Rockton and Rion Railway

The Rockton and Rion Railway was a Class III railroad operating freight service in Fairfield County, South Carolina until its abandonment in 1981. The railroad's entire 12-mile right-of-way is now owned by the South Carolina Railroad Museum, which rebuilt some of the railroad and currently operates on 5 miles of the line.

History

The Rockton and Rion operated from a connection with the Southern Railway at Rockton, South Carolina to Anderson Quarry, South Carolina. The railroad's freight consisted of sand and gravel moving outbound.[1]

Operations ceased on August 21, 1981.[2]

After abandonment was approved, the railroad's owner, Martin Marietta Materials, in October 1983 donated the entire Rockton and Rion right-of-way to the South Carolina Railroad Museum.[3] The museum then began the process of rebuilding the line, which it renamed the Rockton, Rion and Western Railroad.[3]

References

  1. ^ Lewis, Edward A. (1978). American Short Line Railway Guide. The Baggage Car. p. 99. 
  2. ^ Lewis, Edward A. (1986). American Short Line Railway Guide. Kalmbach Books. p. 233. 
  3. ^ a b http://www.scrm.org/history.asp