Piedmont & Northern Railway-Yesterday and Today Part I

Piedmont and Northern Railway-Yesterday and Today Part I

Customized territory map of the Piedmont and Northern at its peak but not to scale. The P&N operated on the line to Riverbend and Terrell but did not own it.

As one drives along Rozzelles Ferry Road in Charlotte the presence of CSX is surely real and to the long time rail historian, perhaps memories of the Seaboard Coast Line linger as well. Largely unknown in this area except to the astute regional railroad fraternity was the existence of a third player using these same tracks now utilized by the CSX of today. This third entity was the Piedmont and Northern Railway and to simply refer to it as just another small railroad would be an understatement. Very much so because it was operationally and geographically unique with remnants that still exist today. Embodied by charm and an independent spirit, the P&N survived for nearly sixty years despite the intense competition from larger roads, the Great Depression, and the disappointment of expansion dreams not fulfilled. It simultaneously operated as a freight road with diverse revenue sources and an interurban line serving communities between Charlotte and Gastonia.

Perhaps the most unique feature of the P&N was not that it was electrified and later transitioned to diesel power but the mere format of its existence. It was a rare instance of a railroad operated under the same name in two states yet not physically connected. There were plans to build and connect the separate operations but this never materialized. The railroad also looked to expand north of Charlotte but these plans were thwarted by bitter opposition. Relegated to a mere twenty-four miles of length in its North Carolina Division, it nevertheless packed a considerable amount of operation in regards to online and interchanged revenue and was fortunate to traverse a densely populated region with respect to passenger business. The P&N was progressive and its management gifted with foresight by recognizing industry trends after World War II which enabled it to survive independently as long as it did. Today in the 21st century, the Piedmont and Northern lives on….literally. Forty years after it was absorbed by the Seaboard Coast Line, the name has been reincarnated by Patriot Rail which also revived the original route between Mount Holly and Gastonia.

As the Piedmont & Northern operated a divided railroad in both North and South Carolina, this page will focus on the operation in the Tar Heel State covering the areas of Charlotte, Mount Holly, Belmont, and Gastonia.

Condensed Timeline

The P&N North Carolina Division owes its beginnings to the Piedmont Traction Company which completed a route between Charlotte and Gastonia on July 3, 1912. Falling under the ownership of James B. Duke, this line and the South Carolina predecessor Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson Traction Company, were merged under the consolidated name of Piedmont and Northern in 1914. Although under the same name and ownership, the North and South Carolina Divisions were physically separate operations. Both were built with a standard electrification of 1500 volts DC which was supplied primarily by hydroelectric power from the Catawba River watershed.

Two views of circa 1912 44kV insulators manufactured by the Ohio Brass Company. These were used on the Southern Power Company transmission line along the P&N. Images courtesy Jeffrey Kraemer

Although the Piedmont and Northern remained a physically disconnected network in the Carolinas, attempts were made to connect the two operations and to expand north from the Charlotte region to points reaching Winston Salem and Durham. Application for these expansions was submitted in 1927 to the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and confident that the expansion plans would be approved, the railroad commenced building from its South Carolina operation to connect with its counterpart at Gastonia. Unfortunately, the request was denied in 1932 due mainly from opposition from the Southern Railway that claimed the P&N would create a rail monopoly in the region. Ironically, it was the Southern that in fact dominated the most of the region conveyed for expansion and in essence, did not welcome competition from the P&N in those areas it controlled. As a result of this ruling, the P&N continued to operate as a divided railroad throughout the remainder of its history. Although thwarted in its attempts to expand on a large scale, one successful venture was the construction of a branch line extending from Mount Holly to Belmont in 1916. The P&N also operated the line owned by Southern (Duke) Power that ran from Mount Holly to Terrell. Perhaps least known of all P&N rails was a branch that once extended from Ranlo to Spencer Mountain early in its history.

$25 certificate dated January 1924. Image courtesy Eb Reynolds

The bad blood between the Piedmont and Northern and the Southern Railway likely owes its origins to the World War I era of 1917-1921. During this period, American railroads fell under the jurisdiction of the United States Railway Association (USRA). The government contracted with the Southern Railway to operate the P&N during this tenure and when USRA control ceased in 1920, the P&N brought suit against the federal government for alleged negligent maintenance of its lines by the Southern. This adverse relationship was only exacerbated by the aforementioned opposed expansion plans and a tariff dispute at Charlotte in 1931.

At left: A $25 certificate issued July 1936. Image Dan Robie collection

The dark cloud of the Great Depression did not block the sunlit rays of prosperity for the P&N as it did for other railroads and industry. Despite the difficult economic times of the 1930s, the railroad continued to succeed whereas a number of other roads faced dire conditions. A notable example here is the interurban business. The 1930s witnessed the elimination of traction service in cities across America but this operation would last into the postwar period on the P&N. In addition, the freight revenue hauled was diverse and downturns with specific industries could be somewhat offset by others less affected.

The 1940s marked the beginnings of transition. A wartime boom soon gave way to the decline in first, the passenger business, and ultimately, freight revenue. The onslaught of the automobile and over the road trucking soon began to takes its toll not only on the national scene but locally with the P&N as well. By 1951, all passenger operations had ceased on the P&N. As most of the American railroads were transitioning from steam to diesel power during the 1950s, the P&N followed suit although its conversion was from electrification to diesel power completed in 1954. Track reduction, most notably in Gastonia, was the harbinger of decline in the area but it came on what could be considered an astonishing note. In an act of community spirit, the P&N voluntarily surrendered its Franklin Avenue trackage and the customer base from it for the sake of road improvement in Gastonia.

