CRAZY!!! GE and EMD Locomotives on the MDS Railway
The Meridian Southern Railway is known for its unique roster of General Electric B23-7s, three in Conrail paint and two wearing Santa Fe blue and yellow.
The Class III shortline railroad operates the former Mobile & Ohio mainline, which ran from Mobile to St. Louis. It became a secondary route following the Illinois Central Gulf merger in 1972. After the Stagger’s Rail Act was passed in 1980, ICG was able to divest itself of less-profitable lines, and in 1986, the line was acquired by Mid-South, a regional carrier that was established to operate more than 400 miles of ex-GM&O track.
Between Mobile, Alabama and Meridian, the line suffered from little-to-no maintenance for the better part of 15 years under ICG ownership. This lead MidSouth to abandon a large portion o the line from Crenshaw, just south of Waynesboro, to Mobile. However, thanks to intervention by Waynesboro’s Marshall Durbin Feed Mill, the line was saved from complete abandonment.
After KCS acquired MidSouth in 1994, the line was leased and later sold to Meridian Southern Railway. Under MDS ownership, the line receives ongoing rehabilitation and improvements, but with some sections of rail dating back to 1907, the majority of the 55-mile line is limited to 10MPH. Certain areas are restricted to 5MPH. Although the route features several impressive bridges, most of them are not accessible to the public.
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@FrankFleming-pw9du
10 ай бұрын
Nice video!
@jefftrego8491
4 ай бұрын
Excellent video of a very cool short line!! The drone footage was outstanding. I could almost taste that double cheese burger in Cooleys😊
THIS IS SOME KILLER COVERAGE!!! Very nice work on a railroad which, until today, I didn't know anything about.
@DelayInBlockProductions
9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much, Danny. It means a lot to know you enjoy the video I produce. -Drayton
Wow I didn't know that horn and number board theft was even a thing that railroads were having to deal with. That lowers my opinion of humanity just a little more. But I am glad to hear you behind the mic again, Drayton. I always love seeing videos involving short lines because they usually have a nice mix of legacy power.
@BenjaminEsposti
10 ай бұрын
I'd never heard of number board theft but I've heard of horn theft. I just don't get why these people think it's okay to steal such a thing.
@klugermann5806
10 ай бұрын
Can you add a description of the items stolen so the railfan community can be on the lookout? That is really disgusting to see that happen in the railfan community.
@Asillytrainboy2011
4 ай бұрын
TF even is number board theft
Hartwell railroad has a crazy roster of equipment
@mrmrb04
10 ай бұрын
Yes it does! That’s on my bucket list for their J sd38 alone!
@TrainFan119
10 ай бұрын
Yea it does has many fallen flags you don’t see very often
@railroadenthusiast6246
10 ай бұрын
To bad csx can't be like them and run special equipment
I have to say, the KCS scheme and the old Chesse scheme are my two all-time favorites. So sad they are both gone. Well, except maybe for on my model railroad. 🙂
@yogiperogy
10 ай бұрын
I’m a Canadian living in Winnipeg and the longtime CP Rail livery must surely be the most boring in North America: solid red, with white lettering the only contrast. Contrarily, the KCS livery is one of my favourites. I’m really hoping that all CP does going forward is the addition of CPKC under the unit numbers on the cabs and otherwise keeps its grimy mitts off the gorgeous KCS livery!!!
Terrific video Drayton 😎
Tremendous video!! Great catch on the meet in Quitman! Great catch on the dodger in Meridian with 3 EMD GP’s in the Belle livery!! Won’t be seen again!! This video should be a must see for all KCS fans. Great use of drones as well. Thank you for sharing. Would love to see the industries served here.
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Thank you very much!
Fantastic drone work!
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Thanks a lot!
@okeeblow
10 ай бұрын
Love the shot starting at 1:04:06
Thank you for railfanning in my original hometown. I just stopped by there today to see some CPKC yard action. It was nice to stop by here after 17 years.
The P5 on the KCS gevo really caught me by surprise and was definitely a highlight for me
Speaking of Nashville & Eastern, you guys should do some railfaning on that railway. It's very photogenic in fall with those old BNSF H2 DASH8s and the RJ Corman SD40-2s.
i could listen to the sound of those diesels throttling up all day
Those 23's had the BEST sound! Especially that Conrail with it's trademark bark!
Man I have seen some really good railroad videos in my lifetime, but this one knocks them all out of the park. The drone work and sound is outstanding. A real look at a real short line railroad. 5 stars
All I can say is WOW! I didn't know there were still old GE's in SantaFe paint. Let alone a pair! And, always gotta love those classic EMDs!
Seeing the daunting run-time, I expected to have a quick look and move on! Ha! What an amazing production! I was hooked and enjoyed every minute. Lots of variety, well produced and edited, with informative narration. Couldn’t ask for more. My compliments and thanks for an absorbing railfan experience!
