Wilmington and Weldon Railroad
The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad (W&W) name began use in 1855, having been originally chartered as the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad in 1834.[1] When it opened in 1840, the line was the longest railroad in the world with 161.5 miles (259.9 km) of track.[2] It was constructed in 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge.[3] At its terminus in Weldon, North Carolina, it connected with the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad (to Portsmouth, Virginia) and the Petersburg Railroad (to Petersburg, Virginia). 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.[4]
Original route of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad main line (red) and branches (dark red). Click to enlarge. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1855–1900 |
| Predecessor | Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad |
| Successor | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) |
| Length | 161.5 miles (259.9 km) |
History
Among the early employees of the W&W RR was assistant engineer William G. Lewis. The future Civil War general began his railroad career in 1858. From 1854 to 1871 S.L. Fremont was Chief Engineer and Superintendent. Fremont, North Carolina, is named in his honor.
During the American Civil War, the railroad was used heavily by the Confederacy for transporting troops and supplies. The railroad also played a key role in the Siege of Petersburg. The cities of Wilmington and Goldsboro fell in 1865 at the end of the war, and the railroad was badly damaged.[5]
The railroad managed to rebuild after the war. By 1866, the bridge over the Cape Fear River was rebuilt, which reconnected the line to Wilmington.[5] By 1869, the W&W and other railroads in the Carolinas were purchased by a group of Baltimore capitalists including William T. Walters. This group of lines were advertised as the Atlantic Coast Line, but were still operated independently.[6]
In 1872, the W&W was leased by the Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad, but this lease ended in 1878 when the WC&A went bankrupt.
The W&W was officially merged into the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) on April 21, 1900. The ACL established its headquarters in Wilmington.[6] The Wilmington and Weldon Railroad from Weldon to Conentnea would become part of the ACL's main line, with the remaining line south to Wilmington becoming the ACL's Contentnea–Wilmington Line (C Line).[7]
In 1909, the ACL realigned the track in Goldsboro to bypass the center of town in conjunction with the opening of Goldsboro Union Station. The line's original alignment along Center Street was removed in 1925.[8]
The Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1967 after merging with their former rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. 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 ex-ACL main line is still in service as CSX's A Line. The former W&W from Contentnea south is now CSX's W&W Subdivision (named in reference to the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad).[9]
Branches
In addition to the main line between its namesake cities, the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad also operated a number of branch lines.
Scotland Neck (Kinston) Branch
The Scotland Neck Branch was built in 1882 by the Scotland Neck Railroad. It connected with the main line at Pender (just south of Halifax) and ran southeast to Scotland Neck. In 1883, it was acquired by the W&W and by 1890, it had been extended south to Kinston.[10] The branch was then known as the Kinston Branch (A Branch) after W&W was merged into the Atlantic Coast Line. Today, the branch is still in service from Parmele to just north of Kinston. The remaining line is now CSX's Parmele Subdivision.
Nashville Branch
The Nashville Branch was built in 1887 and ran from the main line at Rocky Mount west to Nashville and Spring Hope. CSX sold the branch to the Nash County Railroad in 1985. It was sold again in 2011 to the Carolina Coastal Railway, who operates it today.
Tarboro Branch
The Tarboro Branch was built in 1850 and ran from the main line at Rocky Mount east to Tarboro. In 1882, the Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad was built which extended the branch east to Williamston on the Roanoke River. It was extended again in 1890 to Plymouth. The W&W acquired the Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad in 1885.
After the W&W was merged into the Atlantic Coast Line, the branch was part of the ACL's Norfolk–Rocky Mount Line (B Line) west of Tarboro (which continued to Norfolk via the former Norfolk and Carolina Railroad). East of Tarboro, it was known as the Plymouth Branch (BC Branch). The branch is still in service today and it is CSX's Tarboro Subdivision.
Midland Branch
The Midland Branch ran from the main line at Goldsboro west to Smithfield. It was originally chartered as the Smithfield & Goldsboro Railroad and it was built by its parent company, the Midland North Carolina Railway. It was acquired by the W&W in 1885. It was named the Midland Branch after the Midland North Carolina Railway. The branch closely paralleled the North Carolina Railroad (which was operated by the Southern Railway). Atlantic Coast Line abandoned the Midland Branch in 1930.[11]
Stations
Main Line
| Milepost[12] | City/Location | Station[13][14] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| A 82.6 | Weldon | Weldon | junction with: |
| A 89.9 | Halifax | Halifax | |
| A 91.7 | Pender | junction with Scotland Neck Branch | |
| A 92.6 | Ruggles | ||
| A 100.9 | Enfield | Enfield | |
| A 107.0 | Whitakers | Whitakers | |
| A 111.2 | Battleboro | ||
| A 114.7 | Schrader | ||
