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Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad

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Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 25 July 20254 sources
Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad
Company typeRailroad company
IndustryRail transport
PredecessorChatham Railroad
Founded1871
Defunct1901
FateMerged into Seaboard Air Line Railroad
Headquarters
Raleigh, North Carolina
,
United States
Area served
North Carolina, South Carolina
ParentRaleigh and Gaston Railroad (majority shareholder)

The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad was a railroad company based in North Carolina that operated during the latter part of the 19th century.

Founding and Early Development

Initially established as the Chatham Railroad through legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1851, the enterprise underwent reorganization in 1871, emerging as the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad. It also received a charter from the South Carolina General Assembly in 1878.[1]

The railroad's original goal was to link Raleigh with Augusta, Georgia, passing through Columbia, South Carolina. However, its service area never extended beyond the boundary between North and South Carolina, where it connected with the Palmetto Railroad.[2]

Ownership of the railroad was largely held by the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, which controlled a majority of its shares. By 1884, the line stretched from Raleigh, North Carolina to Hamlet, North Carolina, continuing southward to the South Carolina state line at Gibson, North Carolina.[3] Financial instability during the Panic of 1873 affected both railroads significantly. As a result, John M. Robinson, who was president of the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad, took control of all three lines by 1875, assuming leadership roles across these companies.[4]

Consolidation and Later Years

By 1881, several railroads including Seaboard and Roanoke, Raleigh and Gaston, among others, operated collectively under the Seaboard Air-Line System brand—a name derived from combining nicknames of two principal railways.

In 1883, the Raleigh and Augusta Air Line managed close to 100 miles of track connecting Raleigh and Hamlet.

In November 1899, shareholders of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad discussed merging with several other railroads such as Raleigh and Augusta Air Line Railroad, Durham and Northern Railway, Roanoke and Tar River Railroad, Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad, Carolina Central Railroad, Palmetto Railroad, Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway, Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, among others.

This merger ultimately resulted in the formation of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The Raleigh and Augusta Air Line was officially integrated into Seaboard in November 1901.

Subsequently in 1967, Seaboard Air Line combined forces with its competitor Atlantic Coast Line Railroad to create the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. Later in 1980, the parent company of Seaboard Coast Line merged with the Chessie System, forming CSX Corporation. Initially operating Chessie and Seaboard Systems independently, CSX consolidated them into CSX Transportation by 1986. Today, this route remains operational within CSX’s S Line network (Aberdeen Subdivision and Hamlet Terminal Subdivision).

Historic stations

Milepost City/Location Station Connections and notes
S 156.1 Raleigh Raleigh Amtrak services: Silver Star, Carolinian, Piedmont
Station rebuilt in 2018
Interchange point with:
S 160.2 Meredith College
S 160.5 Method
S 168.3 Cary Cary Served by Amtrak Silver Star, Carolinian, Piedmont
Station renovated in 1996
Connection with North Carolina Railroad (SOU)
S 171.1 Apex Apex Junction with Durham and Southern Railway
Jordans
S 177.3 New Hill
S 179.8 Bonsal Connection to Durham and South Carolina Railroad (SOU)
S 181.1 Merry Oaks
S 185.8 Haywood
S 187.3 Moncure Interchange with Pittsboro Railroad
Olives
S 193.4 Osgood
S 195.1 Colon Junction with Raleigh and Western Railway (SOU)
S 198.9 Sanford Sanford Connections include:
S 205.6 Lemon Springs
S 211.1 Cameron Cameron
S 216.6 Vass "Winder" also used as alternate name for this station
S 217.8 Lakeview


References

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named wiki
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named carolana
  3. ↑ Prince, Richard E. (2000). Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History. Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33695-3.
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named trainsmag

Related profiles

SSeaboard and Roanoke RailroadPPiedmont and Northern RailwayFFlorida, Atlantic and Gulf Central RailroadFFlorida Central Railroad (1868–1882)
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