Wilmington, NC

[David B. Clarke]

For those of you who are interested in the longest tangent and
Wilmington, NC railroad "action," here is some info. All errors are my
fault. Corrections are welcome.

David Clarke

Wilmington Railroad History

Wilmington's connectivity with the national railroad network has declined
greatly during the second half of this century. The city, a prominent
colonial port, was the largest city in North Carolina during the first
half of the 19th century. Wilmington's importance as an antebellum port
and commercial center was demonstrated by the construction before the
Civil War of three pioneer railway lines:

The Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad (W&R);
The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad (W&M); and
The Wilmington, Charlotte, and Rutherford Railroad (WC&R).

The Wilmington & Raleigh Railroad was chartered 1/3/1835 to construct a
railroad between Wilmington and Raleigh, in the interior of North
Carolina. Citizens of Raleigh failed to support the company financially,
and the line actually opened in 3/9/1840 between Wilmington and Weldon, a
town near the Virginia state line east of Raleigh. At Weldon, the road
connected with the Petersburg Railroad and the Portsmouth and Roanoke
Raiload which provided connections to Portsmouth, Petersburg, Richmond,
and points north. At the time of completion, the 161-mile W&R was the
longest railroad in the U.S. On 2/14/1855, long after it was apparent
that the line would never reach Raleigh, the company's name was changed
to the Wilmington & Weldon Railroad (W&W). The W&W soon became an
important link in a continuous north-south rail route along the Atlantic
seaboard. This, plus its access to the then important port of
Wilmington, made the road an important artery during the Civil War.

The Wilmington & Manchester Railroad, chartered in SC (12/18/1846) and NC
(1/9/1847), was planned to provide a route from Wilmington into the
interior of SC. At Manchester, the promoters intended to establish a
connection with the South Carolina Railroad Company. This would allow
Wilmington to compete with Charleston for SC commerce. Construction was
completed from a point on the west bank of the Brunswick River two miles
from Wilmington to Camden Jct., SC on 10/10/1854. At Florence, SC, the
line connected with the Northeastern Railroad of SC and the Cheraw &
Darlington Railroad. Charleston was the southern terminus of the
Northeastern Railroad.

The Wilmington, Charlotte, & Rutherford Railroad, chartered on
11/14/1855, was to connect Wilmington with Charlotte and points beyond in
the interior of NC. Construction of the line started on 1/1/1857 from
Riverside, a point across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington.
By the outbreak of the Civil War, construction from Wilmington had been
completed between Riverside and Old Hundred, a distance of 100 miles.
Construction activities ceased during the War, and the line was heavily
damaged by General Sherman's forces. After the War, construction of the
WC&R resumed. Following a financial failure in 1872, the Carolina
Central Railroad acquired the line and extended it to Shelby, NC, 237
miles from Riverside. Construction was completed on 12/15/1874.

Thus, prior to the Civil War, Wilmington's rail connections and its
position as a major terminal enhanced its position as a port and economic
center.

Railroad construction following the Civil War provided Wilmington with
additional connections. The Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railroad (CF&YV)
had been chartered to connect Wilmington with cities in the Yadkin Valley
area of interior NC. Construction started inland, however, and the
railroad company did not enter Wilmington until 2/17/1890. Completion of
this route gave Wilmington direct access to Fayetteville, Sanford,
Greensboro, and Mount Airy. The CF&YV soon proved unable to support its
338 mile operation, and, through a complicated series of financial
transactions, the line was purchased and split up between the Southern
Railway System and the W&W in 1899, with the W&W retaining the segment
between Wilmington and Sanford.

A final component of the rail system into Wilmington was the line to New
Bern, NC. This line served local industries, largely agricultural in
nature, and the military installation at Camp LeJuene. In New Bern,
connections were made with the Norfolk Southern Railway and the Atlantic
and East Carolina Railroad.

At its rail zenith, therefore, Wilmington was served by five rail lines.
During the period 1880-1900, all these lines save the Carolina Central
came under the umbrella of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) system.
The promoters of the ACL were Baltimore residents, but the company was
headquartered in Wilmington prior to 1960. The lines in Wilmington
formed the core of the fledgling system. By 1900, when all subsidiaries
were integrated into the parent company, the ACL organization had amassed
an extensive network of track in the South, directly serving the states
of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and
Alabama. By 1902, it gained control of the 4,775 mile Louisville &
Nashville Railroad. This was followed in 1924 by control of the 277 mile
Clinchfield railroad, an Appalachian coal hauler. The ACL itself reached
5,500 miles by 1950, and Wilmington had the distinction of being the
headquarters of one of the nation's leading railroad companies.

