Record #:

9097

Author(s):

Dunn, Michael J., III

Abstract:

Commonly called Tweetsie, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad was the narrow-gauge common-carrier railroad that once ran from Boone into Tennessee. It was one of the last steam rails in the country, and was almost the last narrow-gauge freight road when its last track was taken out of North Carolina in 1950 due to annual operating losses.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 44 Issue 2, July 1976, p9-11, il

Subject(s):

Railroads--History

Record #:

11287

Author(s):

Dunn, Michael J., III

Abstract:

The Virginia Creeper was a famous mixed freight-passenger train line that existed in western North Carolina and operated from 1911 until 1963. The name came from the slow progress the trains experienced traveling through the mountains. The line carried mail, logs, and coal from North Carolina into bordering states. The line lost relevancy with the induction of cars and roadways which bypassed the slow tracks.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 33 Issue 9, Oct 1965, p10-11, il

Subject(s):

Railroads--North Carolina, Western--History; Virginia Creeper (Train)

Record #:

12555

Author(s):

Dunn, Michael J., III

Abstract:

For seventy-seven years, the little engines of the Warrenton Rail Road Company have steamed or growled the three mile way between the Warren County seat and the Seaboard Airline at Warren Plains. Beginning in 1884, North Carolina's smallest railroad, mostly owned by the town of Warrenton, carried passengers and freight, under the direction of conductor, O. P. Shell.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 30 Issue 11, Oct 1962, p13, il

Subject(s):

Railroads--Warrenton

Record #:

11284

Author(s):

Dunn, Michael J., III

Abstract:

Southern Railroad's tracks crisscross North Carolina, but in McDowell County the tracks gained fame. The railway to Asheville experienced several height grading problems in the 1880s. The elevation grade prevented direct service to Asheville. Major James Wilson took control of the project and experimented with unique ideas of increasing track length between grade points, which allows for longer distances of travel to climb the proper elevation. The tracks even use a round valley as a type of centrifuge point to gain altitude and became famous for the unique ideas used to solve railway problems.

Source:

The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 33 Issue 8, Sept 1965, p13, 35, il

Subject(s):

Railroads--Grades; Railroads--McDowell County--History; Wilson, James William, 1832-1910