The Carolina & North-Western Railway was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina from the late 19th century until just before World War II, when it was officially absorbed into the Southern Railway.
The carrier traces its beginnings back to the Kings Mountain Railroad that ran from Chester, South Carolina, to York, South Carolina, before the Civil War.[1] The Kings Mountain Railroad was begun in 1855 but was destroyed the Union Army during the War Between the States and was not rebuilt after the conflict.[2]
The route lay abandoned for almost eight years until the creation of the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1873.[3] Within a decade the Chester & Lenoir had extended the line to Lenoir, North Carolina. At over 120 miles, the Chester & Lenoir was the largest narrow gauge railroad in the Carolinas.[1]
Over the next decade, the railroad operated under the umbrella of the Richmond and Danville Railroad.[1]
When the Richmond and Danville was re-organized as the Southern Railway In 1894, the Chester & Lenoir operated on its own for a short while. By 1896, it went into receivership, and the following year was re-organized as the Carolina & North-Western Railway.[4] Though technically controlled by the Southern, this shortline carrier, more than any other in the Southern Railway family, was allowed to operate almost autonomously.[1]
By 1902, the Carolina & North-Western Railway was converted to standard gauge track, and it purchased a controlling interest in a logging railroad, the Caldwell & Northern, that ran from Lenoir to Colletsville, North Carolina.[1] By 1906, the railroad had been expanded to Edgemont, North Carolina, making the line nearly 150 miles long, further increasing access to the timber in the mountains north and west of Hickory, North Carolina.[5]
In 1912, new shops were built in Hickory and within 10 years a locomotive was even built within the railroad’s shops.[1]
By 1938, the railroad abandoned the line from west Lenoir to Edgemont, and passenger service was discontinued in 1947. By 1948, the carrier had completely dropped steam and replaced it with diesel locomotives. The Carolina & North-Western was one of the first completely dieselized railroads in the southeast.[1]
It was absorbed into the Southern Railway system around 1940.[4]