NEC Future: S-Line (Petersburg, VA - Ridgeway, NC)

[gokeefe]

As announced by Virginia, Amtrak and CSX the former "S-Line" Right of Way between Petersburg, VA and Ridgeway, NC will be sold to the Commonwealth by CSX as part of a larger deal involving half of the RF&P Right of Way, existing third track on the RF&P along with the entire Buckingham Branch. There is a clear intentions by multiple stakeholder agencies to eventually build a brand new railroad over the S-Line segment as part of an extension of high speed rail service from the Northeast Corridor.

Railway Age has an excellent article that covers all the details.

The "S-Line" right of way is the former main line corridor of the Seaboard Air Line with one segment between Raleigh and Norlina originally built by the Raleigh and Gaston (R&G) ca. 1836 with service commencing on March 21, 1840. R&G saw extensive use and subsequent damage during the Civil War. R&G emerged from the war and bought the Raleigh & Augusta Air-Line Railroad. The R&G merged in 1875 with the Seaboard Railroad (originally charted as the Portsmouth & Roanoke) and by 1881 the combined entities were known as the Seaboard Air-Line System.

The Petersburg to Norlina (Ridgeway Junction) segment was originally authorized by the Virginia Assembly in 1882 as an extension of the Virginia and Carolina Railroad. Construction efforts failed and the rights were acquired by the City of Petersburg in 1897 and after being renamed the Richmond, Petersburg and Carolina Railroad it was subsequently sold to the Seaboard Air-Line. Construction was completed in 1900 making this particular segment a relative late comer to the Piedmont's railroad maps. The completion of the corridor allowed an "all Seaboard route" between Richmond and Atlanta.

From 1900 until 1967 the tracks between Petersburg and Richmond were the primary connecting corridor between the South and the lines to the North for the SAL. The approval of the merger with former chief rival Atlantic Coast Line in 1967 brought an end to 67 years of independent Seaboard history. The Seaboard Coast Line went through a series of mergers and partnerships in the 70s and 80s ultimately renaming itself CSX Transportation and was in many senses acquired by the Chessie System in 1987 which continued to use the CSX name but switched to former C&O colors.

Operations between Ridgeway and Petersburg came to an end in 1986 with abandonment by CSX and subsequent removal of the rails. Portions of the Right of Way are today in use as part of the Tobacco Heritage Trail.

I look forward to watching this project progress over the next 10-20 years. In the meantime a former U.S. Army hospital car housing the Norlina Train Museum sits almost exactly at the end of the S-Line segment that will be owned by Virginia.

How times change ...

[gokeefe]

NCDOT will own the segment to the Virginia state line ...

CSX agreed to allow the N.C. Department of Transportation to acquire about 10 miles of railroad right-of-way in Warren County, between Ridgeway and the Virginia state line. Virginia will acquire another 65 miles of the CSX line from the state line north to near Petersburg.

[gokeefe]

From the same article quoted above ...

“Virginia’s step forward here sets us up for a transaction on our side of the border,” Orthner said in an interview Monday. Orthner said it’s not clear yet how NCDOT will acquire the 10 miles of right-of-way in Warren County or how much it will cost. “The details will need to be worked out,” he said.

[David Benton]

Seems to me a commuter service would be viable on the NC side to Raleigh .

[gokeefe]

Merry Christmas David!

I was interested to see NCDOT describing the Norlina Subdivision as "underutilized". It's rare for government officials to say that about a railroad unless they are absolutely certain the railroad won't take offense. Bodes well for the overall project.

[Gilbert B Norman]

It dumbfounds me to this day why the SCL abandoned the Norlina Sub. I think the Coast Line people had better honed "meeting skills" than did those from the Seaboard. Likely within the ACL "caucus", the SAL lines were as relevant as was MILW "Lines West", which even I acknowledge, was simply a redundant railroad that should have never been built.

Just think, had the Sub not been abandoned, ostensibly because the long Roanoke River/Lake Gaston bridge needed repairs, SCL (save passenger trains) would have had two "one way railroads". Through traffic would have moved in one direction on one and in the opposite on the other. Talk about operational efficiency, that would be "it" - even in this day of Precision Railroading (PSR).