When constructed initially, both the WC&F and the W&M established
terminals on the west side of the Cape Fear River across from downtown
Wilmington. Cars and passengers were transported into the city by ferry.
This arrangement proved clumsy, and both roads desired a direct entrance
into Wilmington. In conjunction with the W&W, the two roads formed the
Wilmington Railway Bridge Company to bridge the rivers. Completed in
June 1866, the bridges established a through rail link between the W&W
and the WC&A, both in the ACL camp. It also gave the WC&R access to
downtown Wilmington.

Although the bridges allowed all railroads to access downtown Wilmington,
through service was still cumbersome. The W&W was constructed with a
56-1/2" gage, while the WC&R and the W&M were 60" gage. For many years,
through cars required a time consuming change of trucks in Wilmington to
adapt to the differing gages. This situation was not remedied until
1886, when all lines converted to the "standard" 56-1/2" gage.

At this point, the through route between Richmond and Jacksonville passed
via Wilmington and the city contained important railroad offices, shops,
and yards. The city had probably reached its railroad zenith.
Unfortunately, the through route through Wilmington was rather indirect,
and the ACL system surveyed a new line between Contentnea, NC, 3.2 miles
south of Wilson, and Pee Dee, SC. The new route, variously called the
"Wilson Short Cut" and the "Fayetteville Cut-off," was 60 miles shorter
than the line via Wilmington. The cutoff was constructed during the
period 1885-1892 and opened officially 1/1/1893. The majority of
north-south rail traffic was soon rerouted away from Wilmington, marking
the beginning of the city's long-term decline as a rail center.

The Carolina Central line between Hamlet and Wilmington became part of
the Seaboard Air Line Railway (Seaboard) on 1/12/1900. A competitor of
the ACL, Seaboard operated in essentially the same territory. Compared
with ACL, Seaboard's presence was relatively minor in Wilmington. The
company maintained a small yard in the city and, during the time rail
passenger service was offered, a separate passenger depot.

During the late 1950s, ACL began planning a relocation of the corporate
headquarters away from Wilmington. Jacksonville, FL was selected as the
new location, and the company relocated in 1960. The former headquarters
buildings were either donated to the city or abandoned. Most of the once
extensive complex was demolished during an urban renewal program in the
mid-1960s. Today, only two buildings remain.

In 1967, the ACL and Seaboard merged to form the Seaboard Coast Line
Railroad. With this merger, rail competition in the city ceased, and a
long-term movement to rationalize the combined properties of the two
railroads began. The SCL removed Hilton and Smith Creek Yards, the
downtown railyards of both former carriers and constructed a new
facility, Davis Yard, just west of Wilmington at Navassa along the former
Seaboard line. The former CF&YV was abandoned between Garland, NC and
the New Hanover County line in 1967, removing direct rail service between
Wilmington and Fayetteville. The former WC&A was abandoned and removed
about 1975 between the Maco, NC and Whiteville, NC. These lines had
little on-line business outside of the Wilmington area, and the next
major on-line cities (Florence and Fayetteville, respectively), were
served by other SCL lines. In 1985, the majority of the former ACL line
to New Bern was removed, with only a short segment remaining in the
Wilmington area. As of 1994, this has been completely removed back to
Fernside in the Wilmington area. During 1986, 27.1 miles of the former
W&W between Castle Hayne, NC and Wallace, NC was abandoned and removed.
Today, only the former Seaboard line to Hamlet remains to link the
Wilmington by rail with the rest of the nation. Ironically, few remnants
of the former ACL, once headquartered in Wilmington, now exist. Former
SCL track in Wilmington was conveyed through consolidations to Seaboard
System Railroad in 1983 and CSX Transportation in 1986.

CSX Transportation Service to Wilmington
[This may be a bit dated...corrections welcomed]

CSX Transportation is the sole provider of railroad service into
Wilmington. The city is the terminus of a CSX branch which originates in
Hamlet, N.C., the site of a major junction and hump classification yard.
The line, which extends 109.1 miles from Hamlet Yard to Wilmington's
Davis Yard, is the Wilmington Subdivision of CSX's Florence Service Lane.

CSX operations in Wilmington center around Davis Yard, a 30-track flat
switched facility across the Cape Fear River at Navassa. West from
Wilmington, the line extends in almost a straight line through numerous
small towns on the coastal plain. The 21.6 mile Duarte spur extends
north from Lumberton. At Pembroke, NC, 73.6 miles west of Wilmington,
the line crosses the CSX Richmond-Jacksonville mainline. A connection
track at Pembroke permits movements between the two lines. In Laurenburg
there is a connection with the Laurinburg and Southern shortline.

In Hamlet, the track configuration permits through movements north
towards Raleigh and west towards Charlotte and Atlanta. Movements south
towards Columbia, SC or Florence, SC are also possible, but a train from
Wilmington must reverse direction. In normal practice, trains from
Wilmington terminate in the large Hamlet Yard. From Hamlet, other CSX
trains depart for Atlanta, Columbia, Savannah and Jacksonville, Raleigh,
Charlotte, and Richmond. Thus, Wilmington traffic has relatively good
connections.

