Carrollton Short Line Railroad

Carrollton Short Line Railroad. . The Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company in 1897 announced plans to build a line from Artesia, Mississippi through Pickens County to Tuscaloosa and on the Montgomery. Leading citizens in Carrollton sought to persuade the company to bring the line through the county seat, but M&O officials chose a route through Reform and Gordo to ensure faster mail service as required by the U.S. postal service. Led by W.G. Robertson, Judge O.L. McKinstry, E.R. Calhoun and M.L. Stansel, Carrollton residents organized a corporation to build a railroad from their community to Reform to connect there with the M&O. Called the “Carrollton Short Line”, the track eventually was completed by Tuscaloosa entrepreneur John Taylor Cochrane, who brought the first train into Carrollton in 1902. The depot was on this site. , Cochrane built the line steadily southward, establishing the town of Aliceville (named for his wife, Alyce Searcy) along its route, which eventually extended to Mobile. Rechristened the Alabama, Tennessee and Northern Railroad soon after, Cochrane’s line prompted a social and economic boom for Carrollton and southwest Alabama. Vast timber holdings were tapped by “dummy lines” connecting to the Carrollton Short Line, creating many jobs to boost the local economy. The line operated until June 29, 1976, when the last train made its run.