Carolina and Northwestern Railway


The Carolina & Northwestern Railway was a railroad that served South Carolina and North Carolina from 1897 until January 1, 1974. The original line was operated by the Ca&NW as a separate railroad controlled by the Southern Railway until 1974 when the name was changed to the Norfolk Southern Railway. On June 1, 1982, Southern Railway and Norfolk and Western Railroad merged to form Norfolk Southern Railway. Choosing to use the name 'Norfolk Southern Railway' for the merger, in 1981, the original Ca&NW line along with original Norfolk Southern Railway was renamed Carolina and Northwestern once again. In the early 1950s several shortline subsidiaries of the Southern Railway were leased to the Ca&NW for operation, with these lines remaining a part of the Ca&NW into the 1980s.

History

The carrier traces its beginnings back to the Kings Mountain Railroad that ran from Chester, South Carolina, to York, South Carolina, before the Civil War. The Kings Mountain Railroad was begun in 1855 but was destroyed by the Union Army during the American Civil War and was not rebuilt after the conflict.
The route lay abandoned for almost eight years until the creation of the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad in 1873. Within a decade the Chester & Lenoir had extended the line to Lenoir, North Carolina. At over, the Chester & Lenoir was the largest narrow gauge railroad in the Carolinas.
Over the next decade, the railroad operated under the umbrella of the Richmond and Danville Railroad.
When the Richmond and Danville was re-organized as the Southern Railway in 1894, the Chester & Lenoir operated on its own for a short while. By 1896, it went into receivership, and the following year was re-organized as the Carolina & Northwestern Railway. Though technically controlled by the Southern, this shortline carrier, more than any other in the Southern Railway family, was allowed to operate almost autonomously.
By 1902, the Carolina & Northwestern Railway was converted to track, and it purchased a controlling interest in a logging railroad, the Caldwell and Northern, that ran from Lenoir to Collettsville, North Carolina. By 1906, the railroad had been expanded to Edgemont, North Carolina, making the line nearly long, further increasing access to the timber in the mountains north and west of Hickory, North Carolina.
In 1912, new shops were built in Hickory and within 10 years a locomotive was even built within the railroad’s shops.
By the mid 1930s, the Carolina and Northwestern was only operating one freight train a day except Sundays between Chester and Lenoir. By 1938, the railroad abandoned the line from west Lenoir to Edgemont. The Carolina and Northwestern was absorbed into the Southern Railway system around 1940.
In 1943, the Carolina and Northwestern was only operating one passenger train a day between Chester and Edgemont. Passenger service was soon discontinued in 1947. In March 1948, the carrier had completely dropped steam and replaced it with diesel locomotives. The Carolina & Northwestern was one of the first completely dieselized railroads in the southeast.
The section of the line between Chester and York was abandoned around 1972. The section from York to Clover was abandoned in 1981. By the late 1980s, the line had been abandoned all the way to just north of the North Carolina state line, near Bowling Green, South Carolina.
Around 1990, the track from Newton to Lincolnton, North Carolina was abandoned by the Norfolk Southern. The North Carolina Department of Transportation has railbanked the line from South Newton, NC to an area South of Maiden, NC where the end of the line stops at U.S. Highway 321.
In 1994, Norfolk Southern sold the original line from Hickory, NC to Lenoir, NC to the Caldwell County Economic Development Commission. The CCEDC subsequently leased the line to the Caldwell County Railroad Company, a subsidiary of Southeast Shortlines Inc.
The stretch of railroad track between Gastonia and Dallas was abandoned on or about August 20, 2003.