Piedmont and Northern employee pin and switch lock key. Courtesy of Eb Reynolds

As the 1950s gave way to the 1960s, on line revenue continued to decline because of consolidations in the textile industry and elsewhere not to mention over the road trucking. The small size of the P&N became a liability because little new business could be secured and it did not possess the trunk line capability of a large railroad. One major exception was the development of the Thrift and Chemway Industrial Parks that provided a short lived boost for the remainder of its existence. The redevelopment of what would become the face of modern day Charlotte----the Interstate Highway System and urban renewal in downtown---doomed the P&N freight terminal and plant within the city and track was removed west to the area of South Cedar Street during the early 1970s.

After coexisting for nearly six decades with larger railroads, the inevitable happened. In 1969, the Piedmont and Northern was merged into the Seaboard Coast Line. It was appropriate that it was absorbed by the SCL since it was the railroad for which it had the most stable relationship throughout the years. The SCL continued to serve a dwindling customer base on the former P&N until it merged into CSXT in 1986. SCL trains continued running to Gastonia; however, the Belmont branch was all but out of service by this era.

The CSXT era has been marked with further decline but in recent years, a renewed hope. CSXT ultimately sold the segment of the old P&N between Mount Holly and Gastonia in 1991 to the NCDOT which also included the Belmont stub. It was this end of the railroad that declined most rapidly with the loss of customer base. CSXT still owns the former P&N from Mount Holly east to where the line ends in Charlotte. The old Duke Power line from Mount Holly to Terrell became the Terrell Subdivision of CSX and its connection moved from the P&N line to the Charlotte Subdivision mainline at Mount Holly.

The most significant benefit reaped from the Piedmont and Northern remnants by CSXT is Pinoca Yard. Not only did this increase additional storage and yard capacity, but it also became the center of CSXT operations in Charlotte during the 1990s. Although scores of abandoned sidings populate the former P&N, several active customers remain as well. CSXT employees at Charlotte used P&N references---and still do---when talking about any aspect of the former line although it was relegated to history. But the name continued to live on and in the 21st century---forty years after its demise---a phoenix rose from the ashes.

Incredibly, a substantial amount of P&N trackage remains in the city today although most of it is out of service. CSX owns the track moving east from Pinoca Yard and still retains a couple of customers on this segment. Traces of former rail customers can be found along this stretch of track referred to as Cedar Industrial Park heading towards downtown Charlotte. The track has been severed near South Cedar Street and all traces of the P&N freight (1990s) and passenger (circa 1970) terminals are long gone. This area is now occupied by Interstate 77, businesses and the area near Bank of America Stadium and is one of few locations on the old P&N where track no longer exists. A short section of the right of way has been converted to a walking trail.

P&N Locomotive Sampler

Since the P&N was a disconnected railroad each division was assigned locomotives throughout their operational life spans. With the onset of the diesel era, specific models operated on the South Carolina Division exclusively with its longer main line.

As there was no "steam era" without question one of the endearing qualities of the Piedmont and Northern Railway was its roster of electric locomotives. All were designed or modified to operate on a 1500 VDC power source and depending on the model were equipped with two trolley poles and/or fitted with a pantograph. From the years 1911-1954, the P&N operated under wires with the Mint Street yard the last location to do so as dieselization was in progress. One can imagine stepping back in time standing trackside as one of these electrics passed. The sights and sounds as well as the smell of ozone would leave an indelible impression.

The 1st 5000 series electrics consisted of the Baldwin-Westinghouse models built from the years 1904-1917. Numbers 5000-5005 were built with two trolley poles built later upgraded with pantograph installations. All were ordered by the P&N except for the #5006 which was acquired from the Salt Lake and Utah Railway in 1947. Tractive efforts on this series ranged from 10,000 to 13, 700 pounds. All images courtesy Eric Furr collection

5100 series 63 foot boxcab electrics represented here with the #5100. #5101, and #5103. These locomotives were built in 1912-1913 and all were purchased new except the #5106 which was acquired from the Utah and Idaho Central Railway in 1948. Tractive effort produced was 13,000 pounds except for the #5106 rated at 14,800 pounds. The #5103 is preserved and on static display at the North Carolina Transportation Museum. All images courtesy Eric Furr collection

Another unique group of locomotives on the P&N electric roster were the unit rebuilds at both the Pinoca and Greenville shops. On the North Carolina Division were the #5500-5502 and the #5600 which were rebuilt from 4000 series express motors. The #5500 (1917) tractive effort was rated at 14,800 pounds and a year later, the #5501-5502 were built rated at 17.072 pounds of tractive effort. The #5601 was a rebuild twice over--the first in 1924 with 22,400 of tractive effort and in 1949, a second rework that increased the tractive effort substantially to 75,000 pounds. The second rebuild resulted in a renumbering as well with the christening of #5612. A few photos of these locomotives are included in the text at specific locations.

The P&N 1954 dieselization resulted in the purchase of 6 Alco S4 models (#1000-1005) that were assigned to the North Carolina Division. Since this division of the P&N was in effect a large switching railroad the model was well suited for tight curves and industrial park trackage. The Seaboard Coast Line acquired these units during the 1969 merger. All photos at Pinoca-Charlotte/Warren Calloway/Eric Furr collection

Charlotte

As one might expect, a substantial amount of Piedmont & Northern business was located within the urban center of Charlotte. During the zenith of the railroad, numerous customers were located at warehouses and mills in addition to a freight and passenger terminal located inside the heart of the city. That the P&N competed with Class I giants Southern Railway and the Seaboard Air Line for this business is in itself remarkable but the line secured a generous amount of business in a region dominated by both of these roads. An active interchange with the Southern and the (original) Norfolk Southern Railway in downtown Charlotte provided the P&N a means to both move outbound freight as well as receive inbound.