I watched the premiere and I tell ya this is some might fine work you have done. I loved seeing the EX RRV&W switchers. Great video drayton
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Every locomotive is my favorite! Nice catches Drayton!! And I’m so glad YOU narrated!! Your voice is best. Have a good day bro.
Your videos get better every time, thanks from Jax 904!
A very interesting and entertaining production! Thank you for producing it for us Drayton! 🏆
I grew up an hour and a half from MDS but have never filmed the railroad. You've given me a sense of urgency to catch them now. Great video. Zach and Austin are good friends of mine and they still talk about that rainbow lashup. It was good to witness it through your footage. Once again, awesome video and keep up the good work!
Great video! Cheers 😊
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
The emd road switcher/yard switcher lash up is my favorite.
More shortlines please!!! I absolutely love the shortline coverage. Many new little railroads with special nuances i never knew about. Keep up the great work!!! A suggestion i think could be interesting is a look at the St. Lawrence and Atlantic RR in Maine... owned by the G&W. A local railroad to me.
AWESOME video! Loved it
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it!!
Thank U 4 Such An Amazing Channel. Ur Videos Are Some Of The Best On KZread!!!
Great to see trains from my town on here! (Well.. not really from my town. I live in Waynesboro, a town that runs along the Meridian Southern Railway. But I do see these trains alot! I’ve taken pictures of them too!)
I know I'm a little biased since this is near my stomping grounds, but this has been the best video to date. Love the roster and the history! Sounds like you enjoyed Cooley's too... I don't get there much, but Austin has to remind me every time he goes.
As bad as horn theft has become, I'm surprised RR's aren't stamping ID & unit numbers all over the commonly stolen components. Won't stop the theft, but it will make it a lot easier to track and prosecute people with the stolen components. Most rail fans would not mind turning in suspicious listings for weathered horns with freshly ground numbers all over.
Love ❤️ The Ex Santa Fe GE's And I saw the Santa Fe GE Locomotives on the Santa Fe in Northern California as a Kid in the 1990s Awesome Footage of the Meridian & Southern Railroad 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Very nice video drayton. Matter a fact I just got home from riding this track with NARCOA/SERO in our speeders. We rode from Quitman to Meridian and back then Quitman to Waynesboro the first day. Today we only ran from Quitman to Waynesboro and back. Great video I really enjoyed it.
There are countless still images that would make for the most amazing photos in this video...
That is an insanely unique roster, I would absolutely love to railfan that line sometime. ESPECIALLY that Conrail B23-7
Really like the drone views, kinda looks like you're operating a model railroad. Awesome work guys, quickly becoming a fan!
Great Video!!🙂.One thing that worry's me from reading the comment's is that nobody addresses the bad condition of the tracks😐.
@aprilhilliard3302
10 ай бұрын
The worst of the tracks in this vid are actually not all that bad. Maintenance is really expensive, especially for short lines! Generally the most common short term solution is that they just restrict the speed. I have seen 5mph on stretches' through the woods in New England. And it's pretty amazing that they can run on really decrepit track with few issues.
Great work as always!!
@DelayInBlockProductions
8 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
Incredible footage and narration. Thanks so much for uploading these videos.
Excellent 👍 from UK. Great channel name too.
As usual I very much enjoyed your video.
That shot through the swamp is money!
Love your narrations, brother!
Outstanding video!!
This video is absolutely amazing 😊
Hats off to y'all for another great vid...your stuff is pretty much the best on the net!
Great video!
Wonderfully shot!
Man those B23-7s got good engine sound!
I used to love riding in the GP 38 s or the Mp15 ,Fa1 or Fa2 I even rode in the Alco C 420 s which were used in passenger service until 1976 .Then Long Island used them in freight service until Atlantic freight took over in late 90 s .I even rode in De and Dm s there current passenger locomotives they use now . My favorite was by far the C 420 . Long Island even had an SD 10 , the only 6 axle locomotive I know of .
NS Using some of their reactivated SD70M-2’s for local service is not uncommon. Two have been rebuilt with AC traction, they are now classified SD70ICC’s. The new rebuilds are numbered 1250 and 1251. The majority of the SD70M-2 fleet will be rebuilt as SD70ICC’s in the years and months to come. Also the SD70ICC’s feature 4,500HP, which is a 200hp increase from their original 4,300hp.
@bradleyogden5688
10 ай бұрын
Glad to read this, and thanks for sharing the information!
i love these railroad videos
DRAYTON IS BACK!
@treysrailfanning1296
10 ай бұрын
Jackkkkkk
Very cool.
"Roll that beautiful yellowbonnet footage!"