Locomotives

Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotives
Number/NameWheel
Arrangement		BuilderSerial NumberBuiltRetiredNotes
A.H. Davega0-6-0Porter Bell & Company1967/1874unknownBought new, first narrow gauge locomotive for the C&L
1st #20-6-0Porter Bell & Company2017/1874unknownDiverted to Martha's Vineyard Railroad. This engine never saw service on the C&L
2nd #20-6-0Porter Bell & Company20410/18741886Bought new. Replaced the 1st #2. Destroyed by fire/boiler explosion at Maiden, North Carolina in 1886
V.A. McBee2-4-0Porter Bell & Company2466/1876UnknownBought new. Named after Lincolnton Attorney
44-4-0Baldwin Locomotive Works54391/1881UnknownBought new. Baldwin class 8/18 C 4-4-0.
52-6-0Brooks Locomotive Worksunknown11/1879UnknownBought second hand from the Washington City, Virgnia Midland & Great Southern Railroad which was serving as their #2.
64-4-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksunknownunknownunknownBought new. Baldwin class 8/18 C 4-4-0.
210-4-4TMason Locomotive WorksunknownunknownUnknown"Mason Bogie" acquired from the Richmond & Danville Railroad. Disposition Unknown
2302-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works51361880UnknownBought second hand on 9/27/1899 from the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. Originally built as Denver & Rio Grande #71 "Pacific Slope"
2554-6-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknownUnknownUnknownAcquired 2nd hand by the C&N-W prior to 1899.
3672-truck-ShayLima Locomotive Works3671891UnknownBought new by the Lower Creek & Linville Valley Railroad, later to the Caldwell & Northern Railroad.

Standard Gauge Steam Locomotives
Number/NameWheel
Arrangement		BuilderSerial NumberBuiltRetiredNotes
1004-6-0UnknownUnknownUnknownUnknownFormerly Central of Georgia Railway, sold to the C&N-W in 1902
1014-4-0S&R RyUnknown1883UnknownFormerly S&R Ry #7, to Seaboard Air Line as their 1st #7, sold to the C&N-W in 1904
1154-4-0Baldwin Locomotive Works1048018901932Ex-Cooperstown & Chit. Valley Rwy #3, later Delaware and Hudson Railway as their 2nd #215. Sold to the C&N-W in 1905. Scrapped after a fatal accident in Oyama, North Carolina in 1932.
1214-4-0Rogers Locomotive & Machine Works345418841925Built as NYWS&B #50, later to New York Central & Hudson River as their 604. Sold to the C&N-W in 1908. Scrapped 1925.
1224-4-0UnknownUnknownUnknownAcquired in 1908-
1504-4-0Brooks Locomotive Works101018841941Built as Virginia Midland Railroad #18, later renumbered to 686, Became Southern Railway #844 in 1894, later renumbered to 1850 and then to 3850. Sold to the C&N-W in 1926. Scrapped 1941.
1st #1674-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works101071889early 1920sBuilt as Western New York & Pennsylvania #118/124, later Pennsylvania Railroad #6260. Sold to the C&N-W in 1911. Retired in the early 1920s. Parts used to build the 2nd #167.
2nd #1674-6-0C&N-W Hickory ShopsUnknown19231942?Built new at the Hickory Shops in 1923 using home made parts and a new boiler from Baldwin. According to resources, the engine was sold for scrap in 1942, however a photograph shows #167 at Chester in 1943.
2004-6-0Pennsylvania Railroad48818801914Built as PRR #?, sold to the Richmond & Danville Railroad as their #305, later became Southern #605 in 1894. Sold to the C&N-W in 1902. Sold to the Wyatt Lumber Company in 1914. Disposition unknown.
2054-6-0New York Locomotive WorksUnknown18831913Built at East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad #148/355. Became Southern 1st #444 in 1894. Sold to the C&N-W in 1902. Sold to CW Lane in 1913. Disposition unknown.
2064-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3995719131946Purchased new. Scrapped in 1946 after a wreck in Clover, South Carolina.
2074-6-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3995819131948Purchased new. Scrapped due to dieselization in 1948.
2302-6-0Hinkley Locomotive WorksUnknownUnknown1913Purchased in 1902. Sold in 1917 to Desha Lumber Company.
2352-6-0Rhode Island Locomotive WorksUnknownUnknownUnknownNot much is known about this locomotive.
2552-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknownUnknownUnknownNot much is known about this locomotive.
2562-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works2129519021931Built as CNO&TP #673, became Southern #5156. Sold to the C&N-W in 1925. Scrapped 1931.
2602-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works2135519021931Built as CNO&TP #677, became Southern #6160. Sold to the C&N-W in 1924. Scrapped 1931.
2652-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown18821924Acquired 1903. Scrapped 1924.
2662-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown18821924Acquired 1903. Scrapped 1924.
2672-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works710318831941Built as NYWS&B #138, later New York Central & Hudson River #2222. Acquired 1903. Scrapped 1941.
2682-8-0Dickson Manufacturing Company36418831924Built as NYWS&B #154, later New York Central & Hudson River #2233. Sold the C&N-W in 1905. Scrapped 1924.
2702-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3818219121948Bought new. Scrapped 1948.
2712-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3818319121948Bought new. Scrapped 1948.
2722-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3944319131948Bought new. Scrapped 1948.
2732-8-0Baldwin Locomotive Works3944419131948Bought new. Scrapped 1948.
3003-truck-shayLima Locomotive Works184019071920Bought new. Sold to the Red River Lumber Company in California. Disposition unknown.
4402-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownEx-Southern Railway #440. Sold to the C&N-W in 1928. Scrapped November 1948.
4652-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownEx-Southern Railway #465. Disposition unknown. Very likely scrapped after dieselization in 1948.
4772-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1902UnknownLeased Southern Railway locomotive. Relettered C&N-W, but not renumbered.
5142-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownSouthern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered, C&N-W but not renumbered.
5192-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownSouthern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered, C&N-W but not renumbered. Retired in November 1949.
5332-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown19031945Southern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered C&N-W, but not renumbered. Scrapped September 1946.
5372-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownSouthern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered C&N-W, but not renumbered. Scrapped October 1949.
5402-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownSouthern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered C&N-W, but not renumbered.
5442-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903UnknownSouthern Railway class J 2-8-0. Only member of the class was leased to the C&N-W that was not relettered. Last steam locomotive on the C&N-W in March 1948. Retired in July 1953 and later scrapped.
5462-8-0Baldwin Locomotive WorksUnknown1903February 1948Southern Railway class J 2-8-0. Leased and relettered C&N-W, but not renumbered. Scrapped in February 1948 after a wreck.

