincarnation of a Southland short line engine added much to the total of the afficionado's happiness when Middletown & New Jersey, a tourist line, rehabilitated Sumter & Choctaw's 2-6-2 #103 which thereby was spared from accumulating more rust and vines at its storage track at the Bellamy, Alabama, yards of American Can Company. Jersey rejuvenators thoughtfully included floppy white extra flags, once in vogue for unscheduled runs.

John Krause, Rails Through Dixie, 1965

Alabama shortline

A small lumber mill road serving two namesake counties in western Alabama, the Sumter & Choctaw Railroad was owned by Allison Lumber Company, the lumber mill operation at Bellamy -- on U.S. 80 west of Demopolis. At one time, the little pike was no longer than the four mile long connection track out to the Southern Railway. The mill operated two Baldwin steamers as late as the early 1960s. Remarkably, both locomotives exist today in storge in two different railroad museums in the north. The SC also operated a small motorcar when passenger service was provided.

See also our complete Sumter & Choctaw shortline collection

Motive Power

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Baldwin 2-8-2 (1924) / Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #102

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-8-2 Mikado
  • built:1924, Baldwin #57778
  • fuel:coal/water
  • notes:
  • 44 inch drivers, retired 1962
    preserved at National Railway Museum
Sumter & Choctaw #102

Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Bellamy, Al / Sep 1941 / collection

Sumter & Choctaw #105

Sumter & Choctaw #103

Baldwin 2-6-2 (1925) / Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #103

  • builder:Baldwin Locomotive Works
  • arrangement:2-6-2 Prairie
  • built:Nov 1925, Baldwin #58754
  • fuel:wood or coal / water
  • notes:
  • to Empire State Rwy Museum in 1962
    currently at Rwy Museum of New England
Sumter & Choctaw #103

Bellamy, Al / May 1960 / JCH

Sumter & Choctaw #102

Bellamy, Al / Sep 1941 / collection

Lagniappe

My father has fond memories of visiting the still-operating little Sumter & Choctaw in 1960. How could he not, with two operating small Baldwins and a retired motocar on the property? Though I missed the SC by two decades, I've enjoyed making scans of these terrific photographs. The black and white 120 negatives of #102 produced great results, and even though dad's color postcard camera obviously has some light leaks in 1960 when he snapped the color photos of #103, they still make for nice postcard prints in the end.

Links / Sources

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