Part two in a series dedicated to the L & N Railroad that once served Baldwin County.

At the turn of the 20^th century, the L & N Railroad helped develop the southern half of Baldwin County as it brought in settlers and carried out the raw materials produced by the farms and timber industry, the mainstay of the area. The railroad became an integral part of the community, and through adversity, its value became evident to those who benefitted from it. Potential settlers used the rail line to make their way into the heart of the county, and once there, they used the line to send their products to the rest of the world and to receive the materials they needed to live their lives.

The unnamed storm that devastated the Alabama Gulf Coast in 1906 also changed the destiny of the L & N Railroad in south Baldwin County. The same 1906 storm that downed thousands of trees prompting the use of a wood burning locomotive also destroyed the seven miles of track that had been laid east of Fort Morgan. The project was never revived, and the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad never connected Foley to Fort Morgan.

Three years later in 1909, the L & N suffered from a devastating fire that left the depot and some of the rolling stock in ruins. A report from the January 1, 1909 Foley Onlooker described the scene in detail.

“The L & N Depot, a passenger coach and a combination passenger and baggage coach were totally destroyed by fire Monday morning,” the article read. “The fire started in the depot, it is thought that rats and matches were the cause.”

The news report stated the blaze began at about 3:30 a.m. and was “a raging furnace” within 10 to 15 minutes. The building and all the records were destroyed. Nevertheless, the train’s crew and the townspeople were able to save the engine and five of the freight cars.

The L & N Railroad, the parent of the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad, began its existence in 1850 when it was granted a charter by the state of Kentucky to begin operations. The first train to use the line ran in 1855, eight miles out of Louisville to one of the first stops along the proposed route. Four years later, the railroad was completed when Louisville and Nashville were linked. The cost of the original L & N line was a little more than $7 million. Subsequently, the company weathered the Civil War, serving both sides as fortunes changed during the conflict.

After the Civil War, the L & N was fortunate enough to be able to expand its operations throughout Tennessee and into Alabama.

Service came to the Gulf Coast in the 1880s with a 140-mile rail line that linked Mobile and New Orleans. It was during this period that the Baldwin County rail line was established. Throughout the 20^th century, the L & N prospered and expanded its operation. It ran its first diesel engine in 1939 and retired its last steam engine in 1957.

The company introduced the streamliners, large passenger trains, for service during this era as well. In 1969, the L & N began a series of acquisitions and also became the focus of mergers that by the 1980s threatened its existence. In 1982 it was absorbed into Seaboard Coast Line Industries, ending more than a century of service. In the end, the Seaboard System also faded away as it became part of CSX Transportation in 1986.

Next week we will examine the twilight years of the Bay Minette and Fort Morgan Railroad and those local historians who have immortalized the L & N Railroad.