Shelby in Shelby County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
Calera & Shelby Railroad
The Former "Alabama Mineral Railroad", A Division of the L&N Railroad.
Photographed by Kevin Vincent, October 11, 2014
1. Calera & Shelby Railroad Marker
Inscription.
Calera and Shelby Railroad. The Former "Alabama Mineral Railroad", A Division of the L&N Railroad.. Constructed around 1890 to transport large deposits of minerals in the region. Iron ore, marble, limestone, and coal, the L&N Railroad also ran passenger trains daily. The L&N depot was built in 1909 directly behind where you are standing. It was torn down in about 1953. The last passenger train ran about 1951. Fare to Sylacauga cost 25 cents. In 1968 Alabama Power raised the water level in Lay Lake. The tracks were 6" under water so the river crossing was abandoned. Freight was still shipped from Shelby, mainly pulpwood, until the late 1970's. In the mid-1980's the tracks were removed and the right of way was purchased by the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club. Plans are to replace the rails and run a 10 mile excursion train from Calera to Shelby.
Constructed around 1890 to transport large deposits of minerals in the region. Iron ore, marble, limestone, and coal, the L&N Railroad also ran passenger trains daily. The L&N depot was built in 1909 directly behind where you are standing. It was torn down in about 1953. The last passenger train ran about 1951. Fare to Sylacauga cost 25 cents. In 1968 Alabama Power raised the water level in Lay Lake. The tracks were 6" under water so the river crossing was abandoned. Freight was still shipped from Shelby, mainly pulpwood, until the late 1970's. In the mid-1980's the tracks were removed and the right of way was purchased by the Heart of Dixie Railroad Club. Plans are to replace the rails and run a 10 mile excursion train from Calera to Shelby.
Location. 33° 6.667′ N, 86° 35.683′ W. Marker is in Shelby, Alabama, in Shelby County. It can be reached from School Road south of County Route 308, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shelby AL 35143, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Birmingham Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Steam Engine (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Machine Shop Smoke Stack
Also see . . . Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum. Encyclopedia of Alabama entry. (Submitted on December 6, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 6, 2014, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,486 times since then and 56 times this year. Photo1. submitted on December 6, 2014, by Kevin Vincent of Arlington, Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
