Hi!

Anybody know anything about the ATW? How long its been around? When did it expand by operating over the former Southern Railway branch? When did the expanded operations begin?

Etc., etc.

Thanks.

Michael

-- Michael S. Murray (mspmurray@aol.com), February 09, 2005

Answers

The Atlantic & Western RR was incorporated in 1899 and constructed a line east from Sanford to Lillington, NC. It began operating out of Sanford in October 1903, and had opened to Broadway by July 1905, being completed to Lillington (24 mi.) on April 1, 1913. In 1950 it abandoned passenger service and bought it's first diesel loco. On December 12, 1961, the A&W abandoned the eastern portion of it's line, Jonesboro-Lillington, leaving 2.2 miles of line east out of Sanford. In the 1960's they owned 1 GE 70t loco, 1 Porter 80t loco, and 399 boxcars. The A&W was still a 2.2 mile line in 1995 and still in operation in 2004.

The Southern Ry branch into Sanford, from the west, was originally the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley RR. When the CF&YV was split up, between the ACL and the SR, in 1899, the SR incorporated their half as the Atlantic & Yadkin RR, though operated by the SR. In 1950 the A&Y was absorbed into the SR.

-- Tom Underwood (tlu1650@attglobal.net), February 10, 2005.