Nashville Branch | |
---|---|
Overview | |
Status | Some segments are still operating |
Owner | Wilmington and Weldon Railroad Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
Locale | North Carolina |
Technical | |
Line length | 40.5 mi (65.2 km) |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
Electrification | No |
Signalling | None |
The Atlantic Coast Line's Nashville Branch was one of the companies branch lines in North Carolina. At its greatest extent, it ran from Rocky Mount, North Carolina west thorough Nashville and Spring Hope to Lassiter (located just northeast of Raleigh). [1] [2] Part of the branch is still in service today.
The Nashville Branch was built in 1887 as a branch of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad from Rocky Mount to Spring Hope, North Carolina. By 1900, the entire Wilmington and Weldon Railroad network became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. [3]
In 1926, the Atlantic Coast Line purchased tracks west of Spring Hope to Lassiter from the Montgomery Lumber Company and annexed them to the Nashville Branch. The Atlantic Coast Line considered extending it to Raleigh, but it was never built past Lassiter. [4] By 1949, a local freight train was running the branch six days a week. [1]
In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with its rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), with the merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The company adopted the Seaboard Air Line's method of naming their lines as subdivisions and as a result, the Nashville Branch was designated as the Nashville Subdivision (not to be confused with CSX's current Nashville Subdivision in Tennessee). [5]
The branch was sold to the Nash County Railroad in 1985. [6] In 2005, the Nash County Railroad planned to abandon the line between Momeyer and Spring Hope, North Carolina but the North Carolina Department of Transportation purchaseed the segment after reaching an agreement with the railroad to keep it in service. [7]
The branch was sold again in 2011 to the Carolina Coastal Railway, who operates it today.
Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
---|---|---|---|
ABA 119.9 | Rocky Mount | Rocky Mount | junction with Main Line |
ABA 125.9 | Westry | ||
ABA 130.2 | Nashville | Nashville | |
ABA 136.1 | Momeyer | Nomeyer | |
ABA 138.6 | Spring Hope | Spring Hope | |
ABA 147.6 | Bunn | Bunn | |
ABA 157.4 | Barham | ||
ABA 160.4 | Lassiter | ||
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 Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was a Raleigh, North Carolina, based railroad opened in April 1840 between Raleigh and the town of Gaston, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River. It was North Carolina's second railroad. The length was 100 miles (160 km) and built with 4 ft 8 in gauge. Part of the Raleigh and Gaston's tracks remains in service today as part of CSX's S Line as the Norlina Subdivision of CSX's Florence Division.
The Nash County Railroad was the operator of the Rocky Mount & Western railroad, connecting with CSX Transportation at Rocky Mount and running 14.7 miles (23.7 km) to Nashville, North Carolina. This short line railroad was created in 1985 and was formerly a subsidiary of Gulf and Ohio Railways. The line is now operated by the Carolina Coastal Railway.
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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 Carolina Central Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 as the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad and was renamed the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad shortly after. It was reorganized as the Carolina Central Railway in 1873. It built 152 miles (245 km) of track, in two unconnected sections, in the southern part of North Carolina. The company was again reorganized as the Carolina Central Railroad in 1880. In 1900, the Carolina Central Railroad was merged into the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Its lines are now owned by CSX Transportation.
The Durham and Northern Railway was a railroad that historically ran from Henderson, North Carolina to Durham, North Carolina. The line became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and operated as the company's Durham Subdivision and it also had a short branch from Dickerson to Oxford.
The Louisburg Railroad was a railroad that historically ran from Franklinton, North Carolina to Louisburg, North Carolina. The line became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and operated as the company's Louisburg Subdivision.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Wilmington—Pee Dee Line was a railroad line running from Wilmington, North Carolina west to Pee Dee, South Carolina. Running in an east–west trajectory, it notably passed through Lake Waccamaw, Chadbourn, Nichols, and Mullins. Some of the line is still operating today.
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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.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Norfolk—Rocky Mount Line was one of the company's secondary main lines running from the company's main line in Rocky Mount, North Carolina northeast to a point just outside of Norfolk, Virginia. Despite its name, it terminated at Pinners Point in Portsmouth, Virginia. Bus and ferry service connected passengers to Norfolk.
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's Kinston Branch was a railroad line that at its greatest extent ran from company's main line in Pender, North Carolina south to Kinston, North Carolina. The line south of Parmele, North Carolina is still active today and is now the Parmele Subdivision of CSX Transportation, the Atlantic Coast Line's successor company through various mergers.