Gloster Southern Railroad

Gloster Southern Railroad
Reporting mark GLSR
Locale Gloster, MS to Slaughter, LA
Dates of operation 1987–2008
Track gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Headquarters Gloster, MS

The Gloster Southern Railroad (reporting mark GLSR) is a United States shortline railroad that operates in Mississippi and Louisiana. The GLSR began operation in 1990 and provides freight service from Gloster, Mississippi, to the Illinois Central Railroad (now Canadian National Railway - CN) interchange at Slaughter, Louisiana.

The line was owned by Georgia-Pacific (GP) which had purchased and refurbished 35 miles (56 km) of an abandoned branch line to provide service to a GP oakwood mill in Glouster. The GLSR operated four or five freight trains per week until the plant closed in December 2002. One year later, Genesee and Wyoming Inc acquired three short-line railroads from GP, however this sale did not include the GLSR.

In September 2004, GP announced that they would re-open the Gloster oakwood mill however they did not continue to operate the GLSR. On January 6, 2008 a local railfan observed a Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS) train heading north through Lobdell, Louisiana. Behind the three KCS locomotives was a former GLSR CF7 locomotive which had its number boards covered with grey duct tape. The McComb Enterprise Journal reported on April 2, 2008, that the Georgia-Pacific Corporation is closing its railroad and that the town of Gloster was interested in the rail bed.[1]

The Gloster Southern Railroad applied to discontinue service on its entire line in December 2009[2] and crews began removing the railway and roadbed. By June 2013, it was reported that all of the track had been moved and sold for recycle.

Equipment

No. Builder Build Date Model Purchase Date Photo
1501 AT&SF #17954 May 1953 CF7 04/86
1502 AT&SF CF7 Photo
903 AT&SF SW900

References

  1. ↑ McComb Enterprise Journal. 4/2/2008. Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ "Gloster Southern Railroad Company LLC--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Amite and Wilkinson Counties, MS and East Feliciana Parish, LA". USDOT Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved 20 June 2011.