| A 119.6 | Rocky Mount | Rocky Mount | Amtrak Carolinian, Palmetto, Silver Meteor, and Silver Star station rebuilt in 1911, 1916, and in the 1960s junction with Nashville Branch |
| A 121.2 | South Rocky Mount | junction with Tarboro Branch | |
| A 125.6 | Sharpsburg | Sharpsburg | |
| A 128.6 | Joyner | ||
| A 129.4 | Elm City | Elm City | |
| A 135.7 | Wilson | Wilson | Amtrak Carolinian, Palmetto rebuilt in 1924 junction with Norfolk Southern Railway (SOU) |
| A 138.9 | Contentnea | junction with Fayetteville Cutoff (ACL) | |
| AC 141.9 | Black Creek | Black Creek | |
| AC 148.6 | Fremont | Fremont | also known as Nahunta |
| AC 152.1 | Pikeville | Pikeville | |
| AC 159.8 | Goldsboro | Goldsboro | replaced by Goldsboro Union Station in 1909 junction with:
|
| AC 164.3 | Genoa | ||
| AC 165.9 | Everettsville | area known today as Brogden | |
| AC 168.5 | Dudley | named for Governor Edward Bishop Dudley, the railroad's founder | |
| AC 173.5 | Mount Olive | ||
| AC 177.2 | Calypso | Calypso | |
| AC 180.4 | Faison | Faison | |
| AC 184.6 | Bowden | ||
| AC 188.8 | Warsaw | Warsaw | junction with Clinton Branch |
| AC 196.5 | Magnolia | Magnolia | |
| AC 201.7 | Rose Hill | Rose Hill | |
| AC 205.8 | Teachey | Teachey | |
| AC 208.1 | Wallace | Wallace | originally known as Duplin Roads[15] |
| AC 211.5 | Willard | originally known as Leesburg[16] | |
| AC 214.7 | Watha | Watha | |
| AC 221.4 | Burgaw | Burgaw | |
| AC 226.5 | Ashton | ||
| AC 229.5 | Rocky Point | ||
| AC 233.2 | Marlboro | ||
| AC 235.4 | Castle Hayne | ||
| AC 239.7 | Wrightsboro | ||
| AC 241.1 | Gordon | ||
| AC 243.1 | Wilmington | New Bern Junction | junction with Wilmington, New Bern and Norfolk Railroad (ACL) |
| AC 243.6 | Wilmington | junction with Wilmington and Manchester Railroad (ACL) |
Scotland Neck Branch
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA 91.7 | Pender | junction with the Main Line | |
| AA 99.5 | Tillery | ||
| AA 103.5 | Spring Hill | ||
| AA 109.9 | Scotland Neck | Scotland Neck | |
| AA 116.7 | Hobgood | Hobgood | |
| AA 123.7 | Oak City | Oak City | originally Goose Nest |
| AA 128.2 | Hassell | Hassell | |
| AA 134.8 | Parmele | Parmele | junction with Albemarle and Raleigh Railroad (W&W/ACL) |
| AA 138.3 | Whitehurst | ||
| AA 144.0 | Staton | ||
| AA 146.3 | House | ||
| AA 149.7 | Greenville | Greenville | |
| AA 155.2 | Winterville | Winterville | |
| AA 159.2 | Ayden | ||
| Littlefield | |||
| Hanrahan | |||
| AA 166.3 | Grifton | Grifton | |
| AA 171.9 | Graingers | ||
| AA 177.6 | Kinston | Kinston | |
Nashville Branch
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABA 119.9 | Rocky Mount | Rocky Mount | junction with Main Line |
| ABA 125.9 | Westry | ||
| ABA 130.2 | Nashville | Nashville | |
| ABA 136.1 | Nomeyer | ||
| ABA 138.6 | Spring Hope | Spring Hope |
Tarboro Branch
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB 121.2 | Rocky Mount | South Rocky Mount | junction with Main Line |
| AB 128.6 | Kingsboro | ||
| AB 135.6 | Tarboro | Tarboro | junction with Norfolk and Carolina Railroad (ACL) |
| ABC 140.7 | Mildred | ||
| ABC 143.7 | Conetoe | Conetoe | |
| ABC 148.7 | Bethel | Bethel | |
| ABC 152.2 | Parmele | Parmele | junction with Kinston Branch |
| ABC 155.8 | Robersonville | Robersonville | |
| ABC 160.5 | Everetts | Everetts | |
| ABC 166.3 | Williamston | Williamston | |
| ABC 177.1 | Jamesville | Jamesville | |
| ABC 183.4 | Dardens | ||
| ABC 188.6 | Plymouth | Plymouth |
Midland Branch
| Miles from Goldsboro |
City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Goldsboro | Goldsboro | located on Main Line |
| 1.0 | Midland Junction | junction with: | |
| 4.6 | Walter | ||
| 10.0 | Princeton | Princeton | |
| 10.7 | Joyner | ||
| 12.0 | Holt's Mill | ||
| 17.3 | Peeden | ||
| 18.0 | Oliver | ||
| 22.8 | Smithfield | Smithfield | junction with Fayetteville Cutoff (ACL) |
Clinton Branch
| Milepost | City/Location | Station | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACA 188.8 | Warsaw | Warsaw | junction with the Main Line |
| ACA 194.4 | Turkey | ||
| ACA 195.8 | Elliott | ||
| ACA 202.5 | Clinton | Clinton | |
References
- "North Carolina Railroads - Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad". Carolana.com. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
- UNC University Libraries: This Month in North Carolina History - March 1840
- Confederate Railroads - Wilmington & Weldon
- About Goldsboro
- "North Carolina Railroads - Wilmington & Weldon Railroad". Carolana.com. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
- "Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company Records, 1892-1963". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Northern Division Timetable (1949)
- "The Night the Tracks Came Up (after two decades of fighting)". The Cromulent Manifesto. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- CSX Florence Sub Timetable
- "Atlantic Coast Line Railroad" (PDF). LaBelle. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
- "North Carolina Railroads - Atlantic Coast Line Railroad". Carolana.com. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
- Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Rocky Mount & Raleigh Division Timetable (1975)
- "North Carolina Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (North Carolina). Retrieved 4 November 2020.
- "Wilmington and Weldon Rail Road. Wilmington & Weldon R. R. Company. Time Table No. 5, From and After Monday, October 31st., 1859". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved 2018-04-24.
- "Duplin Roads Before Wallace: A History". Cape Fear Historical Institute. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
- Turburg, Ed. "Historic and Architectural Resources of Pender County" (PDF). North Carolina (official site). Retrieved 8 December 2020.