Meridian Southern Railway

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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Erosion, other problems threaten railroad’s safety

A CONDUCTOR’S WORD — Meridian Southern Railway conductor Richard Spencer talks about the railroad while heading northbound Wednesday. Wayne and Clarke county officials hope to snag state or federal grants to repair the Meridian Southern rail line that links Meridian and Waynesboro. Photo by Kyle Carter / The Meridian Star

By Fredie Carmichael / staff writer

August 5, 2004

SHUBUTA — The railroad that winds through the backwoods of Clarke County here along the Chickasawhay River has carried timber, wood chips and other goods to and from businesses for generations.

For years, it helped support the livelihood of many jobs in the county.

And despite more advanced transportation available today, such as airplanes and 18-wheelers, some people in Clarke County still rely on the locomotives that creep along this railroad.

Jobs, nearly 2,000 combined in Clarke and Wayne counties, depend on the efficiency of a 55-mile stretch of railroad owned by Meridian Southern Railway LLC.

That’s why Clarke and Wayne county officials have been trying to build momentum for a project that would refurbish parts of the railroad that they say have been neglected in the past.

“It definitely needs attention,” Herb Strange, a Meridian Southern Railway engineer, said Wednesday as he switched gears in his 1950s model GMC locomotive that pulled cars packed with pulpwood and wood chips.

“It wasn’t kept up like it should have been in the past,” he said.

Important cargo

Strange and Richard Spencer, the conductor, manned the locomotive on its run from Waynesboro to Meridian. The train alternates carrying cargo north and south to wood yards and industrial sites in places like Shubuta, Quitman and Meridian.

In Shubuta on Wednesday, the train crossed two bridges at the heart of concerns of the Meridian Southern and county officials — on

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Interesting. I didn’t know the USDA had a “National Resources Conservation Service” that could help fund repairs.

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I didn’t know GMC made locomotives. I guess they found out EMD is part of GM and add a ‘C’.

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I hope everything works out, it’s always sad to see another railway bite the dust, especially if it is still useful.

The E&N railway on Vancouver Island sounds like it’s in a similar position to this railway.

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Actually, things are looking up on the MDS. The project is getting a lot of political attention I hear and it has been in print a lot lately. Even if it doesn’t happen a friend of mine tells me that the railroad is already making a lot of progress repairing the bridges. The MDS has over 70 bridges on its line according to prior articles.

LC

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That’s good to hear. [:)]

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Peculiar to see the lack of a maintenance official on the railroad. (roadmaster, track supervisor, maintenance foreman, etc…)

Those outfits that are just a bunch of operating people insearch of a piece of track to run on do not tend to survive for very long without some in-house expertise…

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MC-

There is indeed an MOW foreman and two other track/bridge guys on property at MDS. He hates to comment on anything for the press. I understand his ego was somewhat wounded by a misquote in the past.

LC

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True, but I hear the VP there is a former Class 1 Chief Engineer (MOW, that is) so I think they have the expertise they need in that department. Of course there is no substitute for a bigger CAPEX to upgrade.

LC

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True, but I hear the VP there is a former Class 1 Chief Engineer (MOW, that is) so I think they have the expertise they need in that department. Of course there is no substitute for a bigger CAPEX to upgrade.

LC