Southeastern Railroad

The Southeastern Railroad was a railroad line in southern North Carolina that ran between Elrod and Chadbourn.

Southeastern Railroad
Overview
SuccessorAtlantic Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

History

The Southeastern Railroad and Lumber Company was formed by Neill G. Wade and A. L. Jones. Wade operated three saw mills in Cumberland County and Jones operated a saw mill in Buie (located about 10 miles north of Elrod on the ]]Atlantic Coast Line Railroad]]'s main line). Jones and Wade then leased an undeveloped right of way and built the rail line from Elrod to Hub (known today as Boardman) to access large tracts of virgin timber. The line was complete from Elrod to Ashpole (known today as Fairmont) in 1898. By 1900, it was extended to Chadbourn, where many strawberry fields were located. There was also a rail connection to Wilmington, North Carolina (via the Wilmington and Manchester Railroad) in Chadbourn.[1]

As the line was completed, it was taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), who designated the line as their H Branch. The ACL also bought the Wilmington, Chadbourn and Conway Railroad and made the two lines a single route from Elrod to Conway (which would extend to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1912 after the ACL bought the Conway Seashore Railroad). The line would then be known as the ACL's Conway and Myrtle Beach Branch. ACL's passenger service to Myrtle Beach operated over the line.[2]

In 1949, the ACL abandoned the line between Fairmont and Chadbourn. The remaining line from Elrod to Fairmont remained in service as a spur from the main line.[1]

The Atlantic Coast Line became the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL) in 1967 after merging with their former rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The SCL designated the remaining line as the Fairmont Subdivision.[3] 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 rest of the line was abandoned in 1988.[4]

Stations
Milepost[lower-alpha 1] City/Location Station[5] Connections and notes
AH 246.3 Elrod junction with Fayetteville Cutoff (ACL)
AH 250.9 Raynham Raynham
AH 252.9 McDonald McDonald
AH 258.0 Fairmont Fairmont originally known as Ashpole
H 262.6 Proctorville Proctorville junction with Raleigh and Charleston Railroad (SAL)
H 264.6 Orrum Orrum
H 268.4 Boardman Boardman originally known as Hub
H 271.4 Evergreen
Braswell
H 279.4 Chadbourn Chadbourn junction with:

Notes
  1. Milepost numbers continue from the ACL main line. The ACL gave the numbers an H prefix. After the merger into SCL in 1967, the letter A was added to the beginning of the prefix on the remaining line (north of Fairmont)

References
  1. "Southeastern Railroad". Fairmont NC History. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  2. Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Northern Division Timetable (1949)
  3. Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Rocky Mount & Raleigh Division Timetable (1975)
  4. "ACL branch Elrod to Chadbourn, NC". Greenspun. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  5. "South Carolina Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops" (PDF). Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (North Carolina). Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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