The Piedmont & Northern Railway was a heavy electric interurban company operating over two disconnected divisions in North and South Carolina. Tracks spanned total between the two segments, with the northern division running from Charlotte, to Gastonia, North Carolina, including a three-mile (5 km) spur to Belmont. The southern division main line ran from Greenwood to Spartanburg, South Carolina, with a spur to Anderson. Initially the railroad was electrified at 1500 volts DC, however, much of the electrification was abandoned when dieselisation was completed in 1954.
Unlike similar interurban systems the Piedmont & Northern survived the Great Depression and was later absorbed into the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad in 1969. Although part of the railroad was abandoned between Greenwood and Honea Path and Belton to Anderson, much of the original system exists today as shortlines.
History
Although interurban railroads were not nearly as common in the sparsely populated and largely agrarian Deep South, there were a number of small electric networks constructed in the region throughout the early 20th century. Among them was the Anderson Traction Company, created on June 22, 1904, to build and operate within the city of Anderson. Eventually the railroad expanded to complete construction of an extension to Belton by 1910. The railroad was acquired by James B. Duke of Duke Power around the same time.
On March 20, 1909, the Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson Railway was chartered and presided over by Duke. The company used the Anderson Traction Company rails terminating at Belton as a starting point for northward construction to Greenville and construction toward Greenwood to the south, with both cities connected in November 1912. An extension from Greenville to Spartanburg was completed in April 1914. The North Carolina division started with the Piedmont Traction Company, also owned by Duke, and completed its route between Charlotte and Gastonia, North Carolina on July 3, 1912.
Both sections were electrified to 1,500 volts DC with power supplied from mainly hydroelectric sources. Additionally both segments were built to steam road standards with minimal street running.
Consolidation
The Piedmont & Northern was created in 1914 to consolidate both the Greenville, Spartanburg & Anderson in South Carolina and the Piedmont Traction Company in North Carolina. In 1916 the railroad completed a spur to Belmont, North Carolina. On numerous occasions the company sought to link the two disconnected segments and expand to Durham, North Carolina, however, the plans never materialized due to stiff resistance from the Southern Railway, which the P&N paralleled in both states.
Although many railroads were hostile to the Piedmont & Northern, a friend was found with the Seaboard Air Line, which connected with the P&N at Charlotte and Greenwood. Throughout its existence the P&N stressed interchange traffic over its efficient electric lines, and with good reason: the railroad shared numerous interchanges with several major railroads.
Network
The P&N's network in 1964 was connected to the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR), Carolina and Northwestern Railway (Ca&NW), Georgia and Florida Railroad (G&F), Norfolk Southern (NS), Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL), Southern Railway (SOU), Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL), Greenville and Northern Railroad (G&N), Charleston and Western Carolina (C&WC) and Ware Shoals Railroad.
Though owned by Duke Power, the P&N operated coal trains over a branch from Mount Holly, NC, to Terrell, NC, supplying Duke Power's Lake Norman powerplants.
+ North Carolina Division Mile Station Interchange Notes 0.0 Charlotte Southern, NS Piggyback ramps 3.8 Chemway 4.1 Pinoca SAL Shops (still in use by CSX) 5.4 Toddville 6.9 Thrift 10.6 Sodyeco 11.1 Mount Holly -- -- -- -- 0.0 Mount Holly Riverbend Cowans Ford Denrock Denver Terrell -- -- -- -- 13.5 North Belmont -- -- -- -- 0.0 North Belmont 3.1 Belmont Southern -- -- -- -- 16.5 McAdenville Junction 17.6 McAdenville 17.9 Lowell 19.7 Ranlo 21.7 Groves 23.4 Gastonia Southern, C&NW Piggyback ramp
+ South Carolina Division Mile Station Interchange Notes 0.0 Spartanburg ACL, Southern, Clinchfield, C&WC Piggyback ramp 3.9 Saxon (Camp Wadsworth?) 6.6 Clevedale 10.2 Startex Southern 12.0 Lyman Southern 13.4 Duncan 18.3 Greer Southern Chick Springs 23.1 Taylors Southern 27.1 Paris (Hampton Heights?) 33.5 Greenville (River Junction) ACL, G&N, Southern, C&WC Piggyback ramp 36.5 White Horse Golden Grove 43.7 Piedmont Southern 48.4 Pelzer Southern 50.5 Williamston Southern Thomason/Cheddar 58.0 Belton Southern, C&NW -- -- -- -- 0.0 Belton Southern, C&NW Campbell Toxaway 11.6 Anderson C&NW, ACL, C&WC -- -- -- -- 65.8 Honea Path Southern 71.4 Donalds 74.3 Shoals Junction Southern, Ware Shoals RR 80.2 Hodges 83.9 Downs Southern Harris 88.9 Greenwood ACL, G&F, SAL, Southern, C&WC Piggyback ramp
Extension Plans to connect the North and South Carolina divisions between Spartanburg, SC and Gastonia, NC, and to expand northwards towards Winston-Salem, NC, were successfully blocked by appeals by the Southern Railway and other entities in court cases in the 1930s, specifically PIEDMONT & N. RY. CO. v. UNITED STATES, 280 U.S. 469 (1930) and PIEDMONT & N R. CO. v. INTERSTATE COMMERCE COMMISSION, 286 U.S. 299 (1932).
