Seaboard Air Line
Hamlet to Greenwood
Introduction
This is a portion of our self-guided tour of today's CSX mainline from the Atlantic Ocean port of Wilmington, North Carolina, to Atlanta, Georgia. The Introduction to the over-all tour is here. This segment stretches from the western edge of the Hamlet terminal (Pee Dee, NC) to the western South Carolina terminal in Greenwood, a distance of 160 timetable miles.
Please note that the entire Hamlet terminal and Wilmington - Hamlet sections are finished, so you can do a continuous tour of about 286.4 miles. That's a lot of miles, and you can very easily do a full week-end trip along this route.
When you begin your tour at Pee Dee, you'll be at the eastern edge of the Piedmont, so you'll see an ever-increasing curvature and elevation to the railroad as you travel westward. You'll also travel thru some virtual wilderness, and, by the way, you're going to see a lot of trains. So let's get going.
Contents And Navigation
Contributors To This Tour
Train Gifs. All train gifs used within this tour are from the Ed Bindler's train gifs site, which is here.
Fred Burton, South End Waxhaw, NC - Carlisle, SC
Peter Furnee, CSX logo
Tony Hill, Webmaster. Pee Dee to South End Waxhaw, NC, plus Carlisle - Greenwood, SC
Help
If you'd like to contribute to this, or any other tour, please contact me at webmaster@frograil.com, and let me know what you'd like to do. We'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes.
Supplemental And Back-Up Data.
Photography Ratings: Beginning at Carlisle and continuing southwest, I'm now including photo ratings for crossings. Please note that these rating are my opinion of the photographic field available for pictures, rather than a subjective rating of photogenic/artsy the site. All four quadrants of the crossing are evaluated, clockwise, from NE to NW. Each is rated from 1 to 4, with 1 being excellent and 4 being non-existent, either because of a severe drop off, wall of trees, private property, etc. An example would be NE4, SE1, SW3, NW3. This would be a fairly poor location except for AM shots from the southeast quadrant, which should be pretty wide open.
Mapwork: Much of the tour is not easy if you have no detailed map for back country roads. I definitely recommend you get a DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, study it before your trip, and copy pertinent pages for your field work. You can find information here about Railfan Maps that are available.
WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend, or even condone, walking along the tracks, as this means trespassing or exposing yourself to danger. You will have to be creative, in some instances, to avoid trespassing while getting to the detailed locations included herein, but you will either have to be creative or not visit those sites. At no point in this tour guide, or in any other part of Frograil, is it recommended that you trespass or expose yourself to danger. If you are a fool and have a leg cut off (or worse), don't come crying to me: You have been warned. Trains are big, powerful, and often surprisingly quiet. Don't end up being a statistic.
Hamlet, NC - Greenwood, SC -- Railfan Sites
The Tour
Pee Dee Begin this section of the tour at the US-74 bridge over the broad Pee Dee river, which is some 13-14 miles west of Hamlet. Take NC-145 south, and turn left onto Woodyard just before the railroad underpass. Stay on this road until it dead ends into a "T" at Pee Dee Avenue and turn right. The tracks are straight ahead. This is the Hamlet - Monroe/Charlotte/Atlanta mainline, and a long siding ("Pee Dee" ends here. This is approximately MP 266.8. There is excellent visibility up and down the line. Also, there is easy photo taking here, off-railroad property, on both sides of the tracks. Expect perhaps two trains per three hours here.
This is one of those nice, quiet places where you can bring a lawn chair, cooler, binoculars for the birds, and just sit back and relax. Remember, this is the South, so slow down and enjoy life.
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Lilesville -- Church. Between Pee Dee and the siding at Lilesville, the railroad is fairly remote, going around a big hill while US-74 goes pretty much right over that hill. The hill itself is the one climbing out of the Pee Dee River valley, so it's a good sized obstacle to the railroad. Near the top of the hill is a church on the left (south), and on down towards the bottom of the hill, you'll come to another church, a small white one set back from the highway. There is a left turn lane to protect you while you make the turn into the second church. Take the left, and drive over the white sandy road past the church and its cemetery.
