Batesville Southwestern

Company History: The BSW was built between 1911 and 1914 as a joint venture between lumberman R.J. Darnell and Illinois Central Railroad. It ran 17 miles from a connection with the IC at Batesville southwest to Mims then south to Crowder, in northwest Mississippi. The plan was to move logs to the IC interchange and the IC would forward them to Darnell’s lumber mill in Memphis. Before the BSW was finished, the Memphis mill burned and a new mill was built in Batesville. Over the years, BSW owned a Heisler, a 4-6-0, a 2-8-0 and a 2-6-2T that was converted to an 0-6-0T. Additional locomotives were lettered “R.J. Darnell Inc.” The mill closed in 1931 and the railroad was abandoned at that time. Today a short segment of the original BSW in Batesville is used as an industrial spur on the Grenada Railway.

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