The Northeastern 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, es ...

railroad that served

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

in the second half of the 19th century.

History

Chartered in 1851, it was completed in 1856 and ran from

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, to

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropolit ...

, connecting with the

Wilmington and Manchester Railroad The Wilmington and Manchester Railroad was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina before, during and after the American Civil War. It received its charter in 1846 and began operation in 1853 from Wilmington, North Carolina, extend ...

. The lines original Charleston station was located on Chapel Street near what is now the

Charleston Historic District The Charleston Historic District, alternatively known as Charleston Old and Historic District, is a National Historic Landmark District in Charleston, South Carolina. The district, which covers most of the historic peninsular heart of the city, ...

. The Northeastern Railroad jointly leased the

Central Railroad of South Carolina The Central Railroad of South Carolina was a South Carolina railroad that operated following Reconstruction. It ran between the town of Lane (also known as Lanes) and Sumter, a distance of about . Wikipedia, WikiProject Trains, ICC valuations, Atl ...

with Wilmington, Columbia and Augusta Railroad. By the late 1880s, it was one of the larger carriers based in South Carolina, with 24 locomotives and nearly 350 cars. In 1877, the Ashley River Railroad was built from the line in

North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

which connected the Northeastern Railroad to the

Plant System The Plant System named after its owner, Henry B. Plant, was a system of railroads and steamboats in the U.S. South, taken over by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in 1902. The original line of the system was the Savannah, Florida and Western ...

of railroads (which extended further into the southeast and to Florida). The Northeastern Railroad became part of the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

in 1898. It became a segment of the Atlantic Coast Line's main line. Under the Atlantic Coast Line's ownership, the original Charleston station was replaced in 1905 by Charleston Union Station (which was located at East Bay and Columbus Streets). Charleston Union Station burned down in 1947 and the Atlantic Coast Line built a new station in 1956, which was then replaced by the current

North Charleston station The North Charleston Intermodal Transportation Center is an intermodal transit station in North Charleston, South Carolina, United States. It serves as the Amtrak train station for the Greater Charleston area as well as a bus terminus for the Cha ...

in 2018. In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with its rival, the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , which styled itself "The Route of Courteous Service," was an American railroad which existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime rival, t ...

(who also operated line through Charleston). The merged company was named the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...

.Greenspun.com
/ref> In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the

Chessie System Chessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O), the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O), the Western Maryland Railway (WM), and Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad (B&OCT). Trains operated unde ...

, creating the

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. T ...

. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

. The line remains in service today as part of CSX's A Line (

Charleston Subdivision The Charleston Subdivision is a railroad territory owned by CSX Transportation in the U.S. states of South Carolina and Georgia. The line from Florence, South Carolina, to Savannah, Georgia, for a total of 195.8 miles. At its north end it contin ...

Station Listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northeastern Railroad Defunct South Carolina railroads Railway companies established in 1856 Railway companies disestablished in 1898 5 ft gauge railways in the United States Predecessors of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad 1856 establishments in South Carolina 1898 disestablishments in South Carolina

History

Station Listing

See also

References