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Whats the shortest "shortline"?

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  • Member since
    April 2002
  • From: Northern Florida
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Posted by SALfan on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 11:07 AM

Is the Louisville & Wadley still in business?  If so, I'm glad to hear it.  The only part I've ever seen is in Wadley, obviously abandoned years ago.

 It may be classified as a terminal and switching road, but the Dardanelle & Russellville (Russellville, AR) is only 2-3 miles long.  Runs from the Mopac/UP main line in Russellville to a spot across the Arkansas River from Dardanelle.

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
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Posted by tree68 on Wednesday, July 8, 2009 1:23 PM

It hasn't run in almost 80 years (although there is an effort afoot to rebuild it as a historical piece), but the Marion Carry Railroad, at about seven tenths of a mile, probably qualifies as one of the (if not the) shortest standard guage railroads ever.

In addition to ferrying passengers between the two steamboat landings, regular railroad cars were barged to the MC, run across the line, and loaded on other barges for their trip to their final destination.

As noted in the linked article, a locomotive and one car from the railroad reside at the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, NY.

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