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The Portsmouth Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in Virginia and North Carolina. The line connects CSX's network with the port city of Portsmouth, Virginia. [1] [2] The Portsmouth Subdivision was historically operated by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, a CSX predecessor.
The eastern terminus of the Portsmouth Subdivision is in its namesake city, Portsmouth, Virginia. From Portsmouth, it runs southwest to Garysburg, North Carolina on the Roanoke River, a distance of 75.8 miles. It passes through Franklin and Boykins and crosses into North Carolina just southwest of Branchville. In North Carolina, it continues southwest to Garysburg, North Carolina. The Portsmouth Subdivision currently terminates between Garysburg and the Roanoke River at a connection with line CSX's A Line (North End Subdivision).
When the Seaboard Air Line operated the line, the Portsmouth Subdivision did not connect with the A Line but instead continued parallel to it across the Roanoke River into Weldon, North Carolina. In Weldon, it passed underneath the A Line (the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's main line at the time) at the historic two-level Weldon Union Station. [3]
From Weldon, it continued east to Roanoke Rapids. Track from Weldon to Roanoke Rapids is still in service and it is now CSX's Roanoke Rapids Spur. [1] The line historically continued from Roanoke Rapids west to Norlina, where it connected with the Seaboard Air Line's main line.
The first segment of the line was built in 1835 by the Portsmouth and Roanoke Railroad, which would be renamed the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad. The Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad ran from Portsmouth to Weldon, North Carolina.
The line from Roanoke Rapids to Norlina opened in 1840 and was built by the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad. In 1852, the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was extended from Roanoke Rapids east to Weldon. Its connection from Roanoke Rapids north to Gaston was permanently severed during the American Civil War. [3] [4] The extension to Weldon connected with the Seaboard and Roanoke Railway, essentially making a continuous line. The extension to Weldon also provided a connection with the Petersburg Railroad and the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, both of which later became the main line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.
In 1900, the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad, Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, and other railroads were merged into a single company named the Seaboard Air Line Railway (later known as the Seaboard Air Line Railroad). [5]
| Portsmouth Subdivision | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Status | Still operating east of Garysburg, North Carolina under CSX |
| Owner | Seaboard Air Line Railroad |
| Termini | |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 115.3 mi (185.6 km) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | No |
| Signalling | None |
The Seaboard Air Line designated the line from Norlina to Portsmouth as the Portsmouth Subdivision (while the Raleigh and Gaston's track from Norlina to Raleigh, North Carolina became Seaboard's main line). The Seaboard operated passenger and freight service over the line. Though the 1950s, Seaboard ran a daily passenger train (which also carried mail) and a daily through freight train. A separate local freight train ran three days a week at the time. [6]
In 1967, the SAL merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), whose main line crossed the Portsmouth Subdivision in Weldon. The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The line remained largely intact after the merger. However, SCL severed the bridge over the Roanoke River to consolidate the river crossings on the A Line's parallel bridge (the ex-ACL main line) effectively truncating the Portsmouth Subdivision to its current terminus in Garysburg. Ruins of the Portsmouth Subdivision's bridge over the river are still standing next to US 301 in Weldon. [7] The remaining track from Weldon to Norlina was then redesignated as the Roanoke Rapids Subdivision. [8]
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, who continues to operate today.
| State | Milepost [6] | City/Location | Station [9] [4] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA | SA 0.0 | Portsmouth | Portsmouth | |
| SA 7.5 | Chesapeake | Bowers | ||
| SA 15.1 | Magnolia | junction with Virginian Railway (N&W) | ||
| SA 17.5 | Suffolk | Suffolk | junction with: | |
| SA 20.2 | Kilby | junction with Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad (N&W) | ||
| SA 26.2 | Purvis | |||
| SA 31.4 | Carrsville | |||
| SA 37.1 | Franklin | Franklin | also known as Blackwater junction with Atlantic and Danville Railway (N&W) | |
| SA 42.0 | Delaware | |||
| SA 43.7 | Hand | also known as Handsom | ||
| SA 49.1 | Newsoms | Newsoms | ||
| SA 54.1 | Boykins | Boykins | junction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Lewiston Subdivision | |
| SA 57.0 | Branchville | Branchville | ||
| SA 59.9 | Hugo | |||
| NC | SA 63.2 | Margarettsville | ||
| SA 69.2 | Seaboard | Seaboard | originally Concord | |
| SA 72.6 | Gumberry | |||
| SA 76.2 | Garysburg | Garysburg | ||
| SA 78.8 | Weldon | Weldon | junction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Main Line | |
| SA 82.7 | Roanoke Rapids | Roanoke Junction | junction with spur to Roanoke Rapids | |
| SAA 83.7 | Roanoke Rapids | located on spur | ||
| SA 84.9 | Bolling | |||
| SA 91.2 | Thelma | |||
| SA 92.7 | Summit | |||
| SA 98.3 | Littleton | Littleton | ||
| SA 104.0 | Vaughan | |||
| SA 109.0 | Macon | Macon | ||
| SA 113.3 | Warren Plains | |||
| SA 115.3 | Norlina | Norlina | originally Ridgeway Junction junction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main Line | |
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 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 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.
The Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad was organized in 1833 to extend from the area of the rapids of the Roanoke River at its fall line near Weldon, North Carolina to Portsmouth, Virginia, across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk on the harbor of Hampton Roads.
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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 Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was a North Carolina railroad that operated in the second half of the 19th century.
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The Charleston Subdivision is a railroad territory owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of South Carolina and Georgia. The line from Florence, South Carolina, to Savannah, Georgia, for a total of 195.8 miles. At its north end it continues south from the South End Subdivision and at its south end it continues south as the Savannah Subdivision of the Jacksonville Division.
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The W&W Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The line 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.
The Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad was a railroad built in the early 1900s. As its name suggests, it ran from Richmond, Virginia south through Petersburg into northern North Carolina. It was a key part of the network of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad.
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 Seaboard Air Line Railroad’s Main Line was the backbone of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad's network in the southeastern United States. The main line ran from Richmond, Virginia to Tampa, Florida, a distance of over 800 miles. Along its route it passed through Petersburg, Raleigh, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville, and Ocala, Florida. While some segments of the line have been abandoned as of 2022, most of the line is still in service and is owned by the Seaboard Air Line's successor, CSX Transportation as their S 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 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.
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.
