The Kings Mountain Railroad was a

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, ...

shortline railroad that served South Carolina before, during and after the American

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. The Kings Mountain Railroad Company was chartered in 1848 and the line was completed in 1852. It ran from Yorkville to Chester Court House and cost 000, most of which was privately financed. The line connected Yorkville with a main railroad line running from

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

, to

Gastonia, North Carolina Gastonia is the largest city in and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest satellite city of the Charlotte area, behind Concord. The population was 80,411 at the 2020 census, up from 71,741 in 20 ...

, and then to

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. The local line was eventually extended to Chester and made connection there with the Charlotte-to-

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

, main line. The railroad was destroyed by the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the Civil War and was not rebuilt afterward. It lay abandoned for several years, until its line was acquired by the

Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad The Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad was a narrow-gauge railroad that served South Carolina following the Civil War. In 1873, the Chester and Lenoir acquired the route of the Kings Mountain Railroad, which had been started before the Am ...

in 1873.South Carolina Railroads, Kings Mountain Railroad
The Chester and Lenoir eventually operated under the umbrella of the

Richmond and Danville Railroad The Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D) Company was a railroad that operated independently from 1847 until 1894, first in the U.S. state of Virginia, and later on of track in nine states. Chartered on March 9, 1847, the railroad completed its ...

, and later became part of the Southern Railway.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kings Mountain Railroad Defunct South Carolina railroads Predecessors of the Southern Railway (U.S.) Railway companies established in 1852 Railway companies disestablished in 1873 5 ft gauge railways in the United States 1852 establishments in South Carolina