Traffic The P&N, though involved in extensive passenger operations, was primarily a heavy freight carrier. The most important commodity transported was coal and coke, but also of significance were cotton (including cotton waste) and paper.
+ Statement of Car Loads of Freight Handled (in Carloads) - Years 1955 and 1954 Commodity Carloads,1954 Carloads,1955 Change Grain andGrain Products 3221 3258 +37 Packing House Products 2200 2381 +181 Fruits andVegetables 1874 1838 -36 Coal and Coke 30203 37995 +7792 BuildingMaterials 4465 4966 +501 Cotton andWastes 8093 8907 +814 TextileProducts 2746 2842 +96 Sand andStone 2196 2521 +325 Automobiles 1889 2061 +172 Oil andGasoline 2920 2738 -182 Fertilizer andFertilizer Products 4056 3176 -880 Machinery 613 732 +119 Paper andPaper Products 6480 6786 +306 Clay andFullers Earth 1897 1805 -92 Iron andSteel Articles 2746 3297 +37 Forest Products 2257 2054 -203 Merchandise 4767 4350 -417 Miscellaneous 17128 17986 +858 (Data from P&N 1955 Annual Report)
Remnants Remaining structures Only four of the stations built for the P&N, designed by Charles Christian Hook are still in existence today in North Carolina.
The Thrift depot in the Paw Creek community in Charlotte, NC is the only remaining P&N station in Mecklenburg County, NC; it is presently for sale."
In Gaston County, several structures are still standing. The depot in Mount Holly, North Carolina is still standing and is used as a hair salon. The former P&N depot in Belmont, NC has been restored and was a P&N museum until 2004, when the lease ran out and was not given extension by the owner. The former P&N station in Gastonia, NC, burned down in 1995. Lastly, the small depot of McAdenville, NC is still standing, though it has been relocated from its previous location.
In South Carolina, at least four stations are still standing: Donalds, Hodges, Greer, and Anderson. The abandoned depot at Pelzer burned on the night on January 26, 2011, and shortly afterward it and the nearby Piedmont station were demolished by the CSX which had refused to support a local effort to save the Pelzer station.
Nothing remains of the P&N in Honea Path, SC, apart from power poles still standing, delineating the former right-of-way.
The station at Taylors, SC was still standing in 1987. Though it is now gone, a former substation - including some overhead poles of the P&N line - can still be found near the CSX's Enoree River viaduct.
The former P&N RR Charlotte terminal freight depot was in the Mint/Graham/Second(MLK)St /Third St block, while the Charlotte terminal passenger depot was in the Mint/Graham/Third St/Fourth St block in Charlotte. BB&T Ballpark now sits on the former depot site.
Existing lines, current operations
Some of the P&N's former lines are still in existence, with limited amounts still in operation. The track from Pelzer, SC to Spartanburg, SC is the CSX's Belton Subdivision. The segment from Pelzer to Belton was taken over by the Greenville and Western Railway in 2006. In Gaston County, the track from Mt. Holly, NC to Gastonia, NC and from Mount Holly to Belmont, NC is still in place. Initially the track belonged to CSX; it is now owned by the North Carolina Department of Transportation, which awarded a contract in May 2010 to Patriot Rail Corporation to restore the track and operate trains along the line. Since May 2022, this segment is operated by Charlotte Western Railroad.
References