History of the Railroad Shops
By Kay Leggett
 
 
 
 
 
The long soulful railroad whistle could be heard all over town.  For as long as anybody could remember, that sound measured our lives. Folks would stop whatever they were doing to check the ccuracy of their watches. Families knew that the 1:00 whistle meant time to start again and the much-anticipated “ Four O’clock ” held promise that the workday had ended.  The “Voice of McComb” blew everyday, Monday through Friday, rain or shine, in zero or 100-degree weather, for dozens of years.  When the shops closed in 1987 and the whistle was silenced, it signaled the end of an era.



 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Today, however, thanks to the efforts of many forward-thinking people, that whistle has found a new home, not in the machine shop anymore, but just a few yards away at the new McComb Railroad Museum located in the refurbished 1901 depot.  Children and “not-so-young” children can pull its cord to take a step back in time.

The golden age of railroading in Southwest Mississippi may well have been lost for all time if it were not for a few determined visionaries.  Winnie Len Howell, a local railroad enthusiast and historian who helped establish the Liberty-White Museum at Percy Quin State Park and Edwin Etheridge, the last Illinois Central Shop Superintendent for McComb, worked for three years to establish the McComb Railroad Museum .  Through their initiative, the townspeople began to realize the need for the museum.   We owe them a huge debt of gratitude for not allowing us to forget our heritage.

Etheridge of McComb had worked in the railroad shops since 1942.  When the shops closed in 1987, he saved several hundred historical artifacts hoping that one day the town just might build a museum.  After several false starts to find a suitable location for the museum, the newly renovated depot was chosen.  The restoration of the depot had been completed in 1998 as a Mississippi Department of Transportation Enhancement Project.  Part of the renovated depot currently houses the offices of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Development Foundation. On the south end of the depot, however, just off the passenger waiting room, the baggage room was converted into the permanent railroad museum. Under the leadership of Howell and Etheridge, the 900 or so artifacts were cataloged and the construction team organized.  

The team included many retired railroad personnel, local history and railroad buffs, carpentry students at Southwest Mississippi Community College, the McComb High School art and graphic classes and professional graphic artist, Gary Herring, who all worked together to complete the exhibits. The museum was built entirely by volunteers.  Only the building supplies were purchased.  On June 13, 2003 , during the local Iron Horse Festival the museum was dedicated by Mayor Thomas Walman with the mission “to help preserve Southwest Mississippi ’s railroad heritage”. Terry McMahon, President of the Illinois Central Historical Society of Paxton, Illinois attended and was impressed with the utilization of space and quality of the displays.

 

Alll abooooard ! 

 When you visit the museum, you will enter through the original Illinois Central passenger terminal now leased to Amtrak. Step through the doors designed to resemble the Panama Limited train that serviced for decades the cities and towns from New Orleans to Chicago . 

Begin your tour with the display detailing the five decisions that led up to the establishment of McComb.  Learn how Colonel Henry S. McComb, then President of the New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad, decided for moral reasons, to move the locomotive and car maintenance shops to a location outside of New Orleans.  Land was purchased in Pike County and building lots in the city were offered at low prices to employees with families.   Not being a drinking man, Colonel McComb wanted to remove his men from the dreadful influences of the New Orleans saloons. It was later stipulated in the McComb City charter that there would be no alcoholic beverages sold within the city limits. News about the brand-new city even reached as far north as New York City when an article was published in the newspapers to advertise for jobs.  In the new town, almost every family was involved with the railroad in some way.

Continue on to the raised exhibit area on the south end of the museum where mannequins are dressed in period railroad attire. Stop for a while at the G-Scale model train, complete with an engine whistle and authentic railroad sounds.

Pause at the display of the other railroads that traveled through Southwest Mississippi , the Liberty-White which ran for twenty-five miles from McComb to Liberty , and the Fernwood, Columbia & Gulf Railroad which was used to transport logs to the lumber mill.

Soak up the oral history from railroad men who lived and worked on the railroad and admire the photographs from the famous railroad photographer, C. W. Witbeck.

Discover the McComb connection to the famous Cannonball Express.  This train accident at Vaughn , Mississippi , was made famous by the song written by Wallace Sanders, an engine wiper.  The only person killed in the accident was the engineer, John Luther Jones, who we speak of today as “Casey”.

Note the display of President Teddy Roosevelt’s trip to McComb in 1911.  Hundreds of local citizens and railroaders assembled on the depot platform to hear the President’s speech.

Venture outside to inspect # 2542, a 200-ton steam locomotive, one of the two largest steam engines in the ICRR fleet and # 51000, the only aluminum refrigerator car ever built. Explore # 9384, the 1966 cupola style caboose, which was home to conductors, brakemen and flagmen during their runs.   Then, picnic or just relax a while on the adjacent children’s playground. 

The City of McComb and the many volunteers and supporters of the McComb City Railroad Depot Museum invite you to enjoy this free museum of days gone by.

  And before you leave, make sure you give that old whistle one big tug to let everybody know that it’s time to go home!