Birmingham Southern Railroad Co.

The Birmingham Southern Railroad Company was organized on March 3, 1899.

The original line of road over which the newly organized company began operations was laid in 1878 from Birmingham to the vicinity of present day Pratt City and in 1887, was extended into Ensley. The line was used primarily for the transportation of coal from the Pratt Fields to blast furnaces at Ensley and Birmingham and to major local rail terminals for shipment to consumers outside the Birmingham area.

Shortly after its organization, the line was purchased by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and the Southern Railway and for several years was operated as a joint facility of those companies. The property was subsequently acquired by Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company and in 1906, that company, whose plants and mines were being served by the Birmingham Southern, became a part of the United States Steel Corporation and somewhat later, conveyed the stock of the Birmingham Southern to United States Steel Corporation, of which company Birmingham Southern was a subsidiary until 1988.

During the early part of this century, the railroad greatly extended its tracks to meet the needs of fast developing Birmingham industry and by 1910 it was serving a large part of the western industrial section of Jefferson County. In 1966, the acquisition of the 18-mile Barge Line Railroad was completed. This purchase provided the Birmingham Southern Railroad with access to Port Birmingham, operated by the Warrior & Gulf Navigation Company and located on the Warrior River. This in turn connected with the seaport of Mobile, Alabama.

In 1988, the Birmingham Southern Railroad became part of Transtar, Inc. Transtar is a privately-held transportation holding company with principal operations in railroad freight transportation, dock operations and inland river barging. The Transtar subsidiary companies were formed over the years to meet the transportation needs of various steel making facilities that were the predecessors of today's United States Steel Corporation. Prior to 1989, the Transtar companies were wholly owned transportation subsidiaries of United States Steel Corporation. In December 1988, these transportation companies were acquired by a new holding company, Transtar, Inc.

The Transtar companies have a long business history, more than 100 years in many cases. The companies provide a broad mix of specialized transportation services, by rail and water. In addition, some of the rail and water carriers own and operate bulk commodity docks and port facilities. Transtar's core business is serving the transportation needs of the steel, utility, mining, and chemical industries, although other business supplements this core.

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