| Carolina Southern Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | CALA |
| Locale | Florence, South Carolina to Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1995– |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Conway, South Carolina |
Carolina Southern Railroad (reporting mark CALA) operates between Mullins, South Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina via Whiteville, North Carolina, with a branch extending into Chadbourn, North Carolina.
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The company in 1995 began operating two former CSX Transportation branch lines. One was a portion of the now abandoned ACL line between Florence, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina, and the other was operated by the Waccamaw Coast Line from Conway, South Carolina to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Commodities carried by the railroad are coal, wood products, stone, grain, agricultural chemical, and processed food. Accessible to the line are industrial parks in Whiteville, North Carolina as well as Marion, South Carolina. The railroad connects with CSX Transportation at Mullins.
In 1985, Horry County, South Carolina purchased the CSX line from Conway to Myrtle Beach. In 1996, the county decided to sell, and Carolina Southern, which began leasing the railroad line from the county in 1995, was the only bidder. The county turned down Carolina Southern's three bids, and by 1998, the city of Myrtle Beach showed interest.[1][2]
In 1987, the South Carolina Department of Transportation declared the section east of the Pine Island Bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway to be unsafe. The state spent $4.2 million to restore the 50-year-old bridge, which reopened in summer 1997. The first train crossed the bridge June 22, 2001, but Carolina Southern, still leasing from the county, had to spend $900,000 to bring the section east of the waterway up to the standards needed for regular service.[3][4][5]
On August 30, 2011, the railroad shut down due to the need for upgrades, including bridge work. The county later applied for a federal grant, with plans to spend $7.5 million on the county's rail line.[6]
| No. | Builder | Model | Horsepower | History/notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | GM | F7A | 1500 | Originally built as the Texas & New Orleans #379 7/52, traded to GE, to Wellsville, Addison & Galeton #2400 in 1969, to Louisiana & North West #48 in 1974, to Waccamaw Coast Line 48 1/92, stored at Chadbourn in disrepair |
| 87 | GM | SW9 | 1200 | Originally built as the Chesapeake & Ohio #5092 in 1953, to Baltimore & Annapolis #87, still painted and lettered for B&A and stored in Chadbourn |
| 88 | GM | F7A | 1500 | ex-MILW, ex-Waccamaw Coast Line, stored at Chadbourn in disrepair |
| 100 | GM | GP18 | 1800 | Originally built in 1960 as Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific #1333, ex-Nashville & Ashland City #9, ex-McCormick, Ashland City & Asheville #9, red and white, in regular freight service |
| 943 | GM | GP18 | 1800 | Originally built as Norfolk Western #943, ex-Waccamaw Coast Line #943, high, short hood, in faded WCL purple paint, in regular freight service |
| 950 | GM | GP18 | 1800 | ex-Mid-Atlantic, ex-Norfolk Southern, ex-Norfolk & Western, in red and white Carolina Southern paint, chop nosed by CALA |
| 951 | GM | GP18 | 1800 | ex-Mid-Atlantic, ex-Norfolk Southern, ex-Norfolk & Western, in Carolina Southern Pullman green, chop nosed by CALA |
| 958 | Gm | GP18 | 1800 | ex-Mid-Atlantic, ex-Norfolk Southern, ex-Norfolk & Western, in gray/maroon Mid-Atlantic paint, chop nosed by CALA without benefit of a repaint |
| 2613 | GM | GP30 | 2250 | ex-Waccamaw Coast Line, ex-Norfolk Southern, ex-Southern, high, short hood |
| 6622 | GM | F9BU | 1750 | Originally built March 1957 as the Canadian National 6622, class GPB-17d, retired from CN roster and transferred to VIA 31 March 1978, sold for scrap by VIA November 1991 to Montreal Locomotive Sales, Lachine QC, sold March 1992 to Waccamaw Coastline Railroad, to Carolina Southern Railroad, in service as of 2002, repainted in CN colors by WCL |
| 9158 | GM | F7AU | 1500 | Originally built August 1952 as the Canadian National #9080, F7A, class GFA-17a , reclassified GFA-15d, September 1954, rebuilt to 9158 November 1972, class GFA-17a, retired December 1989, sold to Century Locomotive Parts, Lachine QC in 1992, to Waccamaw Coastline Railroad, to Carolina Southern, red and white, ex-Canadian National |
| 9163 | GM | F7AU | 1500 | Originally built November 1952 as the Canadian National #9116, F7A, class GFA-17a, reclassified GFA-15d, September 1954, rebuilt to 9163 April 1973, retired December 1989, sold to Century Locomotive Parts, Lachine QC in 1992, sold to Waccamaw Coastline Railroad, to Carolina Southern Railroad, red and white, in regular freight service |
Carolina Southern
160.470
161.505
Waccamaw Coast Line
461.450
466.450
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