Beyond the cemetery is a small copse of trees that will give you shade on a summer morning. The view to the southeast is unobstructed and wide open on both sides of the tracks. You can stay well back, off railroad property. To the northwest, the railroad comes around a curve, and you can get some nice afternoon shots. There is a switch here at the end of the siding that goes all the way to the east end of the Lilesville passing siding. At this point, the siding is used for the local to work the log yard and any other traffic that the local sand industries might generate.
There is a defect detector a short distance north from this point at MP 268.2.
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Lilesville -- North End. Continue west on US-74, and you'll see some industrial silos to the south, and you'll note that the highway rises in an obvious railroad overpass. At the foot of the rise, take a left (this is local road 1801, but I don't know the name, if any) and drive towards the silos. Cross the tracks and park to the side of the road. Stay away from the industrial facility and its siding. Be careful here, as this is a busy road. Walk across the tracks at the crossing and then take a left and follow the dirt road towards the end of the passing siding. Near the interlocking, there is off-railroad property for good morning and early afternoon shots, although there are trees growing in the area, and shadows have recently become a problem.
This is an often-used siding for coal trains which have been tied down, as well as more routine passing siding functions.
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Lilesville -- South End. The south (compass north) end of the siding is reached by getting back on US-74 and driving just under a mile to a right (north) on either local road 1739 or, just past there, South Street. Both will take you north into the village, and you can follow the tracks northwestward. There is also a road on the north side of the tracks, local road 1730. As you go northwest, you'll join up with 1730 coming in from the east, and will take that into the center of the village. Turn north on Cowan Street, and as you cross the tracks, the end of the siding is to your right. This area is pretty tight, and not as good for photos as the south end of the tracks.
Don't get confused here. While the CSX is largely and east-west road between Hamlet and Monroe, timetable-wise, this is a north-south railroad. However, in Lilesville they run backwards, as the "north" end of the siding is well south of the "south" end.
From Lilesville westward, it is impossible to get to a decent photo spot without a helicopter, so go south on Cowan right out to US-74, and continue west towards Wadesboro.
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Wadesboro -- W-S Junction. Wadesboro is one of those "Used to be..." towns. The ACL came up from Florence, the Winston-Salem Southbound came down from the north, and the SAL cut across east-west. Today, the ACL tracks are long gone, and the rather large interchange yard is likewise gone. Remember, 40-50 years ago, there were mills in every small town, and several in larger towns. There must have been an amazing number of 40' boxcars coming in and out of Wadesboro. No more.
There is still a connection with the WSSB, but it's a non-stop deal, which runs right in to Hamlet (there may be some occasional interchange for westbound traffic via CSX at Wadesboro, and vice versa). This is still a worthy place to see some trains, however, and here's how we'll do it:
At the eastern edge of town, go north from US-74 on Morven Freight Road. This is probably local road 1726. The road will go from northerly to westerly as it gets to the tracks. Continue west to the intersection with Iceplant - Stanback Ferry Road, and find a place to park. Iceplant - Stanback Ferry crosses the tracks here, and the WSSB comes down from the north just west of here. The junction is plainly visible, and is reached by a dirt road on the north side of the tracks. This appears to be all railroad property, however, so get your pix at the crossing. Anyway, WSSB is one train per 24 hours (MWF south, TTS north), and the chances for the train going thru in total darkness are about 80% or more.
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Wadesboro -- Station Area. From the intersection of Morven Freight Road and Iceplant - Stanback Ferry Road, go back the way you came, and get to US-74, via Morven Freight Road. Turn right (west) onto US-74, and continue on into town. Here, there are fast food places, motels, shopping, etc. In the center of town, go north on NC-109. Just before crossing over the tracks, turn right on Depot Street and drive over to the tracks. This is the area of the interchange yard and the passenger station. Not much is left anymore. You can do a little railroad archeology exploring here, but be careful, as the CSX main is quite busy, and they can be surprisingly fast and quiet. Also, this is not the best area of the town, and I'd want to have some male friends with me.
