Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad
| Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad | |
|---|---|
| Reporting mark | AR |
| Locale | North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1892–present |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) |
| Headquarters | Aberdeen, North Carolina |
The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad (reporting mark AR) is a shortline operating in North Carolina. At one time the AR was a Class 2 railroad. The railroad has 47 miles (76 km) of track that runs from Aberdeen to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Contents |
[edit] History
The AR was incorporated in 1892 by businessman John Blue. He built the railroad to get his timber and turpentine products to market. On June 30, 1895, the first stretch of road was opened from Aberdeen to Endon. In 1898 the company added a line from Ashley Heights to Raeford which soon became the main line with the Endon line as a branch. Shortly thereafter, the Endon branch was extended to Juniper. The main line was extended to Dundarrach in 1900, Rockfish in 1902, Fenix in 1904 and a branch from Rockfish to Hope Mills was added in 1905. For a while, Aberdeen–Hope Mills became the main line, with branches to Juniper and Fenix.
On November 14, 1909, another branch from Raeford to Wagram was opened. In 1912, the company abandoned the Endon branch and used the rails to construct an extension from Fenix to Fayetteville which opened on December 23 that year. At the same time the line to Hope Mills was abandoned, as it became unnecessary with the new link to the main line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Fayetteville. Over the years the railroad's traffic has shifted from lumber to agriculture products. The AR is still owned by the Blue family and operates freight trains from Aberdeen to Fayetteville. The Wagram branch was sold to the Laurinburg and Southern Railroad in 1921.
[edit] Traffic
- Chemicals
- Animal Feed
- Grain
- Animal By-Products
- Building Supplies
- Fertilizer Solution
[edit] Route
- M.P. 00 Aberdeen, North Carolina - interchange with CSX-SAL and Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway (ACWR) and NS Norfolk Southern.
- Spivey Hill Siding
- M.P. 05 Ashley Heights, North Carolina (abandoned AR branch (8 miles) used to run east to Endon and Juniper)
- McCain
- M.P. 10 Montrose
- M.P. 13 Timberland
- M.P. 19 Raeford, North Carolina - interchange with Laurinburg and Southern Railroad (LRS) that runs over former AR track to Edinburgh, Purcell and Wagram, North Carolina (12 miles).
- Upchurch Siding
- M.P. 24 Dundarrach, North Carolina
- M.P. 26 Arabia, North Carolina
- M.P. 30 Rockfish, North Carolina
- M.P. 31 Hope Mills Junction (abandoned AR branch that used to run east to Hope Mills, NC)
- M.P. 34 Fenix
- M.P. 36 Cliffdale - AR branch to Clifbragg (former Cape Fear Railways route)
- M.P. 40 Skibo - former junction with abandoned track of Cape Fear Railways (CF)(Route to Fort Bragg)
- M.P. 42 Owens
- M.P. 45 South Fayetteville, North Carolina CSX-ACL AND NS-Norfolk Southern
- River Terminal (on Cape Fear River)
[edit] Scheduled Service
In the August 1936 Official Guide, the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad operated one passenger round trip (train numbers 38 and 41) between Aberdeen and Fayetteville, departing Aberdeen at 8:50 am, and arriving at Fayetteville at 10:45 am; the return from Fayetteville at departed at 4:25 pm and arrived back in Aberdeen at 6:10 pm. The service ran Monday - Saturday, and Montrose, Dundarrach, Skibo, and Owens were flag stops. There was one scheduled freight train (train numbers 21 and 22), which ran between Aberdeen and Fayetteville Monday - Saturday; it departed Aberdeen at 7:45 am, and arrived at Fayetteville at 11:45 am. It returned from Fayetteville at 12:15 pm, and arrived back in Aberdeen at 4:05 pm.
[edit] References
- "Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad History". Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad. 2006. http://www.aberdeen-rockfish.com/html/a_r_history.html. Retrieved March 26, 2006.
- Drury, George H. (1984). The Train-Watcher's Guide to North American Railroads. Waukesha, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 6. ISBN 0-89024-061-2.
- Walker, Mike (2004). SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America: Appalachia and Piedmont. Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom: SPV Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-07-2.
[edit] Further reading
- Schafer, Mike (1976). Railroads you can model. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Kalmbach Publishing. ISBN 0-89024-526-6.
|
|||||||||||
