The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was an

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

company that started during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was built to connect the

Shelby Iron Company The Shelby Iron Company was an iron manufacturing company that operated an ironworks in Shelby, Alabama. The iron company produced iron for the Confederate States of America and was destroyed towards the end of the American Civil War. The company ...

Shelby, Alabama Shelby is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. Its population was 1,044 as of the 2010 census. The area is near Lay Lake and Waxahatchee Creek. Shelby Iron Park is located at the heart o ...

, to the

Alabama and Tennessee River Railroad Alabama and Tennessee River Rail Road Company was incorporated under act of Alabama on March 4, 1848.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 213. Washi ...

Columbiana, Alabama Columbiana is a city and the county seat of Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,462. History Columbiana, originally called Columbia, was selected as the county seat of Shelby County in 1826 over riva ...

, a distance of about . It was a

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

railroad line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

which was converted to in 1886

History

The Shelby Iron Company was a major supplier of Confederate iron during the Civil War, with almost all the iron produced being delivered to the Confederate Naval Works in Selma. Iron plating for the

CSS Tennessee Three ships in the Confederate States Navy were named CSS ''Tennessee * was a steamship, built in 1853 and seized by the Confederate States in 1861; she was recaptured by the Union in the Battle of New Orleans and commissioned into the United St ...

CSS Huntsville CSS ''Huntsville'' was a Confederate ironclad floating battery built at Selma, Alabama, from 1862 to 1863 during the American Civil War. History ''Huntsville'' was ordered on May 1, 1862, by the Confederate States Navy. She was launched at th ...

, and CSS Tuscaloosa was all manufactured by the Shelby Iron Company. By 1863, officials with the iron company were attempting to increase output, but were hampered by the lack of a railroad line. Confederate Ordinance officials prevented the construction for more than two years by threatening to have senior company employees conscripted if they built the line. Despite the threat, construction began in 1863 and was completed in January 1865.

Rolling stock

The railroad's only

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the Power (physics), motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, Motor coach (rail), motor ...

, called ''The Decatur'', was purchased in 1864 from the

Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Railroad The Alabama and Mississippi Rivers Rail Road Company was incorporated under special act of Alabama on February 7, 1850.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 19 ...

, and the company used

railroad car A railroad car, railcar (American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truck, is a ...

s borrowed from other carriers.

Destruction and rebuilding

The Iron Works was destroyed during

Wilson's Raid Wilson's Raid was a cavalry operation through Alabama and Georgia in March–April 1865, late in the American Civil War. Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson led his Union Army Cavalry Corps to destroy Southern manufacturing facilities and was opposed ...

on March 31, 1865. Around 1867, the Shelby Iron Company reconstructed its rail spur from Shelby to Columbiana and the furnace was rebuilt by February 1869. The Shelby Iron Company Railroad was operated by the ironworks until it was purchased by the

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the ...

in 1890 and made part of the Alabama Mineral Railroad. Both operators provided sporadic passenger service until 1927.Shelby Furnace, BHAM Wiki

References

Defunct Alabama railroads Railway companies established in 1865 Railway companies disestablished in 1892 5 ft gauge railways in the United States {{Alabama-transport-stub