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Wadesboro -- Anson Rail Re-load Center. Retrace your drive back down NC-109 to US-74, and take a right to go west. Watch out for the 90° curve as you go thru the downtown area. When the built-up area is fairly much over with, Kitty Bennett Road will be on your right. There will also be a sign to the "Anson Rail Re-load Center." U. S. Pipelines has a staging area for a big pipeline they've been constructing thru the area. The staging area is adjacent to the tracks, but there is no re-load center in evidence. It is possible that USP used the area to unload bulkhead flats with pipe, but there is no spur at all. "Anson" is the name of the county in which Wadesboro is located.
The view from the south side of the crossing is OK - good. The MP 280 sign is about 10 yards west of the crossing.
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Polkton -- Station Area. As you continue west on US-74, there are a few crossings, but they are unremarkable. After a few miles, you'll cross the rather wide Brown Creek flood plain, and then start uphill. Your first right will be Old US Highway 74, and you can take that right into town. Alternatively, you can continue further west on US-74, and take a north and go into the downtown area of the village via Williams Street.
Either way, cross the tracks via Williams Street, and take your first left, drive another 50 yards or so, and park at the re-located and rehabbed station. The building is perfect for a modeling project, IMHO. Viewing from the north is superior, and that from the south is good-excellent from a vacant field. You might want to bring a weed-whacker in the summer (see the Frograil Tours homepage for a full list of suggested items for a railfan tour outing). This is a really nice place to sit and enjoy train watching. There's lots of room for the kids to run around. Set up your lawn chairs, get out the cooler, and enjoy life.
The east (timetable north) end of the siding is about 1 1/2 mile or so east of the station, and is apparently inaccessible by the public. At the station, you're about in the middle of the Polkton siding.
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Polkton -- SE Polkton. From the crossing, go north on Williams and take a left on Polk Street, and drive thru the village's one-block downtown. You'll go up a hill, and should take a left on Monroe Street. This will wind downhill, go off to the west, and become Moore Street. Moore Street will parallel the tracks almost all the way into Peachland. A mile or so from Polkton, Local Road 1469 will intersect with Moore. There is limited viewing from the south where LR-1469 crosses the tracks. Continue on west via Moore, and in a quarter mile or so, you'll see the signal towers at the SE Polkton interlocking.
There is enough room for parking in the area, and viewing from the north is OK, but fair at best from the south. There are better places to see trains in the area.
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Peachland. Continue west on Moore Street, which will become Peachland-Polkton Road. The road hugs the tracks closely until you get pretty close to Peachland. When you come into town, the road name changes once again, this time to Lackawanna Street. You'll come to a Tee, and should turn left to head into the downtown area. You'll cross the tracks on an overpass. Take your first right, go one block, and turn right again on Clinton Street. Park before crossing the tracks (at grade, here). The southeast quadrant of the crossing has what looks to be an old fire department building. To the north of the building is a hillside sloping towards the tracks, which gives excellent photo access and opportunities.
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Peachland -- West. Drive south from the crossing one block, and turn right to go west on Passaic Street. This will take you out of town, and dead end at US-74. Go west on US-74, and take your second real street to the right, which is Old Highway 74. Veer right at the Y intersection -- this will take you along the tracks towards Marshville. You'll shortly see large vertical stacks of lumber in a curing yard. Just before the lumber area itself, there is a large open field adjacent to the tracks. The field is mown as a lawn rather than as a farm field, and it isn't obvious who owns it.
The field would give perfect photo access for AM eastbounds. However, before you spend more than the time needed for a quick shot or two, you should inquire at the home on the south side of the road if you could have permission to venture into the field.
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Marshville -- Defect Detector. Continue west on US-74 to Gaddy (?) Road, which is just a little west of the Union County line. Drive north to the tracks, and you'll see a surprisingly large concrete block structure with "Marshville" stenciled on it. This is the Marshville Defect Detector. If you've never seen a dragging defect detector, you might want to check it out. However, the photo opportunities are poor here, and we're not far from a very good photo location, so you're better off getting back to US-74 and heading west once more.
