Railroad Forums 

  • Danville - South Boston, VA

  • This forum is for discussion of "Fallen Flag" roads not otherwise provided with a specific forum. Fallen Flags are roads that no longer operate, went bankrupt, or were acquired or merged out of existence.
This forum is for discussion of "Fallen Flag" roads not otherwise provided with a specific forum. Fallen Flags are roads that no longer operate, went bankrupt, or were acquired or merged out of existence.

Moderator: Nicolai3985

 #1179154  by mmi16
 
Was there ever a interurban rail route running along the current right of way of US 58 between Danville and South Boston, VA?

Driving this route and viewing how it is laid out leads me to believe that there may have been interurban rail service along this route.
 #1179697  by charding
 
...could have been an old Southern Railroad line that ran from Danville thru South Boston to Keysville...long since abandoned...
 #1181919  by walt
 
Generally speaking, there were not a lot of electric interurban lines south of DC. Virginia did have the Washington & Old Dominion, but this was in Northern Virginia in the DC suburbs, and there was a split ( two sections not physically connected) interurban I believe called Piedmpont, in North Carolina, but other than those two, and maybe a couple of others, there were not many. As was stated what is described here was more likely an old Southern Railway Line.
 #1205534  by train2
 
I lived in Danville for a couple of years. I am 99 percent certain there was no interurban between those points. At least along the highway. Is it any chance what you are seeing, and this is about a 15 year old memory, is not one set of lanes of 58 undulating and the other lanes flat and level? I seem to remember that was an interesting arrangement. I believe one lane was the original road and the other was a more modern graded flat expansion of the road to 4 lanes.

I know for a fact the SR line was north of the road and not visible from 58. That RofW has not been abandoned all that many years and should be still visible.

What I don't not know, is if there was a really old railroads, freight or interurban, between those points that I might know much about. I know there were some other little know roads a places like Gretna.

FYI the SR line was the Richmond and Danville one of the oldest track segments in the US.

Area library's would be most able to help with history.