Remembering the railroad
The Birmingham Mineral Railroad Route was the lifeline of the Iron City.
For a century, the route carried minerals like limestone from coalmines to furnaces, and then transported pig iron from the furnaces to blast furnaces in Bessemer.
James Lowery had heard that his daily paths from his home near The Altamont School traced the railroad’s remnants through English Village and started to looking for its route. You can see it cut out of the tree line on Google maps, he said.
“I got to thinking that a lot of people are not aware of its existence,” he said.
Now he hopes to change that with a new educational project to mark the history of the railroad in the area, and he’s starting it in Mountain Brook.
In 1884, the local division of the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) rail line extended past Oneonta and Helena, but its heart was in Mountain Brook. Rails were still present in the 1950s, and one of the Mountain Brook lines was later used for a streetcar instead of commercial rail. Some lines in the state were still running material until 1984.
“Really, it was the crux of what made Birmingham able to be such a historic area for the iron industry,” Lowery said. “If it wasn’t for the Birmingham Mineral Railroad, Birmingham wouldn’t be what it is today.”
The line transported minerals from mines in Red Mountain along what is now the Vulcan Trail. From there it would run under what is now Red Mountain Expressway to English Village to pick up more from the Hedona Mine, whose location is now marked by brick walls on either side of Carlisle Road.
On Oxford Road between Carlisle Road and Sterling Road outside English Village, the road flattens mid-way up the hill, and you can get an idea of where the railroad ran perpendicular to the road through what are now backyards.
From there it traversed behind the Crestline post office down in front of Ramsay Park off Montclair Road behind the Levite Jewish Community Center, where you can see the rail bed in the present-day trails behind the center. The belt line would then head past what is now Century Plaza toward Ruffner Mountain and then back around to furnaces in the city.
“Every time I mention this to people, they say, ‘I used to play on that railroad,’” Lowery said, recalling stories of people laying pennies on the track and hearing the locomotive in their backyards.
Working with historians, Lowery has identified 50 high visibility locations along the rail lines that would catch the attention of motorists as well as many who are cycling, hiking or enjoying parks.
Collectively they will form an “urban trail” and connect to existing trails, parks and nature preserves.
A website will also provide additional educational information for teachers and the general public. It will include a map and GPS coordinates for the locations, information about each site, general information about the area’s iron history and additional information and resources. Lowery is considering adding a corresponding geocatching website with the project as well.
Before approaching other cities about the project, Lowery came first to Mountain Brook, where he wanted the signs to go up first. In January the City Council approved his proposal for five signs marking the railway pending Village Design Review’s approval. He plans to raise the funds for simple signs, which will cost about $100 a piece.
The signs will list the name of the branch that ran through the location and the dates it was active in hauling minerals and ores in the area. He also hopes to post the url for the educational website.
The Jefferson County Historical Association and L&N recently endorsed the project, which Lowery hopes will complement other historical efforts in the area.
Before long, when you stop by Continental Bakery, Henhouse Antiques, the Crestline Post Office or LJCC, there will be a physical reminder of a key to the history of our area.