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Marshville -- North End. As you continue west on US-74, you'll see a large two-story brick house. Turn right immediately past the house and drive between both houses on this lane (which is really just a driveway) to the tracks. Unless you've got 4WD and a high clearance profile, do not go any further. The crossing just allows the farmer to get to the fields north of the tracks. There is nothing railfan-wise north of the tracks. There is a dirt road in very good condition heading about 1/2 mile to the east, which is the location of the Marshville North End interlocking (the area of the crossing is within the siding). This road is obviously CSX property, and you should not use it. However, there is also a parallel road going thru the brush at the north end of the cotton field which appears to go down there also. If you've got a stout country pick-up or Jeep, you might try this road. I've got a full-sized conversion van, and there was no way I was going to take Betsy II down that road.. From what I could tell by looking down the tracks, there appears little photo access in the area of the interlocking.
Remember that even though the railroad is compass dead east-west, the railroad direction is north-south, with Hamlet and beyond north, and Monroe and beyond south.
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Marshville -- Unarco Road. Get back on US-74 and head west (are you seeing a pattern here, yet?). As you come into Marshville, take a right on Unarco Road. This road leads to the tracks and some abandoned industrial buildings. Just before crossing the tracks, take a left to get behind one of these buildings. This area is wide open and safe, and is an excellent place to watch trains -- a definite lawn chair and cooler spot.
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Marshville -- South End. Entering town on US-74 from the east, veer off to the right onto Main Street (the old US-74).There is a sign at this turn directing you to the Business District. Main will parallel the railroad all the way thru town. As you enter from the east, you'll pass the large Town of Marshville public works warehouse and service yard (on the north side of the street). Pass the building and turn, not into the parking lot, but into a portion of what was once a street which crossed the tracks, buy now is marked with a Dead End sign. Drive around to the rear of the building and park up by the tracks. Get permission to park there from an employee.
This is the south end of Marshville siding. As with all the passing sidings on this line, congestion has assured their frequent usage, so this is a good place to catch some trains going zero miles per hour. There is plenty of room here for good photos. Actually, that's pretty much true all the way thru town. You'll have no problems getting any number of photo locations in Marshville.
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Wingate. Continue on out of Marshville via Main Street, which will rejoin US-74. Between Marshville and Wingate the railroad is close on your right (north), but you'll have trouble seeing much because of the trees. There are a few grade crossings, but they're unremarkable. As you come into Wingate, the town is mostly to the left, and Wingate University is to the north. When you see a beautifully landscaped, brick entry-way, turn right and go north into the college. This street is Camden Street, but there is no street sign at US-74. Take your first left, which is Wilson Street. The only bad thing about this next place to watch trains is that it can be very difficult to find a place to park, and you do NOT want to park in any non-public parking space.
To the left, shortly after your turn onto Wilson, is a big parking lot. Drive to the rear of the lot and unload your lawn chairs, picnic basket, cooler, etc. Then, leave the lot and try to find a place to park (HAH!). Parking difficulties notwithstanding, when you get back to your gear, you'll agree this is an excellent place to watch trains. The college keeps the grass nicely mown, and this is a great place for the whole family to sit and relax. There are small trees for shade, and a little west of these is a more open area for the best photo angles. This is a nice train watching site.
Continue west on Wilson to Main Street, turn left (south), and you'll be back at US-74 in all of one or two blocks. Take a right to head west on US-74.
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Wingate -- Edgewood Road. As you head west on US-74, you'll pass a large Pilgrim's Pride poultry processing plant. Next door to it is a Bakery Feeds facility that has an extensive number of delivery trucks, but I don't know how they get their raw materials, as I see no evidence of a rail spur. After you've left Wingate proper, and the speed limit goes back up to 55mph, be on the lookout for a road to the right, Edgewood Road. Take a right and drive to the area of the tracks. On your left is a large grain milling elevator. This is the source of Pilgrim's Pride's growers' feed, and has a couple of tracks and a trackmobile of some sort, and it is quite busy during the week. Stay out of that area. You can park on the right, north of the tracks.
Viewing is wide open from the west, and the ratings are NE3, SE4, SW1, NW1. Freights roll right along thru here at 40-50mph, and it's noisy at times during the week, so stay alert and ready. There is a visible signal protecting the main from the spur to the west at Pilgrim's Pride.
