The East Carolina Railway was a
short-line railroad that ran from 1898 to 1965. Originating in
Tarboro, North Carolina the East Carolina Railway interchanged at
Farmville, North Carolina with the original
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad in the United States formed in 1982 with the merger of Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. With headquarters in Atlanta, the company operates 19,420 route miles (31 ...
.
History
The East Carolina Railway was incorporated in Tarboro in 1898, organized and initially presided over by Henry Clark Bridgers, Sr., nephew of Robert Rufus Bridgers who was president of the
Wilmington and Weldon Railroad. Constructed using prison labor from Raleigh, the tracks reached
Pinetops, North Carolina by July 1900,
Macclesfield, North Carolina by September 1900, and in 1901 it extended all the way to Farmville. In 1908 the line was extended 12 miles to
Hookerton, North Carolina but this segment was abandoned in 1933 during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
.
[Smith, W. Terry, "]
Farmville collector shares passion for railroads with Tarboro
''", Daily Southerner, Tarboro, North Carolina, 3 September 2010
The railroad was acquired by the
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) in 1935, but continued to be locally managed by Henry Clark Bridgers until his death in 1951. The railway continued to be operated under the East Carolina Railway name until the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad abandoned the line in 1965. The last train ran on 16 November 1965.
[
In 1960 East Carolina reported 1.1 million net ton-miles of revenue freight and no passengers on its 29-mile railroad.
]
Operations
The operating schedule as of 10 November 1903, according to the August 1904 edition of the "Official Guide of the Railways and Steam Navigation Lines of the United States, Porto Rico ic Canada, Mexico and Cuba" showed the departure of a train from Tarboro at 9:40 a.m. Eastern time, arriving at Farmville, 26 miles away, at 11:25 a.m. on Monday-Tuesday, and Thursday-Friday. On Wednesday and Saturday, the departure was at 3:35 p.m. with arrival at 5:50 p.m. Return trips departed at 6:45 a.m. Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Friday, with arrival at 9:05 a.m., and at 12:30 p.m., arriving 2:30 p.m., on Wednesday and Saturday. No service ran on Sunday.
Around 1913, the East Carolina Railroad acquired seven single-truck streetcars, two closed motor (nos. 531 and 563) and five closed trailers (1514, 1521, 1526, 1552, and 1554) after they were retired by the Capital Traction Company
The Capital Traction Company was the smaller of the two major street railway companies in Washington, D.C., in the early 20th century. It was formed in 1895 through a merger of the Rock Creek Railway and the Washington and Georgetown Railroad Com ...
in Washington, D.C. They were rebuilt in the Tarboro shops as gasoline-powered motor cars for passenger use, and saw about 17 years of service.
The last steam operation on the line was by ACL Baldwin Locomotive 4-6-0, No. 1031, in April 1957, now on display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum
The North Carolina Transportation Museum is a museum in Spencer, North Carolina. It is a collection of automobiles, aircraft, and railway vehicles. The museum is located at the former Southern Railway's 1896-era Spencer Shops and devotes much ...
in Spencer, N.C.
References
External links
Farmville from the air look to the south and west of town for current NS E to W track and old crossing is between S Fields St. and S. George St.
Henry Bridgers, Jr.
info at East Carolina University
News from England citing history of the Bridgers Family
{{DEFAULTSORT:East Carolina Railway
Defunct North Carolina railroads
1965 disestablishments in North Carolina
1898 establishments in North Carolina