Birmingham Rails is a "book for all reasons!"

Whether your interest is in prototype or model railroading, the history of Birmingham and its' railroads, or just plain nostalgia for the "good old days," Birmingham Rails has something for you!

Inside, you'll find 280 pages of historical narrative, entertaining personal essays, detailed maps, and richly detailed color and black & white photos, many published for the first time. Separate chapters cover each of Birmingham's major rail lines, including Atlantic Coast Line, Central of Georgia, Frisco, Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, Illinois Central, Louisville & Nashville, Seaboard Air Line and Southern Railway. Birmingham's numerous industrial railroads, such as U.S. Steel, Tennessee Coal & Iron, US Pipe & Foundry, Woodward Iron, and shortline Birmingham Southern, are extensively reviewed by subject matter experts Tom Lawon and Ron Mele..

Of course, no book on Birmingham railroads would be complete without an account of Birmingham's magnificant Terminal Station. A full chapter is devoted to the station's history, from its glorious beginning in 1909 to its sad demise in 1970. The station's grand interior and exterior features are covered in pages of rare photos, along with many colorful images of the passenger trains that called at Terminal Station.

For those with fond memories of Birmingham's streetcars and the brief but shining years of steam excursions, we've included separate chapters covering the last years of Birmingham's trolleys and the early beginnings of Birmingham's "steam revival" from the late 1960's.

Take a peek inside!

We invite you to preview the chapter title pages and sample photos from each chapter by clicking onto any of the underlined text. Please note that the chapter previews require the Adobe Reader program to be installed on your computer. To download the Adobe Reader, click on here.and select the yellow "Continue" button. After installing Adobe Reader, return to this page using your browser's "back button" to begin your preview. You can also use your back button to return to this page after each chapter to continue your reviews. 

When reviewing the photos, please keep in mind that the images are in low resolution, and the photos will not appear as clear and sharp as they do in the book. OK, let's get started!

Table of Contents- View the book's table of contents, including chapter headings and sidebars.

