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Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad

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Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad
Overview
Dates of operation1887–1902
SuccessorPlant System
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Seaboard Coast Line Railroad
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad was a railroad that ran from Green Pond, South Carolina northwest to Ehrhardt, South Carolina.

History

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The line was originally known as the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railway, which built the line from Green Pond to Walterboro in 1887.[1] In 1896, the Walterboro and Western Railway extended the line from Waterboro to Ehrhardt.[2] In 1900, the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railway and the Walterboro and Western Railway were merged into a single line named the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad.[3]

At Green Pond, the line connected with the Charleston and Savannah Railway, which had been part of the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway, the railroad network of Henry B. Plant since the late 1880s. In 1901, the Green Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad was also consolidated into the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway.[4]

In 1902 the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the Savannah, Florida and Western Railway. The Atlantic Coast Line would operate the line as their Walterboro Branch (the former Charleston and Savannah Railway became the Atlantic Coast Line's Main Line).[5] In 1962, a spur was built from Stokes to South Carolina Electric & Gas Company's newly-built power plant in Canadys.[6]

In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with its rival, the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. The merged company was named the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad. The Seaboard Coast Line would operate the line as their Walterboro Subdivision.[7] By the early 1980s, the line was abandoned from H&B Junction to Ehrhardt.[6]

In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with the Chessie System, creating the CSX Corporation. The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged into CSX Transportation. In the late 1980s, CSX abandoned the line from Green Pond to Stokes and the remaining track was sold to the Hampton and Branchville Railroad (H&B), which is owned by Palmetto Railways.[8] The H&B used the line to continue to serve the power plant in Canadys until the plant shut down in 2013. The line has been dormant ever since.[6]

Historic stations

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Milepost City/Location Station[5][7] Connections and notes
AMF 429.0 Green Pond junction with Charleston and Savannah Railway (SF&W/ACL)
AMF 433.2 Ritter
AMF 440.9 Walterboro Walterboro
AMF 446.6 Stokes junction with spur to Canadys
AMG 456.0 Canadys located on spur
AMF 452.8 Ruffin Ruffin
AMF 455.3 Williams Williams
AMF 460.8 H&B Junction junction with Hampton and Branchville Railroad
AMF 462.5 Lodge Lodge
AMF 466.9 Ehrhardt Ehrhardt junction with Bamberg, Ehrhardt and Walterboro Railway (ACL)

References

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  1. ^ "South Carolina Railroads - Green Pond, Walterboro & Branchville Railway". Carolana. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  2. ^ "South Carolina Railroads - Walterborough & Western Railroad". Carolana. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  3. ^ "South Carolina Railroads - Green Pond, Walterborough & Branchville Railroad". Carolana. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  4. ^ The Railway Age, September 6, 1901, page 221
  5. ^ a b Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Northern Division Timetable (1957)
  6. ^ a b c "Green Pond to Stokes, SC". Abandoned Rails. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  7. ^ a b Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Florence Division Timetable (1974)
  8. ^ "Rail Freight Carriers in South Carolina". www.sinfin.net.
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