Meridian Mississippi was once considered to be destined for greatness. In the 1930 Census, Meridian's population exceeded many Southeastern cities' population including Orlando, Florida. Meridian boasted the fact that seven (7) railroads moved freight and passengers in-and-out of the manufacturing infrastructure on a daily basis. There was one unique rail service that has left scars on the map - and in the following snapshot you can see a feature that has endured time. Still servicing the Meridian & Bigbee Railroad, the triple-Y allowed the Doodlebug to turn itself a full 180 degrees and be ready to load passengers and freight for the next day's route - stopping in every city from it's parking spot on the corner of 22nd Avenue and "C" Street to it's final destination in Jackson, Tennessee. In the following snapshot you can see the design of the tracks that make a triangular route - along with the original exits to the South and East:  The dark building that you can see in the left-center of the photograph is the former Sears store where you can see one of the "Y" spurs that make up the triple-Y design. You can also see the remains of Meridian & Bigbee's yards which migrated to the east along 18th Avenue when American Can Company owned the large sawmill. You can see many pieces of rolling stock including engines and car barns in the photograph. As a young boy I would sit on the large sawdust pile behind what is now the Cloverleaf Shopping Center and sketch the many treats that the railrod brought to Meridian including a Packard automobile that ran without tires along the tracks. The 3-questions posed to railroad buffs can be read and my comments are featured in a white paper which can be downloaded as an Attachment to this article. |