BHRR and NS Interchange at Ensley, AL MP 9.4

LDE – Birmingham Terminal Railway (BHRR), NS Interchange at Ensley, AL

WATCO, a Kansas-based corporate owner of Class II and III railroads, recently purchased the Birmingham Southern Railway, and will operate it as the Birmingham Terminal Railway. (Google search) The Birmingham Southern (BSRR) had operated under various names for decades, but was always the railroad with the primary responsibility for hauling coking coal to U.S. Steel’s Fairfield, Ala., plant. Currently, it hauls coal from Cliffs’ Oak Grove mine about 25 miles southwest of Birmingham. However, the rail system goes to Port Birmingham on the Black Warrior River, and is capable of taking coal that has been barged to the Port Birmingham terminal. Birmingham Terminal Railway (reporting mark BHRR) is a subsidiary of Watco, operator of several short-line railroad companies. The BHRR operates on 75.9 miles (122.1 km) of track providing switching services in the Birmingham, Alabama area. It began operating in 2012 after acquiring the assets of the Birmingham Southern Railroad.

The 75-mile BSRR serves Alabama’s largest steel-making and manufacturing region, and provides service to the Port of Birmingham and a rail-to-barge/barge-to-rail facility on the Black Warrior River. The short line interchanges with BNSF Railway Co., CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway.

Track Miles – 95.6
Track Capacity – 286
Interchange Points
Birmingham, AL – BNSF
Ensley, AL – NS, CSX
Year Watco Operations Began – 2012
Tariff – BHRR 5000 A (Effective January 1, 2020)

Oak Grove Coal Mine
Rate District: AL2
State: AL
City: Norrell
Basin: Southern App
Mine Number: 78435
Division: AL
Operator: Seneca Coal
Parent: ERP Compliant Fuel, LLC
Shortline: BHRR
Loadout: FL
Capacity: 100
Types: MET