Tag: Raleigh & Gaston Railroad (R&G)

Wikipedia says: The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad was a Raleigh, North Carolina, based railroad opened in April 1840 between Raleigh and the town of Gaston, North Carolina, on the Roanoke River. It was North Carolina’s second railroad (the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad opened one month earlier). The length was 100 miles (160 km) and built with 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge. Part of the Raleigh and Gaston’s tracks remains in service today as part of CSX’s S Line as the Norlina Subdivision of CSX’s Florence Division.

Construction on the line began in 1836. At the north end, the line initially crossed the Roanoke River near Roanoke Rapids on a 1,040-foot long bridge to connect the line to Gaston. In Gaston, it connected with the Greensville and Roanoke Railroad (which was operated by the Petersburg Railroad). In 1852, the line was extended from Roanoke Rapids east to Weldon.

The Raleigh and Gaston Railroad served the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Its track provided a link in a route that provided the most direct route from Richmond, Virginia and Raleigh at the time. During the fall of Richmond, the original bridge over the Roanoke River at Gaston was destroyed and was never rebuilt. After the war, the line was reconnected to the north side of the river when the Seaboard and Roanoke Railroad rebuilt their bridge over the Roanoke River at Weldon.