Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway

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Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway
Overview
Locale North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Dates of operation1886 (1886)1900 (1900)
Successor Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Technical
Length269.4 miles (433.6 km)

The Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway was a Southeastern railroad that began after Reconstruction and operated up until the start of the 20th century. It ran from Monroe, North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia and later became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.

Contents

History

Construction and early years

The Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway was founded in 1886 with the goal of building a line from Monroe, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia. [1] Construction on the line began in 1887 in North Carolina. [1]

By 1892 the railroad had almost completed its original plan when a court injunction halted its progress into Atlanta. As a result, the GC&N developed the Seaboard Air Line Belt Railroad. [1] The Seaboard Air Line Belt Railroad ran about 8 miles (13 km) from Belt Junction (near Emory University) west to the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway for which the Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway had trackage rights into Atlanta. In 1898 the railroad acquired the Loganville and Lawrenceville Railroad. [1]

Seaboard Air Line years

Abbeville and Atlanta Subdivisions
Seaboard Air Line Railroad Logo, April 1955.svg
Overview
StatusStill operating under CSX
Owner Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Termini
Technical
Line length269.4 mi (433.6 km)
Electrification No

In 1901 the GC&N was formally merged into the Seaboard Air Line Railway. [1] The Seaboard operated the line as their Abbeville Subdivision from Monroe to Abbeville, South Carolina and as their Atlanta Subdivision from Abbeville to Atlanta. The Seaboard primarily used the line for passenger services to Atlanta. The Silver Comet , The Cherry Blossoms, and The Capitol were passenger trains that ran the line daily from Monroe to Atlanta. [2]

Later years

In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). Seaboard Coast Line designated the entire line from Monroe to Atlanta as the Abbeville Subdivision. [3] The Silver Comet was discontinued the following year. [4]

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation. CSX would later truncate the Abbeville Subdivision designation at Abbeville with track north of there being annexed to the Monroe Subdivision. [5]

Current operations

The full line is still in service today and it is still operated by CSX Transportation. The line is the primary route from the Northeast to Atlanta, and it is dispatched by Centralized traffic control. [5]

Monroe to Abbeville

The line from Monroe to Abbeville is now part of the CSX's Monroe Subdivision. The Monroe Subdivision also includes track from Monroe to just outside of Hamlet, North Carolina. [5]

Abbeville Subdivision

From Abbeville to Tucker, Georgia, the line is CSX's Abbeville Subdivision. The Abbeville Subdivision connects with CSX's Gainesville Midland Subdivision and the Hartwell Railroad in Athens, Georgia. [5] It also serves Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI), a CSX subsidiary, near Lawrenceville, Georgia. [6]

Tucker to Atlanta

The line from Tucker to Atlanta is part of CSX's Atlanta Terminal Subdivision, which also includes the company's other rail lines within Atlanta. [5]

Historic stations

StateMilepostCity/LocationStation [2] Connections and notes
NC SG 306.2 Monroe Monroejunction with Carolina Central Railroad (SAL)
SG 311.2 Houston
SG 318.3 Waxhaw Waxhaw
SC SG 330.5 Catawba Catawbajunction with Catawba Valley Railway (SAL)
SG 335.8Manney
SG 337.5 Edgemoor
SG 342.2Rodman
SG 349.0Landrum
SG 351.1 Chester Chesterjunction with:
SG 355.9Wilkes
SG 363.4 Leeds
SG 368.2 Carlisle Carlislejunction with Spartanburg, Union and Columbia Railroad (SOU)
SG 375.6Delta
SG 379.9 Whitmire Whitmire
SG 385.6Garlington
SG 392.7Shands
SG 397.0 Clinton Clintonjunction with Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad (ACL)
SG 401.6Fuller
SG 406.6 Mountville
SG 411.0 Cross Hill Cross Hill
SG 416.6Lota
SG 421.1McDowell
SG 425.0 Greenwood Greenwoodjunction with:
SG 429.5Bullock
SG 434.8Long Cane
SG 440.0 Abbeville Abbeville
SG 440.7Shops
SG 447.5Watts
SG 454.5 Calhoun Falls Calhoun Fallsjunction with Charleston and Western Carolina Railway Anderson Branch (ACL)
GA SG 461.5 Heardmont
SG 469.1Swift
SG 471.5 Elberton Elbertonjunction with:
SG 473.6Wester
SG 479.8Oglesby
SG 483.4Berkely
SG 486.0Ross
SG 489.0 Comer Comer
SG 499.2 Hull Hull
SG 505.7 Athens Athensjunction with:
SG 507.2Fowler Junctionjunction with Gainesville Midland Railway
SG 515.1 Bogart Bogart
SG 522.0Harper
SG 527.0 Winder Winder
SG 533.5 Auburn Auburn
SG 538.1 Dacula Dacula
SG 544.1 Lawrenceville Lawrenceville
SG 550.0 Gloster
SG 554.7 Lilburn Lilburn
SG 560.6 Tucker Tucker
SG 567.5Belt Junctionjunction with Seaboard Air Line Belt Railway
SGB 582.0 Atlanta Inman Park located on Seaboard Air Line Belt Railway
SG 568.5 Emory
SG 571.8Mina
SG 574.8Howell Yardjunction with Atlanta and Birmingham Air Line Railway (SAL)
SG 575.6W&A Junctionjunction with Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
Terminal Station

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Storey, Steve. "Georgia, Carolina & Northern Railway". Georgia's Railroad History & Heritage. Archived from the original on December 22, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Seaboard Air Line Railroad Georgia Division Timetable (1955)
  3. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Atlanta Division Timetable (1970)
  4. Seaboard Air Line timetable, December 15, 1967, Table 21 -in service
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 CSX Atlanta Division Timetable (2005)
  6. "Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI)". CSX Transportation. Retrieved July 6, 2023.