Raleigh and Gaston Railroad

The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was a Raleigh, North Carolina, based railroad opened in April 1840[1] between Raleigh and the town of Gaston, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River. It was North Carolina's second railroad (the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad opened one month earlier). The length was 100 miles (160 km) and built with 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge.[2] 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.

Raleigh and Gaston Railroad
Raleigh to Weldon route (click to enlarge)
Overview
LocaleNorth Carolina
SuccessorSeaboard Air Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
CSX Transportation
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

History
Cornerstone of the Raleigh and Gaston railroad building of Raleigh, North Carolina

Consruction on the line began in 1836. At the north end, the line initially crossed the Roanoke River near Roanoke Rapids on a 1,040-foot long bridge to connect the line to Gaston. In Gaston, it connected with the Greensville and Roanoke Railroad (which was operated by the Petersburg Railroad). In 1852, the line was extended from Roanoke Rapids east to Weldon.[3]

The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad served the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Its track provided a link in a route that provided the most direct route from Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh at the time. During the fall of Richmond, the original bridge over the Roanoke River at Gaston was destroyed and was never rebuilt.[3] After the war, the line was reconnected to the north side of the river when the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad rebuilt their bridge over the Roanoke River at Weldon.[4]

The railroad built the Franklinton Depot in 1886.[5] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[6]

The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) in 1900. At the same time, SAL finished a line running from Norlina north to Richmond, Virginia (which was chartered by the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad).[7] This line, along with the former Raleigh and Gaston Railroad from Norlina south became the SAL's main line. The line from Norlina to Weldon became part of SAL's Portsmouth Subdivision.[8]

In 1967, the SAL merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). After the merger, the ex-SAL main line became known as the S Line in the combined network. Track from Norlina to Weldon was then known as the Roanoke Rapid Subdivision, which has since been abandoned.

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 abandoned the S Line (the designation for the former Seaboard Air Line main line) north of Norlina into Virginia in 1985. [9]

Current Conditions

Today, much of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad remains in service. Track from Raleigh to Norlina is now CSX's Norlina Subdivision. Track from Norlina to Roanoke Rapids was abandoned in 1983, but the short segment from Weldon to Roanoke Rapids is still in service as CSX's Roanoke Rapids Spur (which connects to CSX's A Line).[4][10]

Station listing
Raleigh and Gaston / Seaboard Coast Line Building, which was once home to the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad.
Raleigh and Gaston Railroad's Franklinton Depot
Milepost[8] City/Location Station[11][3] Connections and notes
SA 78.8 Weldon Weldon located on branch track built in 1853
junction with:
Gaston Gaston located on original route that was severed during the American Civil War
SA 82.7 Roanoke Rapids Roanoke Rapids also known as Roanoke Junction (where routes to Gaston and Weldon split)
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
S 98.4[lower-alpha 1]		 Norlina Norlina originally Ridgeway Junction
junction with Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad (SAL)
S 100.6 Ridgeway
S 103.4 Manson
S 106.5 Middleburg Middleburg
Brookston
S 109.8 Greystone
S 113.8 Henderson Henderson junction with:
  • Durham & Northern Railway (SAL)
  • Oxford & Henderson Railroad (SOU)
S 118.3 Gill
Staunton
S 121.8 Kittrell Kittrell
S 130.3 Franklinton Franklinton
S 136.5 Youngsville Youngsville
S 140.5 Wake Forest Wake Forest
S 141.5 Forestville
S 143.7 Wyatt
S 147.1 Neuse
S 150.8 Raleigh Millbrook
S 154.8 Edgeton
S 156.1 Raleigh junction with:

Notes
  1. Milepost numbers from Weldon to Norlina continue from the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad. Mileposts from Norlina to Raleigh continue from the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad.

See also

References
  1. The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad
  2. Confederate Railroads - Raleigh & Gaston
  3. "North Carolina Railroads - Raleigh & Gaston Railroad". www.carolana.com. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  4. "The First Railroad Hub of the South - Weldon NC". Get Hooked on Weldon. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  5. T .H. Pearce and Michael T. Southern (October 1990). "Franklinton Depot" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2014-11-01.
  6. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. "Richmond, Petersburg & Carolina Railroad". Virginia Places. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  8. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Virginia Division Timetable (1955)
  9. "The Norlina Subdivision". Rails in Virginia. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  10. CSX Florence Division Timetable
  11. "North Carolina Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (North Carolina). Retrieved 4 November 2020.
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