TheCharleston and Savannah Railwaywas a 19th-centuryAmericanrailroad serving the coastal states ofSouth CarolinaandGeorgiaand running through part of theSouth Carolina Lowcountry.Its name varied slightly over time:
- Charleston and Savannah Railroad(1854–1866)
- Savannah and Charleston Railroad(1866–1880)
- Charleston and Savannah Railway(1880–1901)
 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Successor | Plant System Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Seaboard Coast Line Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 4 ft 9 in(1,448 mm) |
History
editThe system was originally chartered in 1854 as theCharleston and Savannah Railroad.The C&S RR established and operated a 120-mile (190 km)5 ft(1,524 mm)[1]gaugerail line fromCharleston, South Carolina,toSavannah, Georgia,connecting two of the most important port cities in theantebellumsoutheastern United States. South Carolina state senatorThomas Draytonwas the president of the railroad from its earliest planning stages in 1853 until 1856.
During theCivil War,control of the railroad was vital to the protection of Savannah and keeping nearbyConfederatetroops supplied with food andmateriel.In December 1864, during hisMarch to the Sea,Maj. Gen.William T. Shermansent part of hisUnionforces forward to cut the line, which would force Confederate generalWilliam Hardeeto retreat and abandon Savannah. The mission failed, but sections of the railroad would be severely damaged during Sherman's subsequent 1865Carolinas Campaign.[2]
Following the war, the railroad was reorganized in 1866 as theSavannah and Charleston Railroadbut did not complete repairs and reopen for traffic as a4 ft8+1⁄2in(1,435 mm)standard gaugeline until 1869-70. In 1873 it defaulted on a loan and ended up in bankruptcy. It was then sold toHenry B. Plant(June, 1880s), and the railroad's name was changed to the Charleston and SavannahRailway,becoming part of thePlant Systemof railroads.[3]
In 1877, theAshley River Railroad(another Plant System Railroad) was built. The Ashley River Railroad connected to the Charleston and Savannah Railway atJohns Islandand ran across theAshley Riverto connect with theNortheastern RailroadinNorth Charleston.The Charleston and Savannah Railway previously connected to other railroads via a ferry across the river.
In the 1880s, the Plant System built theYonges Island Branchwhich branched off the main line atRavenel.This now-abandoned branch ran throughHollywoodandMeggett.[4]
Later, the Plant System was sold to theAtlantic Coast Line Railroadin 1902. The Charleston and Savannah Railway and the Ashley River Railroad would become part of the Atlantic Coast Line's main line (which extended in its entirety fromRichmond, VirginiatoTampa, Florida). The Hardeville to Savannah track was also used by the Southern Railway to connect a Columbia-Hardeville section of track to Florida.
The original line east of Johns Island would become known as theCroghans Branchafter the Ashley River Railroad began service. The Croghans Branch has since been abandoned and its right of way is now theWest Ashley Greenway.[5][6]
In 1967, the Atlantic Coast Line merged with its rival, theSeaboard Air Line Railroad.The merged company was named theSeaboard Coast Line Railroad.[7] In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line's parent company merged with theChessie System,creating theCSX Corporation.The CSX Corporation initially operated the Chessie and Seaboard Systems separately until 1986, when they were merged intoCSX Transportation.The line is still in service from Johns Island to Savannah and it is part of CSX's A Line (Charleston Subdivision).
Historic stations
edit| State | Milepost[8][9] | City/Location | Station[10] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC | AM 408.0 | Charleston | Croghans | near Albemarle Point |
| AM 406.4 | St. Andrews | |||
| AM 404.3 | Wappoo | |||
| AM 403.9 | DuPont | junction withSeaboard Air Line RailroadCharleston Subdivision | ||
| Melvin | ||||
| AM 398.7 A 398.7 |
Johns Island | Johns Island | junction withAshley River Railroad(ACL) | |
| A 402.0 | Rantowles | |||
| A 403.2 | Berry Hill | |||
| A 406.7 | Ravenel | Ravenel | junction with Yonges Island Branch | |
| A 409.1 | New Road | |||
| A 412.9 | Adam's Run | Adam's Run | ||
| A 415.8 | Parkers Ferry | Parkers Ferry | ||
| A 418.1 | Pon Pon | |||
| A 419.2 | Jacksonboro | Jacksonboro | ||
| Edash | ||||
| A 424.9 | Ashepoo | |||
| A 428.7 | Green Pond | Green Pond | junction withGreen Pond, Walterboro and Branchville Railroad | |
| A 432.3 | White Hall | |||
| Blakes | ||||
| A 440.8 | Salkehatchie | Salkehatchie | ||
| A 443.0 | Yemassee | Yemassee | AmtrakSilver Meteor,Palmetto parts of the station rebuilt in 1955 junction withCharleston and Western Carolina Railway(ACL) | |
| A 444.2 | Pocotaligo | Pocotaligo | ||
| A 446.5 | Kress | |||
| A 449.6 | Gilmania | |||
| A 451.4 | Coosawhatchie | Coosawhatchie | ||
| A 454.5 | Bashan | |||
| A 459.3 | Ridgeland | Ridgeland | ||
| Okeetee | ||||
| Perrys | ||||
| Ferebee | ||||
| A 473.9 | Hardeeville | Hardeeville | ||
| Purysburg | Purysburg | |||
| A 478.5 | Sand Island | |||
| GA | A 483.9 | Port Wentworth | Monteith | |
| A 490.4 | Savannah | Central Junction | junction with:
| |
| A 490.9 | Savannah | continues asSavannah, Florida and Western Railway(ACL) junction withGeorgia and Alabama Railway(SAL) |
| Milepost | City/Location | Station[10] | Connections and notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMB 406.7 | Ravenel | Ravenel | junction with Main Line |
| AMB 408.2 | Meggett | Meggett | junction withSeaboard Air Line RailroadCharleston Subdivision |
| AMB 411.2 | Yonges Island |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Confederate Railroads - Charleston & Savannah
- ^The December 6-9th Demonstrations for the Charleston and Savannah Railroad
- ^"Rail Georgia".Archived fromthe originalon 2008-11-21.Retrieved2008-08-07.
- ^"Ravenel to Yonges Island, SC".Abandoned Rails.Retrieved26 October2020.
- ^"The Croghans Branch".Abandoned Rails.Retrieved26 October2020.
- ^"The history of the West Ashley Greenway".CHStoday.2020-05-25.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-06-06.Retrieved2020-07-28.
- ^Greenspun.com
- ^Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Southern Division Timetable (1949)
- ^Seaboard Coast Line Railroad Florence Division Timetable (1971)
- ^ab"South Carolina Railroads: Passenger Stations & Stops"(PDF).Jim Fergusson's Railway and Tramway Station Lists (South Carolina).Retrieved5 June2020.
External links
edit- Tenth Annual Report to the stockholders
- Records of the Charleston and Savannah RailroadArchived2010-06-05 at theWayback Machine,in Special Collections at theCollege of Charleston
Further reading
edit- Stone, H. David,Vital Rails: The Charleston & Savannah Railroad and the Civil War in Coastal South Carolina,University of South Carolina Press, 2008.ISBN978-1-57003-716-0.