President's Island
President's Island is an industrial area developed on what was originally an island in the Mississippi River. The island was connected to the Tennessee bank by closing the north end of the channel separating the island from the shore. The connection is know as the "Jack Carley Causeway"
Tracks were constructed across the causeway and using existent tracks owned by the SLSF. MP and/or IC connected President's Island to the aforementioned railroads. Trackage on the island is owned by the Port of Memphis.
When President's Island was developed in the 1050's, switching on the Island was rotated between the IC, MP and SLSF, with each road performing the switching four months at a time. By the 1960's it was decided that the four month rotation caused too much confusion and an annual rotation was instituted. Later the three railroads agreed for the Illinois Central to perform all the switching, with the other two carriers compensating the IC for their portion. Prior to the IC taking over the switching, each railroad would interchange their cars on the island. After the IC assumed all the switching duties, the IC began handling all car to and from the island and handled cars through regular interchange.
There are two yards on President's Island, the "Old Yard" where the yard office is located, and the "New Yard" further down the island. The track across the causeway, running along Channel Avenue, connecting the two yards and extending the length of the island is the main line. The track running between Channel and Harbor Avenues is known as the "Back Lead". Inbound transfer cuts are generally yarded in the "Old Yard" and outbound transfer cuts are built on the "Back Lead".
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