Diesel Locomotives
Number/NameWheel
Arrangement		BuilderSerial NumberBuiltRetiredNotes
1ALCo Rs-2American Locomotive Company756871948early 1970sBought new. Scrapped by the early 1970s.
2ALCo Rs-2American Locomotive Company756881948early 1970sBought new. Scrapped by the early 1970s.
3ALCo Rs-2American Locomotive Company756891948early 1970sBought new. Scrapped by the early 1970s.
4ALCo Rs-2American Locomotive Company756901948early 1970sBought new. Scrapped by the early 1970s.
5ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company783261950UnknownBought new. Ex-Danville & Western 2nd #1, Traded in on ex-Southern GP35, disposition unknown.
6ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company783271950UnknownBought new. Ex-Danville & Western 2nd #2, Traded in on ex-Southern GP35, disposition unknown.
7ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company783281950UnknownBought new. Sub-lettered Blue Ridge, Traded in on ex-Southern GP35, disposition unknown.
8ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company783291950UnknownBought new. Sub-lettered Blue Ridge, Traded in on ex-Southern GP35, disposition unknown.
9ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company790901951UnknownBought new. Sub-lettered Yadkin, Traded in on ex-Southern GP35, disposition unknown.
10ALCo Rs-3American Locomotive Company805141953UnknownBought new into Southern #10, Traded in to GE in April 1974, later scrapped.
11ALCo Rs-11American Locomotive Company814641956UnknownBought new into Southern #11. Later became Chicago and Northwestern Railroad #2651, later renumbered to 425. disposition unknown.