KCS Vicksburg Sub in Louisiana

The Kansas City Southern's Vicksburg Sub, part of what is sometimes referred to as the "Meridian Speedway", is a vital link in the KCS Transcontintental Division, a.k.a. "The Trans-Con". This busy single-track mainline traverses through the many swamps, bayous, and small towns of rural northern Louisiana between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Shreveport, Louisiana. When KCS took over operations of this line from Midsouth Railroad in the mid-1990s, there were just two scheduled freights per day in each direction. Today, KCS operates approximately 20 trains each day. And they do it efficiently, too, all in dark territory with train movements governed by DTC Block Authorities. The KCS Vicksburg Sub is arguably the busiest stretch of track in the United States still operating in "dark territory". This, coupled with the fact that KCS still boasts a locomotive fleet that mostly consists of older second generation diesels, can give the railfan who visits the Vicksburg Sub a sense of going back in time about twenty years. However, don't expect this to last too much longer. The recent agreement KCS and NS have signed has given NS thirty percent ownership of this piece of railroad, with 450 million dollars currently planned to modernize the line from dark territory to CTC. In addition, the recent purchase of the TFM and new SD70ACe locomotives will no doubt cause the older second generation diesels to start disappearing. The time to visit the KCS Vicksburg Sub is now! This video will proove a useful tool in learning the Vicksburg Sub, portraying the daily operations in a very detailed manner, showing all types of trains, many different locations along the line, and a wide variety of locomotives. Four separate trips to the KCS Vicksburg Sub were made between November, 2004 and February, 2006 and the footage is shown in chronological order. So come on down south to the Land of Cotton and take a glimpse at the unique operations of the KCS Vicksburg Sub. You'll be glad you did! Videography by Mike Dixon. Edited and Produced by Mike Dixon.