Portsmouth Subdivision

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.

Portsmouth Subdivision
SA 0.0
Portsmouth
Suffolk Spur
Commonwealth Railway
SA 17.5
Suffolk
Lake Meade
Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk District
Norfolk Southern Railway
Franklin District
SA 37.1
Franklin
SA 54.1
Boykins
North Carolina and Virginia Railroad
SA 57.0
Branchville
Virginia
North Carolina
SA 69.2
Seaboard
CSX
SA 76.2
Garysburg
CSX
to Norlina (abandoned)
SA 82.7
Roanoke Rapids
SA 109.0
Littleton
SA 109.0
Macon
SA 115.3
Norlina
to Petersburg, Virginia (abandoned)
CSX

Route Description

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.

History

Formation

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]

Seaboard Air Line years

Portsmouth Subdivision
Overview
StatusStill operating east of Garysburg, North Carolina under CSX
OwnerSeaboard Air Line Railroad
Termini
Technical
Line length115.3 mi (185.6 km)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
ElectrificationNo
SignallingNone

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]

Later years

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.

Historic Seaboard Air Line stations

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

See also

References

  1. "CSX Florence Division Timetable" (PDF).
  2. "PM–Portsmouth Sub – The RadioReference Wiki".
  3. "The First Railroad Hub of the South - Weldon NC". Get Hooked Weldon. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  4. "North Carolina Railroads - Raleigh & Gaston Railroad". www.carolana.com. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  5. "Classic Trains Magazine – Railroading History, Train Travel, Steam Locomotives – Fallen Flags: P-S". Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
  6. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Virginia Division Timetable (1955)
  7. Google Satellite Imagery
  8. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Rocky Mount and Raleigh Division Timetable (1975)
  9. "North Carolina Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (North Carolina). Retrieved 4 November 2020.
Template:Attached KML/Portsmouth Subdivision
KML is not from Wikidata
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.