Piedmont and Northern Railway
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| Piedmont and Northern Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Reporting marks | PN |
| Locale | Charlotte, North Carolina to Gastonia, North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1911–1969 |
| Successor line | SCL |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Charlotte, North Carolina |
The Piedmont and Northern Railway (AAR reporting marks PN) was a heavy electric interurban company operating over two disconnected divisions in North and South Carolina, respectively. The trackage ran 128 miles (206 km) all told, with the northern division running 24 miles (39 km) from Charlotte, to Gastonia, North Carolina, with a three-mile spur to Belmont. The southern division was the larger of the two, with the main line running 89 miles (143 km) from Greenwood to Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a 31 mi (50 km) spur to Anderson. The line was electrified at 1500 volts DC, but much of the electrification was abandoned when dieselisation was completed in 1954. Passenger service ended in 1951. The system was absorbed into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1969.
Contents |
[edit] Development
The P&N was first proposed in 1909 by William States Lee, vice-president of Southern Power and Utilities Co., as an "electrically powered interurban railway system linking the major cities of the Piedmont Carolinas."[1]
In 1910, the Piedmont Traction Company was formed as a street railway to operate in and around Gastonia, NC. In the same year, the Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson Railway Company was formed in South Carolina as a street railway authorised to run between fixed termini. The two companies then formed a syndicate, with the PTC acquiring the Charlotte, NC street railway, whilst the GS&A bought the Belton, SC - Anderson, SC line, besides both companies building new lines and securing trackage rights over the lines of various street railways. The network as it finally stood was finished in April, 1914. At some point thereafter, the PTC and the GS&A amalgamated into the Piedmont & Northern Railway Company.
The Charlotte - Mount Holly passenger service started on April 3, 1912, running combination baggage/coach motor cars (series 2000-2022) that had been delivered in 1911 by Jewett Car Co..
[edit] Network
The P&N's network in 1964 was connected to the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR), Carolina and North Western Railroad (C&NW), Georgia and Florida Railway (G&F), Norfolk Southern (NS), Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), Southern Railway (SOU), Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), Greenville and Northern Railroad (G&N), Charleston and Western Carolina (C&WC) and Ware Shoals Railroad.
Though owned by Duke Power, the P&N operated coal trains over a branch from Mount Holly, NC, to Terrell, NC, supplying Duke Power's Lake Norman powerplants.
| Mile | Station | Interchange | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Charlotte | Southern, NS | Piggyback ramps |
| 3.8 | Chemway | ||
| 4.1 | Pinoca | SAL | Shops (still in use by CSX) |
| 5.4 | Toddville | ||
| 6.9 | Thrift | ||
| 10.6 | Sodyeco | ||
| 11.1 | Mount Holly | ||
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 0.0 | Mount Holly | ||
| Riverbend | |||
| Cowans Ford | |||
| Denrock | |||
| Denver | |||
| Terrell | |||
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 13.5 | North Belmont | ||
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 0.0 | North Belmont | ||
| 3.1 | Belmont | Southern | |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 16.5 | McAdenville Junction | ||
| 17.6 | McAdenville | ||
| 17.9 | Lowell | ||
| 19.7 | Ranlo | ||
| 21.7 | Groves | ||
| 23.4 | Gastonia | Southern, C&NW | Piggyback ramp |
| Mile | Station | Interchange | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Spartanburg | ACL, Southern, Clinchfield, C&WC | Piggyback ramp |
| 3.9 | Saxon (Camp Wadsworth?) | ||
| 6.6 | Clevedale | ||
| 10.2 | Startex | Southern | |
| 12.0 | Lyman | Southern | |
| 13.4 | Duncan | ||
| 18.3 | Greer | Southern | |
| Chick Springs | |||
| 23.1 | Taylors | Southern | |
| 27.1 | Paris (Hampton Heights?) | ||
| 33.5 | Greenville (River Junction) | ACL, G&N, Southern, C&WC | Piggyback ramp |
| 36.5 | White Horse | ||
| Golden Grove | |||
| 43.7 | Piedmont | Southern | |
| 48.4 | Pelzer | Southern | |
| 50.5 | Williamston | Southern | |
| Thomason/Cheddar | |||
| 58.0 | Belton | Southern, C&NW | |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 0.0 | Belton | Southern, C&NW | |
| Campbell | |||
| Toxaway | |||
| 11.6 | Anderson | C&NW, ACL, C&WC | |
| -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 65.8 | Honea Path | Southern | |
| 71.4 | Donalds | ||
| 74.3 | Shoals Junction | Southern, Ware Shoals RR | |
| 80.2 | Hodges | ||
| 83.9 | Downs | Southern | |
| Harris | |||
| 88.9 | Greenwood | ACL, G&F, SAL, Southern, C&WC | Piggyback ramp |
[edit] Extension
Plans to connect the North and South Carolina divisions between Spartanburg, SC and Gastonia, NC, and to expand northwards towards Winston-Salem, NC, were successfully blocked by appeals by the Southern Railway and other entities in court cases in the 1930s, specifically PIEDMONT & N. RY. CO. v. UNITED STATES, 280 U.S. 469 (1930) and PIEDMONT & N R. CO. v. INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION, 286 U.S. 299 (1932).