A snap shot of a 1917 Charlotte Chamber of Commerce map that shows the location of the P&N facilities as they existed. There were numerous rail spurs not indicated on the map. Identified is the present day location of Interstate 77 and where the track was removed.

This 1993 Google Earth frame provides the last traces of the P&N existence at Graham and Mint Streets on the eve of transformation. The white lines are added but simply exaggerate the former yard tracks and main leaving west from Charlotte. The Bank of America Stadium and other new construction including the new Charlotte Knights baseball stadium destroyed all vestiges of the P&N downtown.

Contemporary aerial of the area once occupied by the Piedmont and Northern Railway downtown Charlotte facilities. The region that included the Mint Street yard and terminals is today the professional baseball and football center of Charlotte.

The Huttig Sash and Door Company along the P&N mainline. Based in St. Louis, the company opened this warehouse at Charlotte in 1927. Specializing in ornate wood accessories, it was renowned for its quality. The Charlotte distributor is long gone but the company is still in existence. Image courtesy University of North Carolina-Charlotte Library

The P&N auto ramp at Charlotte circa 1930. Throughout the years, the railroad used this ramp to unload quantities ranging from autos to tractors to fire trucks. Image courtesy of Bob Ford/Semaphore

Shippers in the inner city were concentrated served from spurs at the Mint Street terminal area and the industrial trackage that diverged from the main on both the east and west bank Irwin Creek. P&N customers within the city limit of downtown during the early years included--but not limited to--International Harvester, Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), Standard Oil, Claren Tire Company, Morton Cut Stone, Union Storage and Warehouse Company, and the Carolina School Supply Company. The majority of these shippers were located adjacent to the east bank of Irwin Creek in a sector that also included a looped interchange with the Southern Railway. Of note was that the Piedmont and Northern Railway freight shops were located in this sector as well. As for the Mint Street terminal, it provided less than carload service for the multitude of Charlotte business that had no direct rail access.

On the west bank of the creek a spur was constructed to serve shippers located in the Bryant Street industrial district. Among this group was the Carolina Transfer and Storage Company and Coca-Cola Bottling. An analysis of this area reveals that the spur remained active at least into the 1970s served by the Seaboard Coast Line by this date. Once the shipping ceased, the spur and associated trackage was removed.

A 1954 view of the P&N Mint Street yard and terminal. Still a respectable amount of manifest in those boxcars at this date. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The inner city decline of traffic began with the cessation of passenger service in 1951 and as older businesses closed their doors in a transforming city, the freight traffic dwindled. The gradual modernization of Charlotte along with a rapidly developing highway system doomed the P&N in downtown by the 1960s. After the Seaboard Coast Line took over 1969, it continued to operate at the old Cedar Yard in downtown until the early 1970s.

Expansion for the P&N during the Great Depression at Charlotte meant extending west beyond the inner city reaches. This newspaper map from 1931 by the E.C Griffith Company provides a glimpse of P&N shippers that occupied the then outlying reaches in the Bryant Street region. During this time, Coca Cola Bottling was also in the picture as yet another shipper. Today, the heyday of this region has long since passed with either the trackage out of service or abandoned and removed. Image courtesy of the Charlotte Observer

Boxcab electric #5001 runs light at an unidentified location in downtown Charlotte during 1938. The girder plate bridge in the background is possibly Southern Railway. Image courtesy Eric Furr collection

It's early winter 1956 and one of the two year old Alcos is crossing the bridge to the entrance of the Cedar Street Yard. The residential area in the background lies within the parameter of the Lakewood district moving west from the inner city. Image courtesy of Bob Ford/Semaphore.

P&N #5105 with another electric at the Mint Street Yard early 1950s. Even after the P&N dieselized, this region of Charlotte remained under the wires for a short time thereafter. Image courtesy Eric Furr collection

Period photos of Charlotte are fascinating because it harkens to a time before the urban sprawl began engulfing the outer areas and the city transformed into the modern metropolis it is today. The images are loaded with detail freezing life and time in the moment as it were. Vintage automobiles, businesses long vanquished, and even an entire sector of the railroad from the inner city that has passed into history.

Whether a rail historian or simply a curious soul, an outing exploring the inner city traces of the P&N will be a revelation of how much of it is still extant. The trackage west of Cedar Street is mostly intact and the buildings constructed a half century ago in the thriving industrial parks of an expanding Charlotte still stand. Many now reveal their ages and the modifications from facelifts. Almost fifty years since the flag of the P&N vanished, it is a miracle so much of it can still be traced and identified. A word of caution, however: For any wishing to explore these areas, it is recommended that it not be done solo. There are neighborhoods the right of way passes through that have seen better days and are questionable going at it alone.

Where the P&N once entered the inner city of Charlotte. View is looking east from South Cedar Street towards downtown and in the distance the Southern Railway (NS) can barely be seen crossing over the right of way. Dan Robie 2013

The sever point for the P&N at South Cedar Street. Moving west, the track is basically intact but out of service and in poor condition. Dan Robie 2013

Wesley Heights-Seversville

For a substantial period of the P&N existence, Wesley Heights and Seversville was a residential district of Charlotte due west of the inner city. Irwin Creek served as a natural border separating them making it (and the smaller Seversville) the first official stop for interurban service. It was not until the 1950s that Charlotte expanded westward annexing Lakewood into the city proper. With it came commercial development that resulted in new shipping possibilities for the P&N. One exception, however, was the long established Savona Mills that in actuality, was designated as a neighborhood by the same name.

