| The Gloster Southern Railroad was originally owned by the Georgia Pacific Corp. and began operating over 35 miles of former IC/ICG track -- between Slaughter, Louisiana and Gloster, Mississippi -- in August 1986. This was a part of the former Yazoo & Mississippi Valley main line between New Orleans and Memphis via Baton Rouge and Vicksburg. On Saturday 15 November 1986 the railroad hosted a fantrip for the Southeast Louisiana Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The trip ran ran from the north end of the railroad at Gloster -- site of a GP plywood mill and the reason for the railroad's existence -- south to the ICG connection at Slaughter and back again; with several photo runbys and a lunch stop at Ethel, Louisiana on the northbound trip.The train consisted of GLSR CF7's 1501 and 1501, GLSR box car 1635 (ex-AD&N) and ex-ICG caboose 199452, still with all of its ICG lettering. The railroad had constructed benches and retractable steps in the box car for the comfort and convenience of the passengers! Here is the southbound train on the photo runby at Whitaker, Mississippi; between Centerville (milepost 320.4) and Norwood (329.7). GP stopped operating the railroad when the mill closed, and it was subsequently sold to V&S Railway, LLC of Salt Lake City. |