But now that the abandoned line has been acquired by a State passenger agency that "just might one of these days" operate passenger trains over it, any thoughts of two one way "precision" roads are forever in the basket.

[gokeefe]

Mr. Norman,

I recall that the SAL has often been described as the "less direct" route to Florida ("straight as a plumb line" marketing notwithstanding). Would you agree with this description? And if so (or not) where did the Norlina Subdivision rank in terms of SAL's main line segments? It does seem to be one of the better built parts of their system.

Also notable to me that they went into receivership twice. Perhaps even more significant is the fact that the company actually appears to have been saved by it's vibrant passenger business in the postwar era. In light of that success their reluctance to give up their passenger service, notwithstanding their merger with the "Coast Line" seems far more understandable. To the extent that you may know ... Would you agree that SCL, and perhaps the Seaboard veterans in particular, had an affinity for the passenger service that was based on it's role saving the SAL from demise?

[mtuandrew]

Mr. Norman: both Virginia and especially North Carolina are business-friendly states. Might it be possible that for the medium term (after rebuilding from nothing to FRA Class V, until/if electrification happens) the two states lease back TOFC/COFC freight rights to CSX?

[SRich]

Wil the state owned lines be electrified?

[njtmnrrbuff]

I don't think the S-Line will ever be electrified. I know that there isn't any plan to electrify the old RF&P. It's going to be great to be able to have a few hours shaved off of your train ride from up north to Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte.

[gokeefe]

The lack of an existing plan for something that would occur about 15-20 years from now is not a barrier to the future. Given the service frequencies envisioned I doubt very much the Virginia portion of the RF&P will remain diesel territory for long.

[SRich]

If the Virginia tracks are electrified, then the ACS-64 of Amtrak can be used and 125 mph ore greater can be possible.

A quick question, why is Amtrak paying nearly one billion contribution? Wil trackownership go to Amtrak?

[gokeefe]

A quick question, why is Amtrak paying nearly one billion contribution? Wil trackownership go to Amtrak?

Good question which is as of yet unanswered. I had wondered the same myself. Only thing I can imagine is if it isn't ownership then it's track improvements.

[Gilbert B Norman]

Mr. Norman, I recall that the SAL has often been described as the "less direct" route to Florida ("straight as a plumb line" marketing notwithstanding). Would you agree with this description? And if so (or not) where did the Norlina Subdivision rank in terms of SAL's main line segments? It does seem to be one of the better built parts of their system.

No question whatever, the SAL was the weak line when compared with the ACL Their route was "along the edge of the Piedmont" (the SRY winding through it) while of course the ACL was through the Tidewater plains. The latter was of course the superior route for moving any traffic - freight or passenger.

But I still hold that setting an operating plan to develop two "one way" railroads, such as the UP has developed with their former SSW and MP lines in the Southwest would have had merit, and, while the immediate savings from salvaged rail, signal, and communications equipment, was a "draw" - especially during the industry's "dark ages", I can only speculate to what extent all options were explored.

Finally, regarding passenger service, even if SAL had longer running times, they ran the superior trains. I "rode 'em both" during the '50's and 60's. The Seaboard of course had their immaculate "--Beach" Sun Lounges plus "properly pointed" round end Obs and were ordering new equipment well into the '50's. They insisted that their interchange roads - PRR, RF&P, Pullman Co to provide to the fullest extent possible, matching Stainless equipment, which was held to save the "peak travel" periods.

The Coast Line, on the other hand, always resembled a "circus train"; if it's mechanically sound, who cares what it looks like. The seasonal Florida Special be it assured was the most "colorful", and I reported consists from such over at Mr. Benton's Rail Travel Forum. Domes and Obs, who cares, and I'd dare say, their passengers, who wanted to get to Florida on the quick but not in a DC-6, could also care less.

[mtuandrew]

A quick question, why is Amtrak paying nearly one billion contribution? Wil trackownership go to Amtrak?

Good question which is as of yet unanswered. I had wondered the same myself. Only thing I can imagine is if it isn't ownership then it's track improvements.

I wonder if they’re also counting in-kind contributions, like dispatching, improvements to Amtrak-owned facilities, and new equipment. That last will add up into the hundreds of millions on its own.