So DIB, so what do the crews say or think when their train is chasing a drone, particularly not this crew but most of the crews that you have filmed with a drone? Glad to see my all time favorite B23-7, the 4228! This also one of my favorite sounding videos too, due to the FDLs and the normal aspirated geeps! It can't be beat! I'm lucky to say that the Industrial park near home rosters a B36-7, a former Milwaukee Road GP20 and another unit from the Santa Fe, a GP9u. Music to our ears.
@DelayInBlockProductions
10 ай бұрын
Well, it really depends. Most crews don’t care so long as you’re not right on top of them. In this case, we knew the train crews and they knew we’d be using the whirly-bird to get aerial shots of the trains. We informed them of where we’d be flying, what we’d be capturing, and where the footage would be used. With that information, they felt a lot more comfortable with it. Hopefully, this helps answer your question.
@bradleyogden5688
10 ай бұрын
I work out at a large race track (Utah Motorsports Campus) and were told if we see drones we should report them, but when it's authorized and it's okay, it's something else trying to follow them when the motorcycles are traveling 80 mph and it's tough to follow them! Thanks for answering my question.
It would be awesome to see the gp10 and gp7u working together on a train but ill always love the GEs
i love this railroad, and the switchers are priceless and hiow did u get the name for your channel i like it
Unit #103 has an anti-theft device on its horn. I hope it works well!
@therailfanningskeleton359
10 ай бұрын
The previous owners, (CF&W) and their parent company, (IHR) have been putting a lot of effort into security. Knowing them there's probably a cam in the cab aswell.
Some of these scenes in the video reminds me of some locations of a short line that I live close by to call the Youngstown Southeastern
Mmm. Bridge. 😉
Drayton's channel is pretty cool
when are you gonna do a update on the ND&W railroad? It has undergone some massive improvements with very few content creaters following up on those improvements
Nice Video!! 🌳🌹🇮🇳🌹🌳
MDS: How many roads do you want to block? The crew: All of them. 😂 45:13
18:02 I've never heard a GEVO with a P5 before. Great Video!
@Inadequate-Butters
10 ай бұрын
I've seen ES44ACs with P5s but I don't know what you see so ugh yeah
@orbitsrailfanvids
10 ай бұрын
@@Inadequate-Buttersnorfolk southern being the goofy railroad they are i guess
@yogiperogy
10 ай бұрын
Newbie railfan here. Reviewed the quoted footage and still have no idea what P5 is. Could someone educate me please?
@user-TheBestRailfan
10 ай бұрын
@@yogiperogy The P5 is a train horn which is made by Nathan, one of the largest train horn companies out there. Back then, this horn was pretty common aside from other horn types. Now, this horn is definitely not seeing as much use as it did. Although you can still find plenty out there. One time in 2022, I caught a BNSF Eastbound Intermodal Train With Two Warbonnets and an H2 BNSF Dash 9 leading, with a P5 or at least a similar horn. Today, most P5 horns are used on older diesel locomotives and on shortlines. Hope I gave you a good understanding of what the P5 is!
@yogiperogy
10 ай бұрын
@@user-TheBestRailfan - Wow! Thank you very much for taking the time to provide such an informative and detailed explanation. Really appreciated! Will review again the referenced time stamp so I can put a “face” on what you described. It’s really cool when seasoned railfans are willing to educate us newbies! Thanks again.
could you please do something of the escanaba and lake supirior in the up like gladstone MI area and Pembine, WI or greenbay they have a bunch of old locomotives like sd9's and 2 rare locomotives
Nice Video!👍👍👍 A little off topic but, I'm looking for a new scanner for railfanning. Do You have any recommendations?
Drayton is back
Have you seen Norfolk southern 4000 I have seen Norfolk southern railroad 4000 at night in Irondale AL on December 14th
The 2 green engines and brown switchers and old con rail only run from meridian to Waynesboro
that is why i dont buy airhorns at all. because how can you know it was legally obtained to be sold in the first place?
The Leslie RS3L on 4228 is possibly the most unique sounding hor. I've ever heard. Does anyone know what type of diaphragms or bells that Horn has?
those green engines remind me of Waste Management engines.
@therailfanningskeleton359
10 ай бұрын
I live by one of their lines, I just call the scheme "dumpster green" In more recent years they changed their paint to an even darker green, so the name fits.
Is it just me or does it look like KCS 2017 have a bent frame?
grerat train video
What camera do you use?
i would like to see videos of the old steam engine freight trains
Hey Drayton How you doing Bro
Takes some real low lifes to steal from a class three.
I feel bad for the stolen horns and numberboards, the thieves should be ashamed, those are not true railfans!
sucks that some scumbags would choose to commit multiple felonies just to get some train horns. if you want one buy it your own self
GE and EMD lcomotives on the MDS Railway?? Shut the front door!
Second 🥈
This rail way isn't great it's the rail way in my home town they get the reject trains no body wants any more
No one cares