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Monroe -- Tyson Complex. Just as you see a Monroe city limits sign, you'll see a large industrial facility on the right (north) side of the road. In fact, there are really several facilities, but together they comprise a large poultry facility of Tyson Foods, Inc. Turn right (north) on Bivens Road. Drive down to and over the tracks. The large plant which is the most easterly of several was a Wampler turkey facility, but is now closed. As you cross the tracks, you'll see a storage siding for covered hoppers to the east, and a small yard to the west. About 2-3 unit grain trains a week descend upon this location. You will go thru here and swear that they've switched to trucks, because you won't see a single railroad car, and there are other times when you think you've stumbled on Conway Yard South. Timing is everything (well, luck might be a factor, too).
Turn around, go back over the tracks, and turn right on HastyStreet, and then take a right onto Secrest Avenue. As you near the tracks, the stub end of the grain car yard will be on your right (east). When you're ready to leave, go back the way you came on Secrest, and take a right on US-74 to head west into the city of Monroe. As you proceed beyond this point, US-74 becomes Roosevelt Boulevard, and is a by-pass with every conceivable fast and not-so-fast food place, chain stores, motels, etc., etc.
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Monroe -- Sutherland Avenue. About 2 miles west of Secrest Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard will rise up to go over the tracks. Just before this point, take a right onto Sutherland Avenue, and continue north on it as it bears to the left. Just before crossing the tracks, turn left into a small gravel road, and follow it until it peters out. This was once apparently a spur into the highway departments storage area and garage, which is on your left. Here, you're back from the tracks, it's reasonably quiet (although the highway department area can be very loud from time to time), and the sun is your friend all day. It is not rare to see trains holding here, either because their crews have outlawed, or because traffic is coming at them from the east.
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Monroe -- Station Area. Go back the way you came on Sutherland, and cross US-74/ Roosevelt Boulevard. Take the first right after the intersection, Curtis Street, and follow it as it twists and turns on its way up to the tracks. As Curtis ends, take a left on Catawba, and you'll have an excellent view of the tracks all the way to the end of Catawba at Windsor. There are photo locations all along Catawba, but the area is rough, and you'll do much better at the next location. The same is true as you turn left onto Windsor, and then join a one-way street going west to the downtown area. You'll go around a left-handed turn, and will be at the intersection of Church Street (the one you're on -- the one-way streets make it impossible not to be here!) and Hayne Street, which is NC-75/NC-84/NC-200 thru Monroe.
[NOTE WELL: As you came up from Windsor, you've seen some areas which look like excellent photo locations. They are, but they are not excellent people locations. Thru here are areas frequented by sexual deviants, weirdoes, and some genuinely bad people. The areas are also comprehensively posted. You do not want to be there.]
At the Church/Hayne intersection, go across Hayne. The large, 9-story building on your left will be the Union County Courthouse. Stay in the right hand lane, and take the first entrance into the courthouse's parking lot, which is on your right. Park up towards the tracks -- but within a painted parking place. You'll get ticketed if you park at the tracks. [Note that this parking lot is virtually packed from shortly after 8AM to late afternoon. You may have to park elsewhere and hoof it.] For hot summer weather, there's a great big cottonwood tree which will give you great shade. The handsome SAL station is in the northeast corner of the parking lot. You'll think this to be a sleepy little yard, but you'll soon find out you're mistaken.
[Operational Notes: Just about in front of the cottonwood tree, the tracks which came from the east, and have now gone thru the Monroe yard, split. From this point, trains can go northwest to Charlotte and Bostic (the ex-Clinchfield/SAL connection) or southwest to Greenwood and Atlanta. This is MP 306.2. Technically, the mile point is SF306.2, which continues up to Bostic with the SF prefix. Beyond here on our tour towards Greenwood, the mile point becomes SG 306.2, and continues as SG xxx.x to Greenwood.]
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Waxhaw -- Village area. Leave the parking lot the way you came in, and take a right onto Church Street. Quickly work left, as you'll shortly have to turn left. At the first light, turn left onto Charlotte Avenue. Go about 3 blocks, and turn right (following the signs) onto NC-75/Franklin Street. The railroad is some ways north of you here, and the crossings are unremarkable, so just go west on NC-75 out of town. If you want to take one last "insurance" peek back towards the yard, take a right on Johnson Street, and go 4 blocks to the tracks. You can look to the east and see the signals protecting the yard. If you see a green, get back fast!