Where the line passes beneath Interstate 77. There appears to have been a second track here at one time that was removed long ago. Likely used as a passing siding. View is eastward. Dan Robie 2013

Moving west along Litaker Avenue near the Grandin Avenue grade crossing. Note the P&N signal box at left that has remained in place and the spacing suggesting there was a second track here. Dan Robie 2013

The grade crossing at Grandin Avenue looking east. This view provides a better look at the P&N signal boxes that were left in place. Many years ago this was the area for the Wesley Heights/Seversville interurban stop. Dan Robie 2013

Residents of the Seversville and Savona Mill neighborhoods were aroused by the sound of a head-on collision at 1:08 PM on the hot afternoon of July 29, 1924. Southbound Train #7 which was motorcar #2004 departed Charlotte at 1:00 and per train order was to meet freight train Extra #5003 at the Irwin Creek crossover. Extra #5003 departed Pinoca--4.5 miles to the west (railroad south) at 12:52 with electric locomotive #5003 and 10 freight cars. Per dispatcher train order, Train #7 was to hold at the Irwin Creek crossover until the arrival of Extra 5003 but continued southbound beyond the scheduled meet. In the wooded area adjoining Savona Mill, Train #7 traveling at 20 MPH collided head-on with Extra 5003 which was moving at 10 MPH.

The ICC investigation report stated that the collision drove motorcar #2004 backward 190 feet with the car remaining upright but partially derailed. It sustained serious damage from the impact as the forward cab was destroyed with the interior substantially mutilated. Locomotive #5003 came to rest with its head end penetrating the forward vestibule of the #2004. Aside from the front truck derailed, the #5003 sustained only minor damage. The motorman of #2004 was killed and the conductor suffered serious injuries. In addition, two other employees and eleven passengers of Train #7 sustained injuries of varying degree.

Beyond the Walnut Avenue Grade crossing a walking trail has been created through a wooded area of the right of way. The track is intact and it appears to have been simply filled in. View is westbound. Dan Robie 2013

The 1915 Savona Mills was the first shipper for the P&N west of the original city limit. This structure is located at Turner Street and the railroad grade crossing at State Street. It has been added to the National Historic Register. Dan Robie 2018

Thrift Industrial Park...Then and Now

Continuing to move west, the next set of images is of an area that is known as the Cedar Street Industrial Park. Developed in the late 1950s and known as the Thrift Road Industrial Area, the P&N actively solicited the construction of this park and lured in large distributors such as Frigidaire and BF Goodrich. Today, the region is largely run down and rail service is no longer provided. CSX continued to serve customers in this area up until only a few years ago. The potential is there to upgrade the track in the area but the expense does not justify it at this time.

Google Earth view of modern Charlotte with the Thrift Industrial Park site and trackage identified. This area was the rave of P&N and commercial expansion in Charlotte during the late 1950s-early 1960s. A half century later, the Thrift Industrial Park has faded into history in regards to the railroad. There are no remaining shippers and all of the industrial trackage is either decrepit or removed altogether.

This low resolution scan lacks crisp detail but still offers a glimpse of the Thrift Industrial Area in full bloom by 1960. All of the commercial buildings in view were served by rail and contributed revenue to the P&N coffers. The four lane expansion of Freedom Drive is in evidence and the large building at right adjacent to Thrift Road lined with boxcars and reefers is the massive A&P Warehouse. The giant grocery retailer of the era also constructed a meat warehouse along P&N rails at Chemway Park. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore.

The P&N main line at State Street looking east. Just around the bend the track is covered by the walking trail. Track at left is an old siding still in place to Savona Mills. A substantial amount of P&N sidings can be seen in this area. Dan Robie 2015

When Freedom Drive was widened to four lanes in 1960, P&N reconstructed its grade crossing as evidenced by the work performed by its crews here. Today, the crossing remains but the trackage in this area has long been out of service. Any Charlotteans who pass here or perhaps lunch at Pinkys or the Burger Company, take a good glance at the crossing then compare with this scene more than fifty years removed. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore

Looking west along the main from State Street. The pole line paralleling the track reminds one of the catenary that powered P&N electric locomotives from long ago years. Dan Robie 2015

It is 1959 and the new Lowes Warehouse on Walnut Avenue is furnishing building supplies to serve the needs of an expanding city. The P&N is also fulfilling its role shipping the boxcar loads to meet the required commodities. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore

The former P&N stem to the Thrift Industrial Area at the Tuckaseegee Road grade crossing. Rusted and out of service. Dan Robie 2013

The old industrial area at State Street. There are numerous old spurs in this area of which received traffic not too many years ago. Dan Robie 2013

The P&N mainline crossing at Parkway Avenue. The view is moving west. Dan Robie 2013

The silhouette of an old P&N crossbuck on a siding in the Parkway Avenue area. This area also received CSX traffic in the not too distant past. Dan Robie 2013

Lakewood Park

Lakewood Park was a recreational area west of downtown Charlotte during the early 1900s. This picture postcard renews a long-lost view of the suburban passenger stop along the P&N. Image University of North Carolina

The P&N shows off its "modern" mode of transporting automobiles in 1921. Probable location of this image is near Lakewood in a predominately rural Charlotte outside the city limits of the era. Image P&N/courtesy Eric Furr collection.