Chapter 1 - Atlantic Coast Line - This chapter begins with an overview of the history of Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic and its successors in Birmingham. AB&A later became Atlanta, Birmingham & Coast, and AB&C was merged into ACL in 1946. In 1967, ACL itself merged with Seaboard Air Line to form Seaboard Coast Line. This chapter includes a number of rare photos from ACL’s Elyton yard in Birmingham’s West End, including colorful views of Coast Line purple and silver first-generation diesels. Also featured are numerous photos from the Birmingham area  including ACL and SCL freights operating between L&N’s Boyles Yard and Parkwood, Alabama. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 2 -  Central of Georgia-Known for friendly crews and colorful motive power, the "Central" was a railfan favorite among Birmingham railroads.  Author Marvin Clemons spent his teen years railroading around Central's Woodlawn Junction, a hotspot for both freight and passenger action, and shares his personal recollections of the Central's twilight years before merger into the Southern. This chapter features extensive photo coverage from the 1940's through late 1960's of Central freight and passenger trains around town and out on the main line, including rare views of the original streamlined City of Miami and later consists. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 3 - Gulf, Mobile & Ohio - GM&O was Birmingham's most obscure trunk line railroad, operating over trackage rights into the "Magic City." Into the early '60's, GM&O's Birmingham trains were powered by brightly colored red and maroon Alco FA1's and FB1's. GM&O trains were rarely photographed on their trek to Birmingham, but the authors managed to assemble a selection of sharp photos featuring first-generation FA's and "zebra-striped" GP30's.      To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 4 - Illinois Central -The Illinois Central didn't have its own main line into Birmingham - it used trackage rights over the Frisco - but it still was highly visible, largely due to its fine passenger trains. In the mid-1960's when other railroads were eliminating Pullmans and substituting box meals for dining cars, IC's City of Miami continued to roll through Birmingham during the winter season with three E-units and around twenty cars including domes, sleepers, and a beautiful observation-lounge. Featured photos include rare views of the City running during daylight hours, along with views ot the IC's "maid of all work," the Seminole, and some great steam action. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 5 - Louisville & Nashville -An L&N predecessor was the driving force behind the Elyton Land Company, which established the location for Birmingham and founded the city. L&N continued to play a major role in Birmingham's development, and longtime L&N President Milton Smith was one of the Magic City's greatest supporters in both good times and bad. During the "last golden era," L&N introduced the city's first postwar streamliner, modernized and greatly expanded Boyles Yard, built a brand new passenger station, and brought the famous locomotive General to town during the Civil War Centennial.  These and more are featured in superb color and black white images of the period. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 6 - Frisco - Frisco was a fan favorite in Birmingham, with streamlined Hudsons in the steam-era followed by stunning red and gold E-units named after famous horses. The Frisco chapter will feature sidebars recounting stories of a Christmas Eve derailment at the Big Warrior River and switching on the Frisco and the Birmingham Belt, plus lots of main line action. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 7 - Seaboard Air Line - "The Route of Courteous Service" was a relative late-comer to Birmingham, and brought a touch of Southern aristocracy with named trains like the Cotton States Special and the Robert E. Lee. Seaboard also provided a strong freight connection with the Frisco and Illinois Central, running fast manifests behind lashups of FT's, GP's and ALCO's. Both freight and passenger trains are extensively covered with photos from Birmingham Terminal, 32nd Street Yard and out on the main line. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 8 - Southern-If ever a railroad was wed to Birmingham, it was the Southern. As one of Birmingham's two founding rail lines, Southern grew with Birmingham to arguably become the city's pre-eminent railroad.  From the high-rise Transportation Building to the sprawling reaches of Earnest Norris Yard, Southern was onmipresent and a major player in the Magic City's development. Southern and its subsidiary Alabama Great Southern dispatched fleets of 200-car freight trains to all four points on the compass -- north to Chattanooga and Memphis, east to Atlanta, south to Mobile, and west to Columbus, Mississippi.  Southern also held the record for the most frequent passenger schedules including such named trains as the crack Southerner, Pelican and Birmingham Special. This chapter traces the origins of Southern's Birmingham lines, and is heavily illustrated with photos of passenger and freight operations from throughout the Birmingham railroad district. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 9 - Industrials & Shortlines- With all its heavy industry, Birmingham naturally had numerous industrial railroads. Republic Steel actually operated steam locomotives into the mid-1960's, and many of the industrial railroads that desielized used rare and even one-of-a-kind locomotives. Local rail expert Tom Lawson has penned a comprehensive chapter on Birmingham's industrial railroad scene during the "last golden era," and Ron Mele has contributed text and photos covering Birmingham Southern. Broadly illustrated with dozens of rare, never-before-published photos, this chapter could easily stand alone as the most detailed and authoritative text in print on Birmingham's vast industrial railroad network. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 10 - Birmingham Terminal Station -From the time it opened in April 1909, Birmingham's magnificant Terminal Station dominated the Birmingham railroad scene. As a structure, its enormous free-standing dome flanked by twin towers was a magnicant example of Byzantine Turkish design.  Stretched along two city blocks, it housed the passenger operations of five tenant roads, as well as the U.S. Post Office's mail facility and Railway Express Agency.  Even after the peak years of World War II, the Terminal handled 42 daily arrivals and departures, a number that held steady through much of the 1950's.  In the mid-1960's, train schedules dropped precipitously as both passengers and the U.S. mail abandoned the railroads. When Terminal Station finally closed in March 1970, only two trains still called, and the architectural masterpiece once hailed as the "Great Temple of Travel" was razed to the ground. This chapter chronicles Terminal Station's post-war evolution and features many rare photos never before published. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 11 - Birmingham's Steam Revival. By the early 1950's, nearly all steam locomotives operating through Birmingham had been replaced by new diesels. There were a few holdouts among the local industrial roads until the early 1960's, but for all practical purposes, steam should've died in the 1950's. But thanks to the vision of Southern president Graham Claytor and the hard work of the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club and other volunteers, steam made a comeback in the late 1960's.  Once again, the thrill of steam could be enjoyed by old and young alike. A number of Birmingham photographers were on hand to document those early steam excursions, and some of their best shots are included in this chapter. To view sample photos, click on here!

Chapter 12 - Birmingham Electric Co.-Birmingham's streetcar system would be gone by the mid-1950's, but Birmingham Electric Company actually embarked on an ambitious modernization program after World War II. Streetcar buffs in Birmingham could see a great variety of older streetcars in operation during the post-war era, and in 1947, Birmingham Electric introduced the sleek new PCC streetcars on some of its longer routes. This chapter focuses on the last years of PCC operation and has rare color photos plus a detailed colorized map of the last streetcar lines. To view sample photos, click on here!

Epilogue: Then and Now-Much has changed on the Birmingham rail scene since the 1950's and '60's. Taking some of the best known photo locations from the book, the authors revisted these familiar places to see what changes had occurred over the past four decades. Their "before and after" photos vividly document the changing face of Birmingham's railroads, and are stark reminders that you really "can't go home again."

Map Appendix: Birmingham's vast rail network is presented in regional and area maps, with detailed closeups of featured locations. View the map directory.