Otherwise, about the time you're past the city limits on NC-75, the railroad will come in from your right. Here begins several miles of most excellent train pacing fun. There are a few long stretches of wide open access, and several other openings in the tree line for photos. When you pass Mineral Springs crossroads (nice convenience store and gas station there), the railroad once again slips off to your north. You can often see it, but the trees are heavy and the crossings are unremarkable.
As soon as you enter the village of Waxhaw, you know you need to slow down and smell the roses. Once within the village, there is a wooden pedestrian bridge over the tracks, which is lots of fun for photos. Dads/grandpas and small children love this bridge. At the point of the bridge, municipal parking to the north (next to the tracks, natch!) starts, and runs all the way to the west end of the burg.
Across the street (NC-75) from the bridge is the Rail and Bridge Restaurant, which looks quite nice. The kicker is that about 50% of the buildings seem to be antique and gift shops. The place is a lot like St. Michaels or Harpers Ferry, Maryland, but on a much smaller scale. Everyone walks around, acts like tourists, and enjoys themselves. You can do all that AND enjoy the trains. The north end of the Waxhaw siding is just to the west here, so trains entering and leaving often travel slowly. While the photography is better at your next stop, I personally love this area for train watching. Get out the lawn chairs, cooler and picnic lunch and be glad you're alive.
If you have time for a nice meal, let me recommend Dearstyne's Bistro. It's on the block north of the tracks, features darned good food individually prepared, reasonable prices, great service, and gulpable (I made that word up) wine. You'll have some difficulty hearing the trains, but the food, ambiance and wine make it all worthwhile. The Sunday brunch eggs Benedict are to die for!
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Waxhaw -- North End. Continue west on NC-75 until the municipal parking mentioned above ends. Park in the last spot, get out and walk to the tracks. The north end of the Waxhaw passing siding is just to your west. There is a little more open area here for photos, and the trains will be very slow, usually, so this is the best place for photos in Waxhaw. That said, the village to the east has a much more pleasant ambiance. In general, the area between the pedestrian bridge and the last parking spot is just a great place to watch trains. Plan to spend some time here and enjoy yourself.
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Waxhaw -- South End. Continuing west from Waxhaw, taking a right on Rehoboth Road will get you closest to the actual switch, but it not particularly good for photos. Continue west to Hancock Road, take a right, and park at the tracks: The south end of the Waxhaw siding is to your right. This area is a little tight for photos.
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Van Wyck. In the village of Hancock, there isn't much to offer the train watcher, so get back on US-521 southbound, which is also SC-75 here. The next major intersection south will be Steel Hill Road, and you want to take a right (west). There is a brick church and a water tower to mark this intersection. This road will turn thru the attractive countryside, and enter the village of Van Wyck. Turn right at the pre-fab Post Office, and you'll dead-end at the tracks, directly opposite a large brick factory. Once at the tracks, park to the right. This is a good place to watch trains. You're on the south side of the tracks, and the light will be your friend most of the time.
Be aware that during the week, the brick factory is bustling and fairly noisy, so be very careful and stay back from the tracks.
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Van Wyck -- Catawba River Crossing. From the brickyard, go back to Steel Hill Road and continue westbound (right). This is a very rough road, in more ways than one. Keep going straight, and the street will end at SC-5, and you want to take a right, but before you cross the Catawba River, and enter York County, there's another interesting location for photos. Park on the shoulder before entering the bridge over the river.
Mason Hicks, who is very familiar with the area, states that "This location was never easily accessed, but I always found it worth the trouble. The best vantage points are on the east bank.... I have taken great shots from all angles: above, from the highway bridge; along the tracks themselves; and shooting up from the riverbank below."
On the other hand, there are serious concerns about the safety of pedestrians on or near the SC-5 bridge. Be extremely careful, and also be careful not to trespass on CSX property.
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Catawba -- Paper Mill Yard. By your nose, as you come into Catawba, you'll know you're approaching a paper mill -- and it's a huge one, part of Bowater. Shortly after crossing the river, take a left (south) onto Cureton Ferry Road. If you look out for it, you'll see a very minor lane to your left (south) going up towards the tracks. This is Crosby Lane, and there is a street sign. It used to cross the tracks, but now dead-ends there. Crosby takes you to a yard which is exclusively in support of the paper mill. And make no mistake about it, this is a very busy facility, constantly feeding the insatiable appetite of the mill, while getting empties and loads ready to move out. If you park to the right and make your presence known, you will probably be allowed to take photos, although you will be north of the tracks. You MUST ask for permission here, because you are on railroad property.
This is an interesting location.
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Catawba -- Pottery Road. Continue west on Cureton Ferry for a short while. Reservation Road will come in from the north, and, over a very steep crossing, Pottery Road will go off to the left (south). Being very careful, cross over the tracks and park off railroad property past the CSX agent's trailer. Here, CSX has done a bang-up job of cleaning up the entire area: Brush is cut back, there are no derelict buildings around, and new grass has been planted in cleared areas. To the east, the Norfolk Southern's Rock Hill - Lancaster - Kershaw branch goes over the CSX. Both NS and CSX support the Bowater paper mill.
Where the NS tracks cross over the CSX is the north end of the Catawba siding [Approximately MP 331]. Getting a photo of the crossing would be somewhat difficult, and the NS traffic is quite light.
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Harmony. Go west on Pottery Road until it ends at Cureton Ferry Road, take a left, and then go off at an angle onto Weston Hall Spencer Road. The pavement is rough thru here, so be warned. Cross US-21, and turn left (south) onto Harmony Road. Drive to the tracks. Here, there is a defect detector ("Harmony" at MP 333.2) and the south end of the Catawba siding. Photos are OK, if not spectacular, from both sides of the tracks.
Continue west on Weston Hall Spencer Road until it merges into SC-901. Here, if you're continuing the tour, take and left and continue southwest. If you need a break, or have to get moving on, take a right, and go north on SC-901. I-77 is just a few miles north of the SC-901/Weston Hall Spencer intersection.
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Edgemoor. Traveling south on SC-901, you'll enter Chester County, and soon come to the village of Edgemoor. There is an interesting historic railroad curiosity here. Just north of the village, the railroad swings close to SC-901 at the site of a former siding called "Manney." As you drive further south, the highway crosses the railroad on a bridge with sidewalks (you can park on a side road). The area underneath the bridge and running up to Manney was the point where interchange was made with the ancient shortline called the Edgemoor and Manetta Railroad. This latter ran down to Lando, and was the last common carrier steam railroad in the United States. It is now so overgrown as to be difficult to locate in many places. There is an 0-4-0 preserved in the town of Richburg, South Carolina, on the Lancaster and Chester Railroad. [NOTE: Go here for a tour of the L&C.]
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Chester -- Landrum Siding. Between Edgemoor and Chester, the railroad leaves most highways, and while there are a few crossings, they are somewhat removed from the main roads, and are also unremarkable. Therefore, stay on SC-901 southbound until it ends at SC-9. At this location, you are also hard by the intersection of SC-9 and I-77. Therefore, there are all services available. Be aware that the route west of Chester is very, very remote, and a full stomach, a full tank of gas, and if applicable, a full night's sleep are good to have, and this is the place to get them.
As you arrive in the eastern edge of Chester, the CSX Monroe Subdivision will be to your north, and there is a passing siding, "Landrum", there. Just north of the passing siding is the CSX interchange with the Lancaster & Chester Railway. A complete description of the interchange is here. It is definitely worth a visit. From SC-9, go right (north) on McCandless Road. You'll go over the tracks in the middle of the siding. It is tight here, and if you need to get trackside in a hurry, this is OK, but there are better locations further in. If you wish, you could continue on SC-9 past McCandless Road, and then go north on the SC-72/SC-121 By-Pass. This will take you to the tracks and the south end of Landrum Siding. However, the By-Pass is so busy that this is also a poor location.