The horizontal profile of the Wilmington Subdivision has few curves. In
fact, this line has a 78.86 mile tangent, the longest in the U.S. The
vertical profile follows the gently undulating coastal plain. Grades are
relatively short; no grade exceeds 0.8 percent, with the average much
less.

CSX dispatches trains on the subdivision using a Direct Traffic Control
(radio manual block) system, with dispatchers located in Jacksonville,
FL. Outside of the Hamlet terminal, the line is not equipped with block
signals. Four sidings of at least 10,200 feet are spaced at intervals
ranging from 18 to 31 miles. Siding turnouts are manually operated. The
line has 131-pound welded rail and is maintained to permit a 49 mph
maximum train speed. Five automatic trackside detectors monitor passing
trains for dragging equipment amd overheated axle bearings. Given these
factors, and considering current traffic volumes, the line has
substantial reserve capacity.

Horizontal and vertical clearances along the line are generally favorable
for most rail equipment. Bridges at Wilmington are probably the limiting
clearance envelopes. East of Pembroke, clearances are sufficient for
19'-2" doublestack container cars. This is adequate for marine
containers, but insufficient for two domestic high cube containers. West
of Pembroke, clearances allow full 20'-2" high cube stacks. The line can
handle cars with a gross weight of 263,000 pounds.

Currently, CSX serves the Wilmington area with a daily freight train
to/from Hamlet Yard. Occasional extra trains are operated. Examples
include military movements, unit coal trains for the Carolina Power &
Light plant, and special direct load moves for vessels. These trains may
not originate in Hamlet; often, they travel the Richmond-Jacksonville
mainline to Pembroke. At Pembroke they use the connection track in the
northwest quadrant of the crossing to enter the Hamlet-Wilmington line.
This may require a reverse movement. More frequently, however, trains
come from the north, travel through the connection track, and proceed 5
miles west on the Hamlet line to Wilkes siding. Here, the engines run
around the train consist, couple to the east end, and proceed to
Wilmington. This requires additional time and distance, but the nominal
amount of traffic handled in this manner probably does not justify
installing an additional connection track.

CSX formerly operated a dedicated intermodal container train for the
Port. This train ran to/from Charlotte using a special expanded crew
district permitting single crew operation. Service frequency averaged
once/week and never exceeded every other day. This train was
discontinued for reasons not entirely clear, although the the Port and
CSX apparently disagreed over rates. Containers are presently drayed to
Charlotte.

From Davis Yard, CSX operates switch engines over a network of trackage
which includes industrial spurs and the remnants of former mainlines
emanating from the city. Numerous industries receive rail service in the
Wilmington area, with concentrations in the port area, along the west
side of the Northeast Cape Fear River, and in Castle Hayne. CSX also
interchanges cars with the Wilmington Terminal Railroad (WTR), which
serves the State Port, and with the U.S. Government Railroad, which
serves the Sunny Point Army Ammunition Depot and several private
shippers.

Track in the Wilmington area east of Davis Yard is used only by switch or
transfer movements. Trains operate at speeds of 25 mph or less, with 10
mph being typical on most of the industrial track. The track has no
block signals. The line to the port consists of the remaining portion of
the former New Bern Subdivision, which extends east through residential
areas of the city to a point called Fernside. From Fernside, the "Belt
Line" diverges in a southwesterly direction towards the waterfront.
Since the abandonment of most of the New Bern Subdivision, CSX desigates
the entire segment as the Belt Line. This route is equipped with
continuous welded rail. Maintenance appears adequate for the current
traffic, although vegetation control needs attention. The numerous
rail-highway grade crossings are a maintenance and operational problem
for CSX. Business on the line is largely port related, although a few
additional customers remain.

The bridges across the Northeast Cape Fear and Cape Fear Rivers have
movable spans, as these rivers are navigable waterways. The Northeast
Cape Fear River bridge is a bascule drawspan, while the Cape Fear River
is a swing span. CSX keeps both bridges attended, currently 18
hours/day. Neither bridge has interlocking protection for railroad
traffic. Trains approaching the Northeast Cape Fear River halt at stop
signs and wait for a signal from the bridge tender to proceed. The Cape
Fear River Bridge has a derail on the west approach; trains must be
prepared to stop if the derail is set. The bridgetender will open the
derail when trains are clear to cross the span.

CSX operates three weekday local switch engines in the Wilmington area.
One crew switches industries west of the Cape Fear River, working the
remnants of the former Fayetteville line and Florence lines. A second
crew works the 10 mile line to Castle Hayne. The third works downtown
industries and delivers via the Belt Line to the State port.

CSX serves several port related terminals, including the State Port and a
bulk terminal. The bulk terminal, located just north of downtown, is
located on the Coastal Spur, a remnant of the former Seaboard in
Wilmington city. The State Port, south of downtown, is at the end of the
Belt Line.