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Atlantic and Western Railway

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Atlantic and Western Railway
Overview
HeadquartersJacksonville, Florida
Reporting markATW
LocaleNorth Carolina
Dates of operation1896–present
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge

The Atlantic and Western Railway (reporting mark ATW) is a Class III short-line railroad operating about 10 miles (16 km) of track in Lee County, North Carolina. Atlantic and Western is part of Genesee & Wyoming Inc. and formerly part of Rail Management and Consulting. It was reorganized in 1927 from the Atlantic and Western Railroad.

History

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Originally the A&W ran between Sanford and Lillington, 25 miles.[1] In 1961, the line was abandoned except for 3 miles from Sanford eastward. In the 1970s, the ATW's fleet of modernized 40-foot boxcars in food lading service were some of the last 40-foot boxcars in revenue service in the United States.[citation needed] The railroad company was reorganized in 1988, following it's sale to Rail Management Corporation.[2]

In 2001 the A&W began operating between Sanford and Cumnock over a line that was originally a segment of the Cape Fear and Yadkin Valley Railway and subsequently Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern. The railway was sold in 2005 to the Gennessee and Wyoming Corporation.[3] In 2011, Norfolk Southern granted the A&W additional rights to serve customers between Cumnock and Brickhaven over the original Norfolk Southern Railway.

Interchanges

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References

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  1. ^ Lewis, Edward A. (1996). Drury, George (ed.). American Shortline Railway Guide (5th ed.). Waukesha, WI: Kalmbach Publishing. p. 35 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Coleman, Alan (2008). Railroads of North Carolina. Images of Rail. Arcadia Publishing. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-7385-5336-8 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ Coleman 2008, p. 21.

Further reading

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  • Robl, Ernest H. (March 1978). "Distance Isn't Everything". Rail Classics. Vol. 7, no. 2. pp. 58–67. ISSN 0194-9187.
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