Cliffside Railroad

Technopedia Center

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science
S1 Informatics S1 Information Systems S1 Information Technology S1 Computer Engineering S1 Electrical Engineering S1 Civil Engineering

faculty of Economics and Business
S1 Management S1 Accountancy

Faculty of Letters and Educational Sciences
S1 English literature S1 English language education S1 Mathematics education S1 Sports Education

Cliffside Railroad - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cliffside Railroad was a Class III railroad operating freight service in southwestern North Carolina from 1905 until service ended in 1987. The line was formally abandoned in 1992.

Cliffside Railroad
Overview
Headquarters	Cliffside, North Carolina
Reporting mark	CRR
Locale	North Carolina
Dates of operation	1905–1992
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	3.7 miles (6.0 km)

History

The Cliffside Railroad Company was incorporated on March 2, 1905, and the 3.7-mile railroad line was opened between Cliffside, North Carolina to Cliffside Junction that same year.^[1]

In 1984, the railroad acquired the Seaboard System Railroad branch line between Ellenboro, North Carolina and Cliffside Junction, increasing the railroad's total mileage to 8.14.^[1]

By the 1980s, the railroad's traffic mix included textile products, waste, and scrap, and the railroad was owned by the Cone Mills Corporation and others.^[1]

Late in 1987, the railroad's service was suspended. The line was formally abandoned in January 1992.^[2]

Preserved Equipment

Two of the railroad's steam locomotives, both of which representing the last steam engines to operate on the railroad before it dieselized in 1962, have been preserved:

Number 110, 2-6-2, built by the Vulcan Iron Works in 1927 as McRae Lumber & Manufacturing Gulf number 1. Later went to the Beechwood Band Mill in Cordele, Georgia, and was acquired by the Cliffside in 1933. The engine made its final run on July 20, 1962,^[3] after which the railroad switched entirely to diesel powered operations and the 110 was placed in reserve until it was sold to the Swamp Rabbit Railroad in Cleveland, South Carolina, a year later. Swamp Rabbit eventually sold the engine to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad, where it was given the name "Yonah II" and operated around Stone Mountain Park until it encountered running gear issues and was withdrawn in 1982. In 1984, the 110 was placed on display outside the Stone Mountain's Memorial Depot. In late 2012, Stone Mountain sold the 110 to the New Hope Valley Railway in Bonsal, NC for eventual restoration to operation on their 4.5 mile tourist railroad.
Number 40, 2-8-0, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1925 for the Lancaster and Chester Railway. The Cliffside Railroad bought the engine in 1947, and the engine operated until July 20, 1962 when, despite having been refurbished for continued use, the engine had been retired by the Cliffside and sold to the New Hope Railroad, where it continues to operate.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lewis, Edward A. (1986). American Short Line Railway Guide. Kalmbach Books. p. 57.
^ Lewis, Edward A. (1996). American Short Line Railway Guide. Kalmbach Books. p. 355.
^ "Cliffside Railroad's Steam Engine Retired After Friday's Run". Remembercliffside.com. July 23, 1962.

v t e Railroads of North Carolina
Common carriers	Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad Alexander Railroad Atlantic and Western Railway Blue Ridge Southern Railroad Caldwell County Railroad Cape Fear Railways Carolina Coastal Railway Carolina Southern Railroad Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad Clinton Terminal Railroad CSX Transportation Great Smoky Mountains Railroad Laurinburg and Southern Railroad North Carolina Railroad North Carolina and Virginia Railroad Nash County Railroad Norfolk Southern Railway State University Railroad Thermal Belt Railway Virginia Southern Railroad Winston-Salem Southbound Railway Wilmington Terminal Railroad Yadkin Valley Railroad
Passenger carriers	Amtrak
See also: Former carriers in North Carolina List of United States railroads by political division

Categories:

History

Preserved Equipment

See also

References