Chartered in 1834, the Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad began operations in 1840 between Wilmington, North Carolina and Weldon, NC. With 161.5 miles of track, it is said to have been the longest railroad in the world at the time of its completion.
The name was changed in 1855 to the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad.
The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad is one of the earliest ancestors of the current CSX Transportation.