Pearl River Valley Railroad (1917-2007)
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Standard Gauge 30 and 60-lb rail Headquarters: Picayune, MS (Pearl River County) Years of Operation: 1917-2007 Miles Operated: 35 in 1928 Locomotives Owned: steam- 2 diesel-1 |
Also see: Equipment:
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Click Map for Larger Version Google Earth Map HERE |
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History by Gil Hoffman: The
Pearl River Valley Railroad was incorporated in Mississippi on May 22,
1917, for the purpose of constructing a railroad from Nicholson, Pearl
River County, to Columbia, Marion County, about 60 miles. On
January 29, 1918, the company purchased from Crosby and Rowlands a line of
railroad from Nicholson to Emery, 10 miles. Of this line, four miles were
built by Crosby and Rowlands and six miles purchased. The purchased
segment included 2.5 miles of the abandoned Cybur, Gulf & Northwestern
Railroad. The purchase from Crosby and Rowlands also included 13 miles of
right-of-way north of Emery. The line from Emery to Delton, five miles,
was built by the Crosby & Rowlands Construction Company, under
contract, and completed about April 1918. From Delton to a point near
Anderson was also built by the C. & R. Construction Company. The
distance from Nicholson to the northern terminus near Anderson was 17.335
miles. The
authorized capital stock was $1,000,000 of which the entire amount was
issued in 1918 to Crosby and Rowlands in payment for the railroad and
equipment. By
February 1921, the railroad had reached Easley, 25.62 miles north of
Nicholson. Between MP 13 and 17 the main line had been relocated to secure
easier grades and less curves than the original line. This new line
displaced 2.62 miles of the original line which was abandoned about June
1921. On the old segment there had been a logging camp, abandoned by the
time of the relocation. In
the summer of 1926 the northern terminus was at Crosby, 25 miles from
Nicholson. On August 14, 1926, the I. C. C. authorized the Pearl River
Valley Railroad to operate under trackage rights over a line owned by the
Goodyear Yellow Pine Company from Crosby, in a northerly direction, to
Rowlands, Mississippi, 9.64 miles. Rowlands, established by the lumber
company at that time, was a logging camp with a population of about 500. The
logging camp at Rowlands replaced one at Anderson which also had a
population of about 500. In late 1926, with the camp at Rowlands in
operation, the spur from Anderson Junction to Anderson, about 0.44 miles,
was abandoned. Logging operations around Rowlands were completed and the camp at Rowlands abandoned about June 1, 1931. Afterwards the line from Crosby to Rowlands was torn up. Trackage rights on this segment by the P. R. V. were terminated on March 8, 1931. On
February 15, 1935, the I. C. C. authorized the P. R. V. to operate under
trackage rights over a line of railroad owned by the Goodyear Yellow Pine
Company from Goodyear Junction in a northeasterly direction to a new logging
camp, also known as Rowlands, about 22.5 miles, all in Pearl River and
Hancock counties. The new logging camp was in section 15 of township 4
south, range 17 west. With
the establishment of new Camp Rowlands, the P. R. V. received permission
from the I. C. C. on June 27, 1935 to abandon that part of its line
extending from near Goodyear in a northerly direction to Etal, 20.07 miles,
all in Pearl River County. Timber in this area had been cut out in July
1931, after which the line was operated at a loss. This section of the
railroad had been built during the years 1918 through 1921. Etal was located
about 10 miles west of Poplarville. The remaining segment of the Pearl River Valley Railroad from Nicholson to Goodyear was operated to service the Crosby Forest Products and various Crosby-owned industries in the western part of Picayune, including Arizona Chemicals, until the line was finally abandoned about 2007. As of 2009, some tracks remain in place but unused and overgrown. Also see separate pages on Rosa Lumber Co. and Goodyear Yellow Pine Co. |
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PRV Number 331 was an ex-MKT 2-6-0. |
Pearl River Valley 2-6-0 Number 14 came from the Cybur Gulf & Northwestern. |
PRV depot and offices in Goodyear on March 15, 1970. |
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PRV 101 at Goodyear in 1966. |
PRV 101 at Goodyear. |
Number 101 at the company shops at Goodyear. Crosby Chemical Co. is in the background. |
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101 makes its way through the weeds between Nicholson and Goodyear. |
101 at Goodyear. |
An early view of PRV No. 101 on September 17, 1953. |
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 October 1919 Official Railway Equipment Register- Art Richardson Collection |
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 October 1926 Official Railway Equipment Register- Art Richardson Collection |
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 March 1937 Official Guide of the Railways- Tony Howe Collection |
 July 1950 Official Railway Equipment Register- Art Richardson Collection |
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| STEAM ROSTER by Gil Hoffman:
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For more information contact Tony Howe at tonyhowe76@yahoo.com or David S. Price at davidsprice46@gmail.com