The Laurens 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 the South Carolina Upstate region before, during and after the

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 line was started in 1854. By 1861, the 32-mile line was carrying 8,500 passengers a day. Among the line's presidents was Henry William Garlington (1811-1893), a planter who signed the South Carolina Ordinance of Secession in 1860. The railroad apparently went out of business sometime after the Civil War. By 1881 it had been reorganized and was operating as the

Laurens Railway The Laurens Railway was a successor to the Laurens Railroad, a shortline carrier that served the South Carolina Upstate region in the 19th century. It was a gauge railroad line The Laurens Railroad apparently went out of business after the America ...

. It survived under that named until it was bought by the

Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad The Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad was a railroad line between Columbia and Laurens. In 1885, the South Carolina General Assembly issued a charter for the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad, and the line was officially christened o ...

in 1894.South Carolina Railroads/ Laurens Railroad
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References

Defunct South Carolina railroads Railway companies established in 1854 5 ft gauge railways in the United States 1854 establishments in South Carolina {{SouthCarolina-transport-stub