Mississippi Central Railroad (1852-1874)

Mississippi Central Railroad

MSCI locomotive 1605 in Holly Springs
Reporting mark	MSCI
Locale	Southern United States
Dates of operation	1993–present
Predecessor	Illinois Central Railroad Natchez Trace Railway
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Previous gauge	, 5 ft (1,524 mm) and converted to 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) in 1886
Length	51 miles (82 km)
Headquarters	Holly Springs, MS
Website	http://www.pioneer-railcorp.com/MSCI.html

[ ] Mississippi Central Railroad
Grand Junction (Norfolk Southern) Michigan City Lamar Hudsonville Holly Springs (BNSF) U.S. Route 78 Waterford Tallahatchie River Abbeville Lafayette County Industrial Park University-Oxford Airport Oxford Taylor Water Valley Coffeeville Mississippi and Skuna Valley Grenada Railway

Illinois Central Railroad

Mississippi Central Railroad (reporting mark MSCI) is a short line railroad operating over 51 miles from Oxford, Mississippi to Grand Junction, Tennessee owned by Pioneer Railcorp. The railroad's principal commodities are wood products and fertilizer. The MSCI offers connections to the BNSF Railway in Holly Springs and Norfolk Southern Railway in Grand Junction.

In 2013 the Mississippi Central purchased the Redmont Railway.

In 2015 the Mississippi Central purchased the Tishomingo Railroad near Iuka, Mississippi.

In 1852, the Mississippi Central Railroad was chartered by the Mississippi Legislature to build a railroad from Canton, Mississippi to Grand Junction, Tennessee, financed by wealthy cotton planters in LaGrange TN, and Oxford, MS, passing through the towns of Grenada, Water Valley, Oxford and Holly Springs. The first passenger trains from Holly Springs to Oxford ran in 1857. Passenger service further south to Water Valley bagan in 1858. On January 31, 1860, the final spike was driven in Winona, Mississippi establishing the first ever rail link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. The 26 miles (42 km) line was constructed with 5 ft (1,524 mm) track gauge.

In November 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant began the Mississippi Central Railroad Campaign down the line with the ultimate goal of capturing Vicksburg, Mississippi in conjunction with General William Tecumseh Sherman. Grant established a base in Holly Springs and began advancing south along the railroad. Confederate soldiers built earthwork fortifications to defend the railroad's Tallahatchie River bridge near Abbeville but retreated south without firing a shot when they learned of a flanking maneuver by Grant. Skirmishes were fought along the railroad to Oxford and in the streets of the town itself. The Confederates were pushed further south past Water Valley, Mississippi but managed to damage a railroad trestle and lead a successful ambush at Oakland, Mississippi that stalled the Federal advance.