[edit] Traffic
The P&N, though involved heavily in passenger operations, was primarily a heavy freight carrier. The most important commodity transported was coal and coke, but also of significance were cotton (including cotton waste) and paper.
| Commodity | Carloads, 1954 |
Carloads, 1955 |
Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grain and Grain Products |
3221 | 3258 | +37 |
| Packing House Products |
2200 | 2381 | +181 |
| Fruits and Vegetables |
1874 | 1838 | -36 |
| Coal and Coke | 30203 | 37995 | +7792 |
| Building Materials |
4465 | 4966 | +501 |
| Cotton and Wastes |
8093 | 8907 | +814 |
| Textile Products |
2746 | 2842 | +96 |
| Sand and Stone |
2196 | 2521 | +325 |
| Automobiles | 1889 | 2061 | +172 |
| Oil and Gasoline |
2920 | 2738 | -182 |
| Fertilizer and Fertilizer Products |
4056 | 3176 | -880 |
| Machinery | 613 | 732 | +119 |
| Paper and Paper Products |
6480 | 6786 | +306 |
| Clay and Fullers Earth |
1897 | 1805 | -92 |
| Iron and Steel Articles |
2746 | 3297 | +37 |
| Forest Products |
2257 | 2054 | -203 |
| Merchandise | 4767 | 4350 | -417 |
| Miscellaneous | 17128 | 17986 | +858 |
(Data from P&N 1955 Annual Report)
[edit] P&N Motive Power
| Road Number | Builder | Build Date | Engine Number | Tractive Effort | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5000 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 10-1911 | 37124 | 13,700 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5001 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 10-1911 | 37150 | 13,700 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5002 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 10-1911 | 37151 | 13,700 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5003 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 10-1911 | 37152 | 13,700 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5004 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 11-1911 | 37272 | 13,700 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5005 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 11-1911 | 37273 | 10,000 | Built with two trolley poles; pantograph installed 1935 |
| 5006 | Baldwin-Westinghouse | 4-1917 | 44508 | 12,000 | Ex Salt Lake & Utah #102, bought by P&N in 1947 |
| 5100 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4651 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. |
| 5101 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4652 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. |
| 5102 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4653 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. |
| 5103 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4654 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. Preserved at Southeastern Railway Museum, Spencer, NC |
| 5104 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4655 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. |
| 5105 | GE 63t boxcab | 12-1913 | 4656 | 13,000 | GE class 404-E-120-4-GE-212F 63 ton boxcab. |
| 5106 | GE | 1912 | 3806 | 14,800 | Ex Oregon Electric #25; Sold to Utah-Idaho Central as #25, 1945; bought by P&N in 1948 |
| 5500 | P&N Pinoca Shops | 1917 | - | 14,800 | Built from bodies of 4000-series express motors |
| 5501 | P&N Pinoca Shops | 1918 | - | 17,072 | Built from bodies of 4000-series express motors |
| 5502 | P&N Pinoca Shops | 1918 | - | 17,072 | Built from bodies of 4000-series express motors |
| 5600 | P&N Pinoca Shops | 1918 | - | 27,072 | Built from body of 4000-series express motors; rebuilt with steel cab in 1937; rebuilt as #5612 in 1949 |
| 5601 | P&N Greenville Shops | 1924 | - | 22,400 | Baldwin trucks |
| 5602 | P&N Greenville Shops | 1928 | - | 25,600 | Baldwin trucks |
| 5610 | P&N Greenville Shops | 1938 | - | 69,000 | GE trucks |
| 5611 | GE | 1941 | - | 34,500 | Built by GE to P&N design |
| 5612 | P&N Greenville Shops | 1949 | - | 75,000 | Rebuilt from #5600 |
| Road Numbers | Builder / Dates Built | Model | Livery | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000-1005 | 6 | Alco / 1954 | S-4 | gloss black, yellow striping | |
| 1600-1609 | 10 | Alco /1950-1951 | RS-3 | gloss black, yellow striping | Formerly numbers 100-109 |
| 2000-2001 | 2 | Alco / 1965 | C420 | gloss black, yellow striping |
| Road Numbers | Type | Builder / Dates Built | Construction | Seats | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birney | Brill, 1916 | Steel | 32 | Use and fate unknown | |
| 2 | City | Stephenson, 1917 | Wood | |||
| 4 | City | Southern Car, 1917 | Wood | |||
| 350 | Combine | AC&F, 1913 | Steel | 26 | Purchased from Pennsylvania Railroad - wrecked in 1941 | |
| 351 | Express | P&N, 1942 | Steel | - | Rebuilt from wreck of #350 | |
| 400-403 | Trailer | PRR, 1913 | Steel | 72 | Bought from the Pennsylvania Railroad; ran for a while with old nos. 325, 400, 408, 428 | |
| 404 | Trailer | Jewett, 1911 | Wood | 60 | Original trailer coach no. 2404 | |
| 405-407 | Trailer | PRR, 1913 | Steel | 60 | Bought from Long Island Railroad, ex-numbers 401, 402, 405 | |
