 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | North Carolina |
| Successor | Seaboard Air Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad CSX Transportation |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was a North Carolina railroad that operated in the second half of the 19th century.
The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad traces its history back to the early 1850s, when the line was chartered by the North Carolina General Assembly as the Chatham Railroad in February 1851. [1] It changed its name to the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad in 1871, and was chartered by the South Carolina General Assembly in February 1878. [2]
In 1871, the Chatham Railroad was reorganized as the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad. [3] The carrier's goal was to build a line from Raleigh to Augusta, Georgia, through Columbia, South Carolina. However, it never progressed past the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, where it met the Palmetto Railroad. [3]
The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad controlled the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad, owning most of its stock. [3] By 1884, the Raleigh and Augusta stretched from Raleigh, North Carolina south to Hamlet, then on to the South Carolina border at Gibson. [4] Later, the Raleigh and Gaston, and Raleigh and Augusta both fell on hard times during the Panic of 1873, and John M. Robinson, president of the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad, acquired financial control of both carriers, becoming president of all three railroads in 1875. [5]
By 1881, the Seaboard and Roanoke, the Raleigh and Gaston, and others were operating as a coordinated system under the Seaboard Air-Line System name for marketing purposes, combining the nicknames of the two principal roads. [5]
By 1883, the Raleigh and Augusta was operating nearly 100 miles (160 kilometres) of track between Raleigh and Hamlet. [1]
In November 1899, stockholders of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad considered the consolidation of the Raleigh and Gaston with the following other roads:
The resulting company became known as the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line was merged into the Seaboard in November 1901. [2]
In 1967, the Seaboard Air Line merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. [7] 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. The line is still in service and it is part of CSX's S Line (Aberdeen Subdivision and Hamlet Terminal Subdivision).
| Milepost [8] | City/Location | Station [9] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 156.1 | Raleigh | Raleigh | Amtrak Silver Star, Carolinian, and Piedmont station rebuilt in 2018 junction with:
|
| S 160.2 | Meredith College | ||
| S 160.5 | Method | ||
| S 168.3 | Cary | Cary | Amtrak Silver Star, Carolinian, and Piedmont station rebuilt in 1996 junction with North Carolina Railroad (SOU) |
| S 171.1 | Apex | Apex | junction with Durham and Southern Railway |
| Jordans | |||
| S 177.3 | New Hill | ||
| S 179.8 | Bonsal | junction with Durham and South Carolina Railroad (SOU) | |
| S 181.1 | Merry Oaks | ||
| S 185.8 | Haywood | ||
| S 187.3 | Moncure | junction with Pittsboro Railroad | |
| Olives | |||
| S 193.4 | Osgood | ||
| S 195.1 | Colon | junction with Raleigh and Western Railway (SOU) | |
| S 198.9 | Sanford | Sanford | junction with: |
| S 205.6 | Lemon Springs | ||
| S 211.1 | Cameron | Cameron | |
| S 216.6 | Vass | Vass | also known as Winder |
| S 217.8 | Lakeview | ||
| S 221.8 | Niagara | Niagara | |
| S 223.6 | Manly | ||
| S 225.0 | Southern Pines | Southern Pines | Amtrak Silver Star |
| S 228.7 | Aberdeen | Aberdeen | junction with: |
| S 231.0 | Pinebluff | Pinebluff | |
| S 233.0 | Addor | ||
| S 239.4 | Hoffman | Hoffman | |
| S 243.2 | Marston | ||
| S 246.2 | Cognac | ||
| S 253.4 | Hamlet | Hamlet | Amtrak Silver Star station rebuilt in 1900 junction with: |
| SH 263.7 | Gibson | Gibson | continues as Seaboard Air Line Railroad Andrews Subdivision |
The Seaboard System Railroad, Inc. was a US Class I railroad that operated from 1982 to 1986.
The Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which styled itself as "The Route of Courteous Service", was an American railroad which 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 Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at the end of the year it operated 331 miles (533 km) of road and 510 miles (820 km) of track.
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 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 Northeastern Railroad was a 103-mile (166 km) 5 ft gauge railroad that served South Carolina in the second half of the 19th century.
The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina before, during and after the American Civil War. It received its charter in 1846 and began operation in 1853 from Wilmington, North Carolina, extending west to the now-defunct town of Manchester, South Carolina. The track gauge was 5 ft.
The Palmetto Railroad was a Southeastern railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina in the late 19th century.
The Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conway Railroad was a Southeastern railroad that operated between Chadbourn, North Carolina and Conway, South Carolina near the end of the 19th century.
The South Bound Railroad was a Southeastern railroad that operated in South Carolina and Georgia in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
The Palmetto Subdivision is a CSX Transportation rail line in the Tampa Bay region of Florida. It runs from East Tampa and roughly parallels U.S. Route 41 south through Ruskin to Palmetto and Bradenton. The Palmetto Subdivision ends just south of Tropicana Yard in Oneco, where it connects with the Seminole Gulf Railway, a shortline that continues south into Sarasota.
The Aberdeen Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in North Carolina. The line runs along CSX's S Line from Raleigh, North Carolina, to Marston, North Carolina, for a total of 86.9 miles. At its north end it continues south from the Norlina Subdivision and at its south end it continues south as the Hamlet Terminal Subdivision.
The Monroe Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of North Carolina and South Carolina. The line runs from Pee Dee, North Carolina to Abbeville, South Carolina, for a total of 177 miles. The full line is dispatched by Centralized traffic control.
The Norlina Subdivision is a railroad line owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. State of North Carolina. The line currently runs from Norlina, North Carolina, to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a total of 51.2 miles. At its north end the line comes to an end and at its south end the line continues north from the Aberdeen Subdivision. While the current line dates back to 1840, it has been known as the Norlina Subdivision since the 1970s. Under CSX's predecessor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, the Norlina Subdivision continued north to Collier Yard near Petersburg, Virginia.
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. The Portsmouth Subdivision was historically operated by the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, a CSX predecessor.
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 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 Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad, originally the Wilmington and Charlotte Railroad, was a railway company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1855 and 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.