Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway
Overview
LocaleNorth Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
Dates of operation1886 (1886)–1900 (1900)
SuccessorSeaboard 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.

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
Overview
StatusStill operating under CSX
OwnerSeaboard Air Line Railroad
Termini
Technical
Line length269.4 mi (433.6 km)
ElectrificationNo

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

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

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.
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