Bay
Line Railroad - (en)
The Bay Line Railroad, LLC (AAR reporting marks BAYL) is one of several
short line railroad companies owned by the Genesee and Wyoming. It
operates between Panama City, Florida, and Abbeville, Alabama, with
trackage rights on CSX's Dothan Subdivision between Dothan and Grimes,
Alabama. The line interchanges with CSX's PA Subdivision at Cottondale,
Florida, and their Dothan Subdivision at the trackage rights section near
Dothan, Alabama. It also interchanges with the Chattahoochee and Gulf
Railroad in Dothan, Alabama.
History
The main line was formerly known as the Atlanta and St. Andrews Bay
Railway (ASAB), which ran 82 miles from Panama City, Florida to Dothan,
Alabama. The railroad was founded in 1905 by A. B. Steele. Upon completion
of the line in 1908, the railroad boasted connections to three Class 1
railroads: Louisville and Nashville, Central of Georgia and Atlantic Coast
Line.
An old logo for the line, which reached Atlanta, Georgia via trackage
rights on the Central of Georgia Railway.Throughout its history the line's
primary business was in freight hauling, however passenger service was
available from the line's inception until 1957. The bulk of the freight
hauled on the line is made up of wood or wood products.
The railroad was an early adopter of diesel power. By 1947, all steam
locomotive power was gone from the line. In that same year, the railroad
was granted Class 1 railroad status. This had an interesting side effect
of making the Bay Line the first Class 1 railroad in the United States to
be 100% dieselized.
After the death of its founder, the railroad was owned by a series of
large corporations including Coca-Cola, United Fruit and International
Paper. Rail Management Corporation purchased the line from Stone Container
Corporation on December 31, 1993, with operations starting on January 1,
1994.
Atlanta was reached via trackage rights over the Central of Georgia
Railroad, from Dothan, Alabama, via Albany, Georgia, and Macon. On May 26,
2005, it was announced that all assets of Rail Management Corporation were
to be bought by Genesee and Wyoming, Inc. with an effective date of June
1, 2005. The Bay Line was included in this purchase.
The line from Grimes to Abbeville, Alabama, along with trackage rights to
Dothan along CSX, was owned by A&G Railroad, LLC until the two
companies merged on June 26, 1996. A&G Railroad, which had been owned
by Railroad Services, Inc., began operations on January 1, 1994.
From March 1, 1989 to December 31, 1993, the Abbeville-Grimes line was
known as the Abbeville-Grimes Railway Company, Inc.
