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Eastern Railroad Discussion > Hendersonville, NC still active?


Date: 05/23/20 15:22
Hendersonville, NC still active?
Author: P

In looking over the line over Saluda grade, it appears there may be some business just west in Hendersonville.  Is that town still served by the railroad?  Any section of that line from Spartanburg, SC to Ashville, NC still see trains?



Date: 05/23/20 15:46
Re: Hendersonville, NC still active?
Author: doc1057

The Blue Ridge Southern, a Watco owned shortline, operates Asheville to Hendersonville, serving the business that remains. Hendersonville to East Flat Rock has no customers. The property also includes the inactive Hendersonville-Pisgah Forest branch. Watco was using the east end of the line beyond Hendersonville for car storage, but I don't know if that is still going on. The ABS signals have been deactivated.
NS still owns and controls Spartanburg to East Flat Rock, including the famous grade. There are a number of customers still active, but operations do not go as far as Inman, SC. The block signals are still active, but unneeded. I have heard that there are washouts somewhere along the grade.
It is sad that this historic line is no longer used as a through route, but really rail traffic patterns have changed drastically, and all of western NC is now off the beaten path. Asheville is now served only by a manifest pair operating to/from Knoxville that essentially feeds the Blue Ridge Southern operations on the Asheville-Hendersonville and Asheville-Sylva segments. What a far cry from the glory years.



Date: 05/23/20 17:18
Re: Hendersonville, NC still active?
Author: NCAndy

BRS still services Kimberly Clark which is on the north side of town.  South of that there is lots of car storage.  The first part of the Brevard Branch has some waste container flats stored on it.  The main track route south of town has a Duke Power coal hopper set stored on it.  There are some covered hoppers stored near the old depot.  There were lots of wood chip hoppers stored at East Flat Rock but I've not been over that way for a while. 

That's the currenct rail scene here in Hendonesia. 



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