Looks like Spruill is still pushing it forward. Good for her, Starkville, West Point, Ackerman, etc. for working towards something that can bring a huge economic impact for the Golden Triangle area.
I've ridden that once. It's pretty awesome. Flat and straight through some pretty scenery. I thought it was perfectly flat on my ride out, but when I turned around I was able to go up a couple of gears. Only then I realized I had been biking up a very gradual uphill grade and was now biking downhill.Many of my Hattiesburg friends love Longleaf Trace.
More rails to trails is a good thing.
Looks like Spruill is still pushing it forward. Good for her, Starkville, West Point, Ackerman, etc. for working towards something that can bring a huge economic impact for the Golden Triangle area.
Many of my Hattiesburg friends love Longleaf Trace.
More rails to trails is a good thing.
I'm no expert but this paragraph makes some sense to me (It's from this Rails to Trails organization page.):This is probably a stupid question, but what was the purpose of all these abandoned rails? Were they just shortlines going to plants or industrial centers that no longer exist?
The rail-trail movement would see its formal birth with the opening of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail in 1965 and the opening of the Illinois Prairie Path soon thereafter. In 1980, the U.S. Congress passed the Staggers Rail Act, which largely deregulated the nation’s struggling railroad industry and allowed for the discontinuation of unprofitable routes. This prompted the abandonment of 4,000 to 8,000 miles of lines each year throughout the early 1980s. In 1983, Congress became concerned about the potential permanent loss of thousands of miles of rail corridor and amended the National Trails Systems Act to create “railbanking,” a tool to preserve inactive corridors for future rail use, while providing for interim trail use.
When I did triathlons we would take a group from Vicksburg and ride the Longleaf a few times a year. Typically started in Bassfield and did an out and back. Then ate at Wards afterwards.I've ridden that once. It's pretty awesome. Flat and straight through some pretty scenery. I thought it was perfectly flat on my ride out, but when I turned around I was able to go up a couple of gears. Only then I realized I had been biking up a very gradual uphill grade and was now biking downhill.
So I mapped it out the railway on Strava during lunch break, one way from West Point to Ackerman is right under 39 miles. West Point (Starting at Anthony's on Main St.) to Boardtown Bikes is ~14 miles. Doing the full out & back from West Point to Ackerman would get you 2781ft of elevation gain.Really neat to see. A 45mi trail that runs from West Point, Starkville, Longview, Sturgis, and into Ackerman would be really neat.
And since its 25mi between Starkville and Ackerman, hopefully Sturgis will see some business from people wanting to get food/drink.
And the tracks between Sturgis and Ackerman look really cool- far off the road and in the middle of the woods with some turns.
So 0.68% grade over the length of the out and back. Makes sense- rail line.So I mapped it out the railway on Strava during lunch break, one way from West Point to Ackerman is right under 39 miles. West Point (Starting at Anthony's on Main St.) to Boardtown Bikes is ~14 miles. Doing the full out & back from West Point to Ackerman would get you 2781ft of elevation gain.
Looks like Spruill is still pushing it forward. Good for her, Starkville, West Point, Ackerman, etc. for working towards something that can bring a huge economic impact for the Golden Triangle area.
I don’t know if this will answer your question about the overall plan and it’s been a few years since I looked into it but I followed the Starkville railroad as best I could on Google Maps one time and it looked like it ran parallel to highway 15 for most of the way. Starting in Laurel and then went to Tupelo so I’m guessing it was used to haul lumber for furniture. I know the Borden plant in Starkville used it until at least 2004. So I guess it was industrial primarily.This is probably a stupid question, but what was the purpose of all these abandoned rails? Were they just shortlines going to plants or industrial centers that no longer exist?