The Lakewood Park region of Charlotte was a respite from the inner-city life. During the early 1900s, this area west of then-downtown Charlotte featured an amusement park and lake as a recreational escape for city residents. The Piedmont & Northern added a passenger stop here for patrons visiting Lakewood Park and for the return to the city. The heyday of this area was circa 1920 but by the time of the Great Depression its glory days had passed. A tornado and heavy rains damaged the lake dam resulting in the park permanently closing in 1936.

Hoskins

One can drive over the grade crossing at Hoskins Road today and not realize that a team track was once located here. Circa 1954. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The former P&N main line grade crossing at Hoskins Road as it appears today. View is to the east. Dan Robie 2013

Pinoca

Although lacking crisp detail, this scanned image freezes the Pinoca area as it appeared in 1952. The yard and shop area is at right center and the track layout remains relatively similar today. To the extreme left is the Seaboard Air Line and Rozzelles Ferry Road in the area where a large stockyard was located. The road bridge spanning the railroad was Chemway Drive and is now present day Hovis Road. Adjacent to it is the Eveready Battery plant complex that dominates the foreground. In the center the wooded area and the property along Hovis Road is today the CSX Charlotte intermodal terminal. Note how largely undeveloped this region still was. Scanned image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

There could be little argument that Pinoca was the heart and soul of the Piedmont and Northern. It housed the shops for car repair and locomotive rebuilds as well as the service center for all line of road equipment. This was also the location of a yard and an interchange with the Seaboard Air Line of which both were the largest on the system. In fact, the name Pinoca itself is acronymic word play---PIedmont and NOrthern Railway COmpany with “O” changed to an “A”.

The location was also an interurban whistle stop with a depot. When the P&N was formed in 1914, Pinoca was outside the city limit of Charlotte as it exists today and was actually the third stop moving west from the terminal in downtown. There were prior stops at the residential neighborhoods of Lakewood and Hoskins near the old amusement park before arriving at the shop area of Pinoca. All three of these depots have long since vanished beneath the bulldozer tread.

Aerial view of the modern location of Pinoca. Although vestiges of the P&N remain, the location is now the yard office for CSX Pinoca Yard and the intermodal terminal. The former P&N main serves a solitary shipper to the east and is used for car storage. One shop building still stands and is used for car repairs.

Pinoca Yard was the primary interchange connection between the P&N and the Seaboard Air Line. This 1961 scene frozen in time depicts an SAL GP7 and P&N Alco paused as crewmen from both roads chew the fat. Image Semaphore/Ken Whitley

Before Seaboard Coast Line purchased the P&N in 1969, both interchanged at Pinoca Yard and the SCL Tryon Yard. The outer yard at Pinoca adjacent to the present day CSX intermodal terminal was also owned by the P&N and the Seaboard would deliver cuts of cars there. The P&N, in turn, using trackage rights over the SCL, would shunt cars to Tryon Yard. P&N also used Seaboard Coast Line rails to interchange with the Southern after its inner city connection was eliminated. Throughout its existence, the Seaboard Air Line was the preferred interchange partner for the P&N. Their relationship was an amiable contrast to the one with the Southern Railway which was marred by years of hostility.

The very first Alco on the property---delivered April 6, 1954----- poses with a retired boxcab electric on the west side of the Pinoca Shops. The water tower at the Eveready Battery plant is visible in the distance. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

Original P&N switch stand still in use at Pinoca. This is former main line track passing behind the car shop and in the photo, diverges to the left. Dan Robie 2013

At left: Snow covered Pinoca Yard with three Alcos in this winter scene from 1954. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The P&N was undoubtedly proud of its new Alcos that were delivered in 1954. Two brand new units at the west end of the Pinoca Shop in a photo taken shortly after delivery. Bob Ford/Semaphore

Once the Seaboard Coast Line acquired the P&N, it began downsizing physical operations at Tryon Yard by shifting them to Pinoca Yard converting it into the primary Charlotte yard facility. When CSX entered the picture, all of its Charlotte operations were ultimately transferred to Pinoca Yard with a new office built in 1998 and today the majority of Charlotte Subdivision jurisdiction is overseen from here. Meanwhile, the location is a busy yard with local industrial traffic in conjunction with the intermodal terminal. The old P&N car shop is still utilized as such for light repairs. It is the only remaining structure standing from the P&N and therefore could be dubbed a “shrine” to that bygone era.

Then....1955

The interior of the car shop as it was in 1955. Looks like work is at a modest level this day with only a Pennsylvania boxcar in the bay at the moment. An Alco S2 and a caboose are clearly visible at the opposite end of the building. Image courtesy of Bob Ford/Semaphore.

Now....2013

Sixty years later, the shop interior is still remarkably similar with only minor modifications and the addition of safety signals. Only one bay remains in service and this covered hopper is receiving a new wheel set due to a hotbox. The spirits of the P&N still linger on here if only in the wisps of the wind. Dan Robie 2013

The Story of "Old Red"

Stories such as this are heartwarming in the least and demonstrate compassion at the most simple level. The adoption of this stray dog surely was rewarding to the workers as well. A time capsule of non-rail P&N life from 1958.

After reading this, curiosity emerged as to what happened to "Old Red". The company magazine later that year listed that she gave birth to six more puppies and that the father was a "beagle that lived at nearby Piedmont Chemical Company!" "Old Red" was not mentioned again in any later issues of the Semaphore in this collection ending year 1962. If she had vanished or passed during that period, it likely would have been noted.

