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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1899–1950 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Atlantic and Yadkin Railway was a short line railroad within North Carolina from 1899 to 1950. It ran from Mount Airy southeast to Sanford, primarily serving the Piedmont region. Some of the rails are still in use as of 2006 as parts of the Yadkin Valley Railroad.
This railroad's short lifespan covered 1899 to 1950, but some of its rails were laid down in the 19th century as part of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway (CF&YV) which ran from the Atlantic port of Wilmington, North Carolina, all the way to Mount Airy with a significant branch to Bennettsville, South Carolina.
The Atlantic and Yadkin Railway came into being when representatives of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (soon to be reorganized as the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) outbid the Southern Railway for the debt-ridden and bankrupt CF&YV in an 1899 auction. The Wilmington & Weldon Railroad (W&W) had a clause in its incorporation that required any railroad purchased by the W&W to be placed under the same corporate name. The W&W did not want to own the whole of the CF&YV, only that portion which competed directly with its own lines in southeast North Carolina. So the CF&YV was sold to the Southern Railway, where it was reorganized as a new company under the name Atlantic and Yadkin Railway (A&Y). The newly created A&Y then sold back the southern half of its lines from Sanford to Wilmington to the W&W. The northern half remained a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Railway.
The questionable legality of the transaction regarding the split of the CF&YV meant years of legal wrangling by angry investors and interested state citizens who saw the only "trunk" line from the western mountains to a North Carolina port split between two competitors. In 1924, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that the sale and reorganization was legal. The Southern Railway wholly owned the A&Y, but kept it as an independent entity throughout the legal battles. The line was considered part of the Southern Railway until 1917, when the A&Y was allowed to run under its own name.
In 1924, the A&Y declared bankruptcy and was taken over by receivers. Receivership required a division of assets and separate operations from the Southern Railway. Eventually, the A&Y was returned to solvency.
The renewed profitability combined with the due date for the A&Y's $1.5 million in bonds in the late 1940s led the Southern Railway management to decide to merge the line into its own Winston-Salem Division. The Southern Railway paid the bonds and initiated a merger request. Despite some reservations by the merchants of Greensboro regarding lack of competition for rail transport in that growing city, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved the merger effective January 1, 1950. At that time, the Atlantic & Yadkin Railway company ceased to exist.
A 7.5 mile paved asphalt rail trail, the Atlantic & Yadkin Greenway, runs along the abandoned rail bed through Greensboro. [1]
Goldston is a town in Chatham County, North Carolina, United States, south of Pittsboro. The population was 268 at the 2010 census.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which styled itself as "The Route of Courteous Service", was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Predecessor railroads dated from the 1830s and reorganized extensively to rebuild after the American Civil War. The company was headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, until 1958, when its main offices were relocated to Richmond, Virginia. The Seaboard Air Line Railway Building in Norfolk's historic Freemason District still stands and has been converted into apartments.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Much of the original ACL network has been part of CSX Transportation since 1986.
The Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad was the final name of a system of railroads throughout Florida, becoming part of the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900. The system, including some of the first railroads in Florida, stretched from Jacksonville west through Tallahassee and south to Tampa. Much of the FC&P network is still in service under the ownership of CSX Transportation.
The Norfolk Southern Railway was the final name of a railroad that ran from Norfolk, Virginia, southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1982 to form the current Norfolk Southern Railway.
The Atlantic and Western Railway is a Class III short-line railroad operating about 10 miles (16 km) of track in Lee County, North Carolina. Atlantic and Western is part of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and formerly part of Rail Management and Consulting. It was reorganized in 1927 from the Atlantic and Western Railroad.
The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (W&W) name began use in 1855, having been originally chartered as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad in 1834. When it opened in 1840, the line was the longest railroad in the world with 161.5 miles (259.9 km) of track. It was constructed in 4 ft 8 in gauge. At its terminus in Weldon, North Carolina, it connected with the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad and the Petersburg Railroad. The railroad also gave rise to the city of Goldsboro, North Carolina, the midpoint of the W&W RR and the railroad intersection with the North Carolina Railroad.
The Charleston and Savannah Railway was a 19th-century American railroad serving the coastal states of South Carolina and Georgia and running through part of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Its name varied slightly over time:
The Petersburg Railroad ran from Petersburg, Virginia, south to Garysburg, North Carolina, from which it ran to Weldon via trackage rights over the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad.
The Yadkin Valley Railroad is the trade name of the Piedmont and Atlantic Railroad and is a shortline railroad operating two lines leased from the Norfolk Southern Railway originating out of Rural Hall, North Carolina for a distance of 93 miles (150 km). The railroad began operation in 1989 and is currently a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways.
The Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway was a Southeastern railroad that operated in the Carolinas immediately after Reconstruction. It ran from Mount Airy, North Carolina southeast through Greensboro and Fayetteville to the Atlantic port of Wilmington, North Carolina. A significant branch also ran from Fayetteville south to Bennettsville, South Carolina.
The North End Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Virginia and North Carolina. The line runs from Richmond, Virginia, to Rocky Mount, North Carolina, for a total of 123.2 miles. At its north end the line continues south from the Richmond Terminal Subdivision and at its south end the line continues south as the South End Subdivision. The North End Subdivision is the northernmost segment of CSX's A Line which in its entirety runs from Richmond to Tampa, Florida. Some of the line's notable features include running in the median of Interstate 195 in Richmond as well as the line's tall arch bridge over the James River.
The W&W Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line today runs from just south of Wilson, North Carolina, to Wallace, North Carolina, for a total of 69.1 miles. At its north end the line connects to CSX's A Line. The line's name stands for the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, the company that originally built the line.
Wilmington Union Station was a union station in Wilmington, North Carolina. Opened in 1913, it was designed by architect Joseph F. Leitner. Construction by Boyle-Robertson contractors began in 1912. It was located at Front Street and Red Cross Street in downtown Wilmington.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Port Tampa just southwest of Tampa, Florida, a distance of nearly 900 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Rocky Mount, Florence, Charleston, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Orlando. With the exception of a short 61-mile segment in Greater Orlando, the entire line is still owned by the Atlantic Coast Line's successor, CSX Transportation, and is still in service as their A Line.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Parkton—Sumter Line was one of the company's secondary main lines running between Parkton, North Carolina and Sumter, South Carolina.
The Wilmington, New Bern and Norfolk Railroad was a railroad built in the late 1800s running from New Bern Junction in Wilmington, North Carolina northeast to New Bern, North Carolina. The line was part of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad network and later became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad network.
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