The Durham and Northern Railway was a railroad that historically ran from Henderson, North Carolina to

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. The line became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad and operated as the company's Durham Subdivision and it also had a short branch from Dickerson to Oxford.

History

The Durham and Northern Railway was first organized as the Durham & Northern Railway Company on August 29, 1887, by the State of

State of North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The line came under the ownership of the Raleigh and Gaston Railroad, which the Durham and Northern Railway connected with in Henderson. The cities of Henderson and Durham jointly financed the construction of the line. The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was absorbed into the Seaboard Air Line Railway in 1900, and the Durham and Northern was fully merged into the company in 1901. The Seaboard designated the line as their Durham Subdivision and in 1902, they built a short 4-mile branch from Dickerson to Oxford.Seaboard Air Line Railroad Virginia Division Timetable (1955)
/ref> The line was used for passenger service in its early days, but by 1955, it was freight only with one local freight train running six days a week. In 1967, the SAL merged with its rival, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL). The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL). The Seaboard Coast Line continued to operate the Durham Subdivision but it was subsequently abandoned by 1975.Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Rocky Mount and Raleigh Division Timetable (1975)
/ref>

Historic stations

References

{{reflist Defunct North Carolina railroads Predecessors of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad