Western North Carolina Railroad
| Locale | North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 1855–1894 |
| Successor | Southern Railway (U.S.) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Previous gauge | 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) |
Western North-Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855. Western North Carolina Railroad Company went through several slight changes in name and reorganizations before being sold at foreclosure on August 21, 1894 and conveyed to Southern Railway (U.S.) on August 22, 1894.
Future Confederate States Army officer Samuel McDowell Tate was instrumental in planning and sponsoring the construction of the first leg of the railroad in 1855, then in managing it in the era after the American Civil War.
The State of North Carolina helped finance, build, and operate the new railroad through subscription to $1.4 million of the $2.1 million in capital stock, which was paid for through the issuance of state bonds.
The company constructed 76 miles (122 km) of 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm)gauge railroad line between Salisbury, North Carolina and a point near Morganton, North Carolina between 1858 and 1863. The Western North Carolina Railroad was halted because of resistance from voters. Voters were angry about that law allowed purchasers of private bonds, that paid one third of the cost, to have the trains veer to their towns. The provision of the laws that allowed this was not repealed until Reconstruction, after the Civil War.Charles F. Fisher, later Colonel commanding the 6th North Carolina Regiment, who was killed leading a charge on a Union Army battery at the First Battle of Bull Run, had the initial contract to construct the line.
Western North Carolina Railroad Company's charter was amended by act of North Carolina, August 19, 1868, which divided the company's property between Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division and Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Eastern Division acquired the existing 76 miles (122 km) of railroad line. Western North Carolina Rail Road Company - Western Division acquired the franchise to build a railroad line from the French Broad River to Paint Rock, Alabama and Ducktown, Tennessee but did not complete construction of any part of the proposed railroad line.
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Wikipedia