My friends and contributors, Eb Reynolds and Charlie Bogans, hired on with the P&N in the late 1960s and "Old Red" was gone by that time. How long she lived or remained at Pinoca as the shop mascot is a mystery lost to time. It is quite possible that her remains are buried at the shop grounds. "Old Red" page courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The east end of the P&N car shop. Of three bays shown, the only one is still in use is at the far right . Dan Robie 2010

Winter view of the west end of the shop with a DTTX three well bad order car in for repair. Freight cars at right are tied down on the former P&N main line. Dan Robie 2010

GP30M #4250 in the early CSX blue and gray on the shop track at Pinoca in 1990. In the distance at left is the second P&N shop building. This structure was razed in the mid- 1990s. Image Marcus Toomey

A PRLX leaser SD40-2 shares the night scene with the old car shop. This is the sole remaining P&N structure left on the grounds and stands as a functioning shrine to bygone years. Dan Robie 2012

ICC archives record that a fatal accident occurred at the junction of Pinoca Yard and the Seaboard Air Line main line on January 1, 1924. Although the cause and responsible party was the Seaboard, it is included here since the accident transpired while a train from that road was switching on Piedmont and Northern rails at Pinoca.

A yard job with SAL locomotive #1047 was switching in the P&N yard and prior to entry there, left 12 cars on the SAL mainline approximately 700 feet railroad south of the of the yard lead. Ten minutes later, SAL work railroad northbound Extra #644, en route from Thrift, struck the standing cut of cars situated on the mainline. The #644 was shoving with a bad order hopper car and caboose preceding the locomotive at 12 MPH when the collision occurred. In spite of the relatively low speed, the accident resulted in five fatalities and twelve other related injuries. The caboose was crushed against the locomotive tender killing five of the laborers riding on the platform.

The investigation determined that the yard job crew working the P&N was at fault for failure to protect the cut of cars on the main with either a crewman or lighted lantern. The present day location for this fatal accident nearly a century ago is opposite the north end of the CSX Intermodal terminal ramp.

The old Eveready battery plant under demolition in 2008. A rail shipper since the early years of the P&N, many changes occurred throughout the years in the shadow of this business. Image courtesy Jim Gaska 2008

The wrecking ball continues to raze the battery plant adjacent to Hovis Road. Operations had ceased long ago and the plant stood silent vigil for many years. CSXI will eventually expand on the property. Image courtesy Jim Gaska 2008

As Q469 pulls deep into Pinoca Yard to begin yarding its cars, the focus is on the track at extreme right. This is the former P&N mainline as it bypasses the yard tracks and offers its relationship to the Pinoca layout. The track diverging left from the P&N main is the lead to the car shop. This is the view from the Hovis Road overpass. Dan Robie 2013

Chemway Park...Then and Now

The promise and optimism of an expanding Charlotte into suburbia is preserved for posterity in this 1961 aerial view of Hovis Road and the developing Chemway Park. Four new P&N shippers line the road and from left to right are Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing, BF Goodrich, A&P Meat Warehouse, and Owens-Illinois Glass Company. All four of these buildings remain today. Other prepared tracts are in evidence and the wooded area on the opposite side of Hovis Road would also develop throughout the 1960s. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore.

The former P&N track in the Pinoca area is the busiest remaining section. Loop trackage connecting with the old main in the area between Hovis and Toddville Roads is known as the Chemway Industrial Park. In 1945, the P&N, demonstrating an act of clairvoyance, purchased large tracts of land west of Pinoca for future industrial development. This act of foresight paid off during the 1950s as a rapidly expanding Charlotte sought real estate for new industrial expansion. P&N marketed the tracts of land and sold them at a lesser value with the provision that they would use rail service for shipping. By the mid-1960s, the area was fully developed and generated considerable carloads of traffic for the railroad. Unbeknownst at the time, the P&N development of the Thrift and Chemway Industrial Parks was the tour de force of a proud road that had but a decade of existence remaining. As a testament decades later, shippers remain in these areas although the heyday has long since passed.

Aerial view of the Chemway Industrial Park in the context of modern times. Today the loop track remains as do a few active shippers. Not all spurs are shown for clarity but a number are now removed or decrepit from years of non use. Nearly all of the original buildings constructed during the early 1960s remain attesting to the amount of P&N activity that existed at Chemway during its prime.

Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing 1960....Coaster, Inc. 2014. No rail service. Dan Robie 2014

A&P Meat Warehouse 1960...Truck Logistics 2014. No rail service. Dan Robie 2014

BF Goodrich 1960...NAVS Packing and UHaul 2014. No rail service. Dan Robie 2014

Owens-Illinois Glass Company 1961. Last tenant Southern Mechanical... now vacant 2014. Dan Robie 2014

A visit to the area that comprises the Chemway Park addition today reveals an active commercial district but one dominated by trucks. The optimism of rail service within its parameter faded long ago but still exists for a handful of shippers. There are abandoned spurs--including ones removed--that once served a diverse customer base in a expanding Charlotte region during the twilight years of the Piedmont and Northern Railway. The original tenants disappeared years ago but for one---Weyerhauser Paper (now International Paper). It remains the lone survivor of the Chemway Park development during the early 1960s.

Weyerhauser Paper beside Hovis Road in 1960. Known now as International Paper, this is the sole remaining industry as built from the Chemway Park development era. Located opposite of CSX Intermodal terminal. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore

Signature P&N Alco switches the A&P Meat Warehouse in this 1961 image. Meat products destined for the dinner tables of Charlotte area homes. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore

A common sight in the old Chemway Park today. Rusty or out of service spurs and vacant buildings. Dan Robie 2014

A bulkhead flatcar rests on the spur at Kloeckner Metals. One of the few remaining shippers located in Chemway Park. Dan Robie 2014

West of Chemway Park, the afternoon sun touches the horizon as ethanol train K447 approaches the Toddville Road grade crossing en route to TRANSFLO at Thrift. P&N rails are utilized more frequent since the CSX closing of the Clinchfield as a through route in October 2015. Dan Robie 2016

Thrift

Today the area occupying the region between Charlotte and Mount Holly is looked upon as an expansion of either but was in actuality a small community referred to as Thrift. Modern references to it are seldom but it is a name firmly entrenched and associated in the annals of the Piedmont and Northern Railway. Its importance was punctuated by the fact that a depot was constructed here to serve the immediate region.

