Eastern Railroad Discussion > Abandonment, Hallwood to Cape Charles, Va.

On July 15, 2019, Cassatt Management, LLC d/b/a Bay Coast Railroad (BCR), Eastern Shore Railroad, Inc. (ESRR), and Canonie Atlantic Co. (CAC) filed with the STB a petition for exemption from prior approval for BCR and ESRR to discontinue their lease operations over, and for CAC to abandon, 49 miles between Hallwood, Va. and the end of the line at Cape Charles, Va., and the car float operation from Cape Charles to Little Creek, Va. 

According to Petitioners, BCR terminated all operations on April 30, 2018, with little advance notice and without seeking prior Board approval. Petitioners state that the car float operation has been out of business since 2009, and that no shippers have used the line for more than one year.  Petitioners also state that there has been no overhead traffic for years, despite some efforts to develop that traffic.

A final decision will be issued by November 1, 2019. Any request for a public use condition or for trail use/rail banking will be due no later than August 24, 2019.

I believe Hallwood has an unloading ramp that has been used in the past to get rocket boosters, etc to Wallops Island VA (via highway for the last leg of the trip) for space vehicle launches.

Looks like there's a ramp or at least the remnants of one. That would make sense, because the last active customer on the line appears to be in Oak Hall about 5 miles north. 

When NS bought its part of Conrail, it connected with the line at both ends, negating any need for overhead traffic. Bayshore Concrete in Cape Charles was outbid on a major construction project , eliminating the line's biggest customer. Seasonal grain shipments and the occasional fertilizer and propane dried up.  I am sure developers in Cape Charles can't wait to rip up the yard and start building.

John

We can have mixed feelings but if you've seen the eastern shore lately you know good and well there's nothing going on that a railroad could make money off of. Even if growth occurs it will not be of any kind that a railroad can service. All I can see is mega mansion subdivisions and strip malls to sell stuff to the residents...eventually some hotels could open up again around Cape Charles. But what's really going on now is miles and miles of country living and some people would sooner keep it that way.

John,

That’s already been done. The yard was ripped out weeks ago.


VaCentralRy Wrote:
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> When NS bought its part of Conrail, it connected
> with the line at both ends, negating any need for
> overhead traffic. Bayshore Concrete in Cape
> Charles was outbid on a major construction project
> , eliminating the line's biggest customer.
> Seasonal grain shipments and the occasional
> fertilizer and propane dried up.  I am sure
> developers in Cape Charles can't wait to rip up
> the yard and start building.
>
> John

Posted from iPhone

How is Delmarva Central doing with the northern portion of this line (I believe from Pocomoke City, Md to Parksley, Va),  I have not followed on this for some time, I was just curious whether anything is still going on,  Thanks

MdRailfan Wrote:
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> How is Delmarva Central doing with the northern
> portion of this line (I believe from Pocomoke
> City, Md to Parksley, Va),  I have not followed
> on this for some time, I was just curious whether
> anything is still going on,  Thanks

i believe that's where the bulk of business has been