Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad
| Locale | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1854–1989 |
| Successor | North Carolina Railroad Company |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 5 ft (1,524 mm) |
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of the North Carolina Legislature, ratified December 27, 1852, and was organized on January 20, 1854.
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company constructed 96.1 miles (154.7 km) of 5 ft (1,524 mm)gauge railroad line between Morehead City, North Carolina and Goldsboro, North Carolina through New Bern, North Carolina. The leasehold had been acquired by Norfolk & Southern Railway Company, which in turn had secured it from the Atlantic and North Carolina Company, the original lessee, when the latter was absorbed in the consolidation which formed the Norfolk & Southern Railway Company.
Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was built by divisions, largely, if not wholly, under contract, at various times prior to the summer of 1858. Operation of the approximately 96.1 miles (154.7 km) railroad line between Morehead City, North Carolina and Goldsboro, North Carolina began on or about June 1, 1858.
The railroad line suffered considerable damage during the American Civil War. A First Sinking Fund Mortgage dated February 29, 1868 in the amount of $1.5 million was placed on the property in order to finance the rehabilitation of the line.
In addition to the line of railroad, the Atlantic and North Carolina company also owned the Atlantic Hotel built at Morehead City in 1880 to replace the original Atlantic Hotel which had been built at Beaufort, North Carolina in 1859 by Josiah Pender and destroyed by a hurricane in 1879.
The line of the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was leased to a predecessor of Norfolk & Southern Railroad Company (1906) and its successor in reorganization, Norfolk Southern Railroad Company (incorporated in Virginia, May 2, 1910), until the lease was forfeited in 1934 for non-payment of rent. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) authorized Norfolk Southern Railroad Company’s (of 1910) abandonment of operations of the Atlantic and North Carolina. The ICC found that Atlantic and North Carolina rightfully resumed operation of the line after the default.
The Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad Company was leased to the Atlantic and East Carolina Railroad Company, effective August 1, 1939, under authority granted by the ICC.
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