| 2000-2022 | Combine | Jewett, 1911-1912 | Wood | 60 | ||
| 2050-2051 | Combine | P&N, 1928 | Wood | 36 | Rebuilt by P&N from number 2014 and 2008 | |
| 2060 | Express | P&N, 1942 | Wood | - | Rebuilt from #2005 | |
| 2100-2101 | Combine | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | 54 | Former 2500 class trailer, powered in 1919 | |
| 2102 | Combine | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | 68 | Former 2500 class trailer powered in 1919, 10' express section added in 1924 | |
| 2103-2107 | Coach | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | 68 | Former 2500 class trailer, powered in 1919 | |
| 2108 | Coach | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | 68 | Electric coach rebuilt from parlor-observation car "Catawba" in 1928 | |
| 2200 | Parlor-Observation | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | - | Open observation parlor-observation car "Catawba". Rebuilt in 1935 with glassed-in solarium section | |
| 2201 | Parlor-Observation | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | - | Open observation parlor-observation car "Saluda". Rebuilt as business car "Carolina" | |
| 2300 | Express | 1912 | Wood | Former freight car; doors built onto ends for train access. | ||
| 2400-2405 | Coach trailer | Jewett, 1911 | Wood | 60 | Demotorised 2000-class rebuilt into 2100-class | |
| 2500-2507 | Coach trailer | Southern Car, 1914 | Steel | 54 | Motorised 1923-1925 | |
| 3000-3004 | Coach trailer | Niles, 1910 | Wood | 54 | Five coaches obtained for military transport by USRA from Louisville & Northern Railway | |
| 4000-4007 | Express | Southern Car, 1911 | Wood | - | Later used to build 5500 and 5600 class electric locomotives |
[edit] Fate of the Rolling Stock
Some of the electric locomotives were shipped to South America, the rest were scrapped. The diesels were taken over by the Seaboard Coast Line in 1969 after that railroad took over the P&N; of them, all have been scrapped except for one S-4 surviving in the US on the Laurinburg and Southern, and four that were sent to Venezuela.
The interurban #2102, Office Car "Carolina" (formerly Saluda) and Caboose x-23 are preserved and on display to the public at the Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood, SC.
[edit] Remnants
Only four of the stations built for the P&N, designed by Charles Christian Hook are still in existence today in North Carolina.
The Thrift depot in the Paw Creek community in Charlotte, NC is the only remaining P&N station in Mecklenburg County, NC; it is presently for sale.[1]
In Gaston County, several structures are still standing. The depot in Mt. Holly, NC is still standing and is currently undergoing restoration. The former P&N depot in Belmont, NC has been restored and was a P&N museum until 2004, when the lease ran out and was not given extension by the owner. The former P&N station in Gastonia, NC, burned down in 1995. Lastly, the small depot of McAdenville, NC is still standing, though it has been relocated from its previous location.
In South Carolina, at least six stations are still standing: Pelzer, Donalds, Hodges, Greer, Piedmont and Anderson.
In Piedmont, SC, the building is still standing, and appears to be in use as a storage shed in reasonable condition.
Nothing remains of the P&N in Honea Path, SC, apart from power poles still standing, delineating the former right-of-way.
The station at Taylors, SC was still standing in 1987. Though it is now gone, a former substation - including some overhead poles of the P&N line - can still be found near the CSX's Enoree River viaduct.[2]
As far as track goes, some of the P&N's former lines are still in existence, some still in operation. The track from Pelzer, SC to Spartanburg, SC is presently the CSX's Belton Subdivision. The segment from Pelzer to Belton was taken over by the Greenville and Western Railway in 2006. The track from Mt. Holly, NC to Gastonia, NC and from Mount Holly to Belmont, NC is still in place. Initially the track belonged to CSX, it is now owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and it is kept in passable condition; there is reportedly interest in starting a trolley or RDC service along the line into Charlotte. The property acquired by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, was a 0.77 mile segment acquired 11/27/1991 from MPSFC 0.75-1.52 and an 11.6 mile main section acquired 12/5/1991 Mt. Holly to Gastonia/Belmont MP SFC 11.39-23.0 and a 3 mile spur MP SFF 0.13-3.13 http://www.bytrain.org/corridor/stateowned.html
The former P&N RR Charlotte terminal freight depot was in the Mint/Graham/Second(MLK)St /Third St block, while the Charlotte terminal passenger depot was in the Mint/Graham/Third St/Fourth St block in Charlotte. The International League Charlotte Knights plan to build a new ballpark on the two block site to open for the 2009 or 2010 season. http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/Charlotte-Knights-AAA-Bal-t41132.html