Though small in size, Thrift packed an industrial punch. Of commercial importance to P&N was the large Kendall Mills and the construction of tank farms for storage and distribution of petroleum products. For years, the various shippers provided carloads for the railroad that continues to this day for CSXT.

Train time at Thrift circa 1940. During this era, this depot was quite active given the number of people employed at various industries. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

An impressive sized train at Thrift laden with tank cars. Tank farms populated the area providing strong revenue for P&N. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore.

Turn back the clock to 1954 and this was a scene that awaited one at Thrift. This is the region just east of Mount Holly and one that is still active with petroleum based industry. The period automobiles and truck along with the Sinclair tank cars firmly stamp this image as a slice of 1950s Americana. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The forlorn depot at Thrift. This property has been for sale several years and the future of this historical structure is ominous. One of only a few prominent P&N landmarks that remain, it is a pity that it lay in ruins. Trackside front view reveals extent that brush has taken over the property. Dan Robie 2011

Standard architecture for larger sized P&N depots. At one time, this was a large passenger stop along the P&N when the Thrift Mill (later Kendall Mill) existed generating a large commuter base. View is westbound. Dan Robie 2011

Westbound view of the P&N beyond the Thrift depot. This stretch of track is still used sporadically by CSX today with the TRANSFLO facility as a large customer. Note the westbound signal in the distance and the water towers from the former Thrift (Kendall) Mills. Dan Robie 2011

Taken from the overhead bridge on Freedom Drive, ethanol train K447 with rebuilt SD70MAC #4532 leading the way. The TRANSFLO terminal lay just ahead where the train will spot the cuts of tank cars. Dan Robie 2021

Thrift 2015

A couple of notable changes since this page was first published in 2013. The landmark Thrift depot, covered in brush and in a near ruinous state, was placed on the National Register of Historic Buildings which ensures its continued existence. During the fall of 2015, contractors began cleaning up the perimeter of the structure and gutting its innards in preparation of a move to the opposite side of the track. Plans call for a restoration.

New lease on life. Thrift depot clean up prior to relocating to opposite side of track. Structure is protected on the National Register and plans are for a restoration. Dan Robie 2015

A rare movement---CSX Q696 runs the P&N main past the depot en route to Pinoca Yard. Dan Robie 2015

With the closing of the Clinchfield corridor as a through route in October 2015, operational changes have taken effect on the Charlotte Sub. Among these is the occasional running of trains Q696/Q697 on the P&N main between Pinoca Yard and Mount Holly This move will occur depending on the capacity of Pinoca Yard at the given time.

Depot Relocation 2016

During January 2016, the Thrift depot was hydraulically raised and placed on trucks for movement from the northwest corner to the southeast corner of Old Mount Holly Road. At the time of this writing, the Piedmont and Western Railroad Club is hoping to gain occupancy of the structure upon restoration. Images courtesy of Gary Clark

The huge Kendall Mills plant in its full glory at Thrift circa 1950. A shipper along the P&N for many years, it was later was renamed Thrift Mills and stood to the west of the Thrift depot. As with multitudes of cotton and textile mills, this business is but a memory now. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore.

Between Thrift and Mount Holly, a small section of the original P&N was abandoned and relocated. During the construction of the I-485 bypass circa early 2000s, the State of North Carolina paid CSX to relocate the P&N line to parallel the Charlotte Sub mainline for a short stretch thereby avoiding the necessity and expense to construct two highway bridges.

A 2005 Google Earth image of the I-485 construction and its impact on the P&N. The original right of way has been abandoned with a new track realignment constructed adjacent to the CSX Charlotte Sub main.

Between Thrift and Mount Holly.....CSX F793 is on P&N rails waiting for an indication to cross over to the Charlotte Subdivision main at the "North End Mount Holly" signal. Dan Robie 2013

This scene from 2012 shows the realignment of track done when the I-485 construction occurred. At left is the CSX Charlotte Sub main and the work train at right is on the reconfigured P&N "main". View is eastbound or railroad northbound. Dan Robie 2012

Mount Holly

This deck bridge was once traversed by Piedmont and Northern trains crossing the Catawba River at Mount Holly. Still in use today by CSX. Photo courtesy of Bill Ault

Located at nearly the midway point of the
Piedmont and Northern, the town of Mount Holly was in essence a dividing point in the literal sense. To the east was the sphere of the Charlotte area and moving west was likewise for Gastonia. Situated along the banks of the Catawba River, the railroad scene was shared by the P&N and the Seaboard Air Line. Both roads served the town with depots but only the P&N structure survives today. Rail passenger service commenced on what would become the P&N in 1912 and remained until the final run in 1951. Note: To avoid replication with right of way scenes, WVNC Rails contains a separate page about Mount Holly primarily dedicated to the CSX rail landscape as it is today. Click here for the link:

A 1954 view looking across the P&N bridge from Mount Holly. Note the catenary still in place from when the line was electrified. The truss bridge is Seaboard Air Line. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

