Final Fires of Birmingham

From Classic Trains Magazine and used with permission as noted below.  Enjoy, and thanks to Thomas Lawson Jr. for the information.

One of the most interesting aspects of Birmingham railroading was the proliferation of industrial lines around the District.  Fortunately, Thomas Lawson, Jr., historian, author and photographer has preserved this information.  A sample of his work was recently published in Classic Trains.

There are other articles on some of these industries on Birmingham Rails, but this article does a great job of summarizing some of the major operations at the close of the era of steam, and in many cases the close of the industrial lines themselves.

Birmingham Rails wishes to thank Robert McGonigal, the Editor of Classic Trains for permission to post this article on the web.  Also be sure to look for Thomas Lawson's book on Logging Railroads of Alabama.

To view the article, click on the image at right.  As you enjoy you may turn the pages by clicking on the right side of each page to go forward, and the left side of each page to go back.