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31 results for Railroads--History
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Record #:
7471
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Reevy recounts the history of one of the shortest rail lines in the country. The short-run Carrboro Branch line between Chapel Hill and Carrboro has served its unique purpose for more than a century. Incorporated in 1873 as the Chapel Hill Iron Mountain Railroad Company, the ten-mile railroad was to serve an iron mine. Construction of the road began in 1879, but the company soon ran out of money. The mine was never a success, and ownership passed through several large railroad companies. Today, the line carries coal to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Cogeneration Facility three times a week as well as other freight for the area. About the mid-20th-century, Carrboro native and folksinger, Elizabeth “Libba” Cotton wrote a famous song, called “Freight Train,” about the Carrboro train as she knew it.
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Our State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 73 Issue 6, Nov 2005, p148-150, 152-153, il Periodical Website
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Record #:
5887
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Many people think theme park when they hear the words Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, but there actually was a Tweetsie Railroad. Bourknight discusses the line that dates back to 1866 and linked Eastern Tennessee with Western North Carolina. The locomotive that pulls the train at the park is the original engine No. 12 that was purchased from cowboy actor Gene Autry in 1956, restored, and brought to Blowing Rock.
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Our State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 71 Issue 2, July 2003, p68-70, 72, il Periodical Website
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Record #:
5488
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Railroading began in England in 1825, and by the 1830s, had reached North Carolina, offering a shipping alternative to turnpikes, canals, and steamboats. By 1860, 834 miles of track had been laid. Watson discusses the rise of railroads in the years leading up to the Civil War.
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Record #:
3085
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For over thirty years, Floyd McEachern has collected material from the era of steam engines. Today his more than 3,000 items, including hand lanterns, train uniforms, and a caboose, are on display at the Historical Train Museum in Dillsboro.
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Record #:
2002
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The National Railroad Museum in Hamlet features a Victorian train station, a locomotive, period cars, and other memorabilia that give visitors the feel of the railroading era.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 62 Issue 6, Nov 1994, p24-26, il
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Record #:
24453
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This article presents the history of the North Carolina Railroad Company, which owns the tracks upon which the Carolinian travels. The tracks were built in the decade before the Civil War in order to promote and facilitate economic development in the Piedmont.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 58 Issue 12, May 1991, p18-20, por
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Record #:
7741
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For the Norfolk and Southern Railroad to cross the Albemarle Sound in the 1880s, it was more efficient to float the entire train instead of unloading the freight onto the barge. In 1910, a five and a half mile bridge was built, making it the longest in the world. This allowed trains to cross the Albemarle in eighteen minutes rather than two and a half hours. By 1986, the seventy-six year old bridge was reaching its limits. Because it cost $19 million to strengthen the supports, the state considered floating the train across the water as it did in the past.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 54 Issue 1, June 1986, p20-21, il
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Record #:
8126
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Willard Formyduval bought the Aberdeen and Briar Patch Railroad in 1983. Allison Francis Page and his two brothers built the railroad line in 1879 to haul timber from the forests to their mill. The original railroad line created the town of Briscoe, and its short-lived passenger business bloomed in the early 1900s. Now, the line goes from Aberdeen to Pinehurst, West End, Candor, and Briscoe, offering freight service to businesses in outlying communities. The A & BP's first run, in 1984, was met with skepticism, but, after two years, it is a thirty-four-mile railroad, serving fourteen businesses. Thanks to a 1985 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration, it is in the middle of a $1.2 million rehabilitation project.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 53 Issue 11, Apr 1986, p12-13, 29, por, f
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Record #:
9586
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The Wilmington Railroad Museum, which focuses on the history of the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad, recently opened. When the line began operation in 1835, it was the world's longest railroad. The line has changed names several times, finally becoming the Atlantic Coast Line in 1900. The museum is located in a warehouse built by the railroad in 1876. Exhibits include a train caboose, a model train set, and the Wilmington and Weldon arrival bell.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 51 Issue 12, May 1984, p19-20, il
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Record #:
21456
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Before the 1870s there was a preference in the United States that the federal and state governments would subsidize private corporations but did not attempt to control them. This was the case when North Carolina held a three-quarters interest in the North Carolina Railroad (NCRR). The NCRR was built to help enable trade and travel to and within the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Chartered in 1849, the NCRR was the center of some controversy as to the style and amount of state control until it was leased out by the state in 1871.
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North Carolina Historical Review (NoCar F251 .N892), Vol. 61 Issue 2, Apr 1984, p174-204 , il, por, map, f Periodical Website
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Record #:
6196
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Five North Carolina railroads were authorized by legislation between 1829 and 1833. The last one chartered was the first to build. It was called The Experimental Railroad and carried heavy granite stones one-and-a-half miles from a Raleigh quarry to the site where the State Capitol building was being rebuilt after a fire.
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Tar Heel Junior Historian (NoCar F 251 T3x), Vol. 20 Issue 3, Spring 1981, p3, 29, bibl
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Record #:
8676
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In 1912, W.J. Grandin came from Pennsylvania to Wilkes County to build the Watauga Railroad. The completed line ran from Wilkesboro to Elkville, where there was a switch. One section of the line went to Gardin and the other to Darby. Although mostly for freight, the train ran one passenger excursion on Sundays. The railroad was ruined by the flood of 1916, and again in 1918, after which it was not rebuilt.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 49 Issue 4, Sept 1981, p16-19, il, por, map
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Record #:
8836
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The author's personal account of traveling state-to-state on the railroad in the 1930s. The author's father was a railroad president and could therefore get free train tickets for himself and his family.
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The State (NoCar F 251 S77), Vol. 48 Issue 8, Jan 1981, p14-16, il
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Record #:
32608
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The late Grover C. Robbins, Jr. renovated the Tweetsie locomotive and railroad in 1957, turning it into Blowing Rock’s most popular tourist attraction. The route of what came to be known as Tweetsie was the Linville River Railway division of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. The train now operates along a closed circuit and is maintained by Frank Coffey.
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Record #:
6562
Author(s):
Abstract:
Many people think theme park when they hear the words Tweetsie Railroad in Blowing Rock, but there actually was a Tweetsie Railroad. Johnson discusses the line that linked Eastern Tennessee with Western North Carolina in the 19th- and 20th-centuries and what lead to its demise.
Source:
Tar Heel (NoCar F 251 T37x), Vol. 8 Issue 5, July 1980, p60-62, il