A derailment at the former Seaboard Air Line/P&N diamond in October 1991. This diamond and connection from the P&N to Riverbend was eliminated by highway improvements around 2000. Image Marcus Toomey

Since the Seaboard Coast Line and P&N mainline track paralleled from Pinoca to Mount Holly, it was not unheard of to use the P&N main as a passing track during the SCL era such as this scene. The year is 1983 and a southbound Clinchfield coal train led by SD40 #3003 crosses the bridge at Mount Holly soon to return to the Seaboard main. In the background is the Southern Dye Company (Sodyeco) and at left can be seen a P&N whistle post. Image courtesy of David Gibson

The former connection to the Duke Power (Riverbend) line from the P&N. The track terminates around the curve within the wooded area. Dan Robie 2013

Mount Holly was a central point on the P&N in both the literal and figurative sense. It was the junction for the former Duke Power line that served the Riverbend power plant and in later years, the Marshall Steam Station located at Lake Norman. Although the railroad was privately owned, it was operated by the P&N and served as a large source of revenue as coal trains moved to both power plants. Geographically, Mount Holly was the divider of the "Charlotte" and "Gastonia" sections of the railroad.

In today's parlance, this image would be a "satellite" view of the map at left. Aerial view taken of Mount Holly in 1960. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

This section of a 1945 Town of Mount Holly map shows the relationship of the P&N (and Seaboard) to the town. The P&N ends its parallel with the Seaboard and turns southwest towards Gastonia as it passes through Mount Holly. The Duke Power line to Riverbend/Terrell connection with the P&N main is at the upper right.

A primary shipper served by the P&N throughout most of its history at Mount Holly was the Gaston Brick Company. It was a large plant with multiple spurs for receiving raw material (clay) for brick making and for the outbound finished product. It appears to have remained in business at least until the mid-1960s before shutting down. The plant was demolished during the mid-1970s.

Cowans Ford and Riverbend

The development of the Duke Power owned line from Mount Holly in the Catawba basin during the 1900s. Riverbend, the Cowans Ford Dam project, and Marshall Steam Station were built during the Piedmont and Northern tenure and later under its successors Seaboard Coast Line and CSX. Today this trackage is the CSX Terrell Subdivision.

A railroad owned by Duke Power that served the power plant along the Catawba River connected with the P&N at Mount Holly. Although the P&N did not own the line, it operated on it pulling coal trains to the Riverbend (1926) and Marshall (1965) power plants and returning the empties. P&N also played a major role in the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam in 1960-1963 that created Lake Norman .

The former Duke Power line along the Catawba River is now the CSX Terrell Subdivision. The connection to the old P&N main was severed and relocated to the former Seaboard mainline which is now the CSX Charlotte Subdivision. Highway widening and a new bridge across the Catawba River facilitated this track realignment.

The earliest stages of the Cowans Ford Dam construction in 1960. In the background is the concrete mixing facility built on site and other materials are now stockpiling for the huge project. Cleared areas are visible adjacent to the Catawba River that will ultimately become lake bottom. Image courtesy Ken Whitley/Semaphore

Construction of the Cowans Ford Dam and the birth of Lake Norman. This 1961 image captures the original Catawba River channel that would soon disappear within the lake. At lower left can be seen P&N operated track at the construction site. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

The Cowans Ford Dam is nearing completion in this 1962 image. The Catawba River is forming Lake Norman as the dam is containing the water. P&N figured prominently in its construction and three years later, the Marshall Steam Station would be built along the lake at Terrell. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

Although built for the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam, fifty years later the track is still intact from its extension at Riverbend to the dam site. When Marshall Steam Station was constructed at Terrell in 1965, a switch was added north of Riverbend creating a junction with new rail laid to the power plant thereby extending the total length of the line. Today the segment of line to Cowans Ford is in dilapidated condition having been dormant for many years. Construction on the McGuire nuclear plant at Cowans Ford began in the late 1970s and the plant was operational in 1981. Sidings were built to the nuclear station from the original Cowan Ford track and were utilized for heavy equipment moves during the Seaboard Coast Line era. This track has seldom seen use since that era.

A major customer for the P&N and later Seaboard and CSX, the Riverbend power plant as it was in 1961. Duke Energy shut it down in early 2013 due to obsolescence and environmental concerns within the region. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore.

The scene at Riverbend as it was 1957. P&N coal train has just arrived at the power plant in this overhead view. Image courtesy Bob Ford/Semaphore

SD50 #8539 will soon depart from Riverbend with a train of coal empties on the CSX Terrell Sub on this day in December 1991. This was a busy piece of railroad during this era with coal trains destined for two power plants. Image Marcus Toomey

All is quiet at Riverbend today. The plant is closed and cleanup is in progress around the property. Increasing environmental regulations and the industry general conversion to natural gas for power generation sealed the fate of this facility a few years ago. Dan Robie 2015

Effective winter 2016, CSXT was awarded a cleanup contract for ash removal from the Riverbend power plant site. Projected completion time for this project is estimated at 4-5 years as of this writing based on five trains per month. Trains will consist of gondola cars with sealed hatches to prevent scattering of ash by virtue of movement. Speculation is that the Riverbend power plant and complex will be imploded and the property reclaimed for recreational use.

Note: This page was divided into two parts effective February 2016 primarily to accommodate growth by subsequent updates. Part II will continue with the movement west from Mount Holly to Gastonia. The section will also include the new generations of operation on the former P&N in the 21st century as well as the credits for both pages. This division also separates the railroad into the sections of ownership as it stands now----CSXT and NCDOT. To continue, click here on Piedmont and Northern...Yesterday and Today Part II.