As two asides: The By-Pass has fast foods, shopping, etc, and don't forget my warning about the boonies southwest of here. Back at the corner of SC-9 and McCandless is the Chester Nature Park, which looks like a great place for a picnic, as well as a place for the kiddies to run off some of those zillions of calories they've been storing up.
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Chester -- Community Chapel. From the south end of the Landrum siding, take the By-Pass north to the first major intersection, and turn left on Saluda Street, which is SC-72/SC-121. You'll cross the CSX again, near the site of the large Springs textile mill. As soon as you cross the tracks, 5th Street will angle very sharply back to the east-north-east. Take this street and drive to the Community Chapel. Park in the parking lot, and you'll get excellent photos most of the day. This is not a Martha Stewart neighborhood, and we don't advise lawn chairs and coolers, but if you stay in or near your car, you'll be OK. As always, we advise fanning with at least one male companion.
Incidentally, from this point, you can see Landrum south end signal to the north, as well as the CSX/NS crossing signal to the south.
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Chester -- CSX/NS Crossing. Yes, there is a crossing, and it's a pretty busy one, but you'll have to decide if you want to bother with it. Continuing into town on Saluda Street, SC-72/SC-121, you will shortly cross a couple more tracks (L&C interchange and NS R-Line, res.), and will take a right and go north on Brawley Street. Brawley, York and Gregg Streets will all come together immediately south of the CSX main. Go right onto York, and take your first right onto Babcock Avenue.
Once on Babcock, the crossing is straight ahead. Unfortunately, no road goes there. Babcock swings away to the north, so you want to enter the industrial facility here, and get permission to walk thru their property to the tracks. The terrain here is very rough, as every old iron and wooden thing ever taken off old switches, track, etc, is seemingly still here, just piled about, and overgrown with God knows what. To make matters worse, there are actually two crossings here. Going east-north-east, the direction you should be walking, you'll come to the first crossing, which is obviously not meticulously maintained NS R-Line trackage. This is the old Southern line which went all the way to Shelby. It may serve a few industries north of here, but it may also be defunct.
The second crossing is the NS R-Line (Charlotte - Columbia) / CSX Monroe Subdivision mainline crossing. With 18 freights or so each 24 hours on CSX, and perhaps5-6 on NS, this place can see a surprising amount of action in a short period of time. However, you will have to blatantly trespass on both industrial and railroad property to get pix here, and we do not recommend this as a railfan location.
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Chester -- Gregg Street. There's a better place in the area to catch CSX action, and that's back at the intersection of Brawley, York and Gregg streets. Instead of going over the tracks, you can turn onto Gregg, which parallels the tracks for a short ways. It's a little bit tight here, and you want to be careful with your parking, but you can get good photos here most of the day. We don't recommend it for lawn chairs and coolers, but it's not bad.
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Chester -- SAL Stations. There are several ways to get to the stations from Gregg Street, but this may be the easiest. From Gregg Street, go north on York to Joshua Bell and turn left (west). At Hemphill Avenue Extension, go across at a very slight bias, and continue west on what is now Stadium Drive. Stadium will take you back out to the By-Pass. At the SC-72/SC-121 By-Pass, take a left (southwest) and swing all the way down to Center Street, a major Chester artery. Go left (southeast) on Center, and you'll shortly go under the tracks. Take your first left onto Maiden Street. The passenger station will be on your left. Cross Wylie Street, and the freight station will be obvious.
The freight station is only one-half the size it used to be, but is in fairly decent condition, and is apparently being used as a storage facility. The passenger station is sound, and the roof and trim paint are fairly new.
OK, we've warned you twice already, and here's a third warning: From here southward, the Monroe Subdivision enters a very, very remote area, much of which is Sumpter National Forest. You will not find convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc. This is your last chance to "fill up" before heading out.
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Leeds Area. Get back on Center Street, and go right downtown. Turn right on West End Street, SC-72/SC-121, and head west. As you drive thru the countryside, you'll probably see the tracks come close only once, and that is at Wilkes, the site of an abandoned passing siding, but the only photo access is via a hunting preserve, and the entire area is aggressively posted. Past here, turn right (north) on Carter Road. If you miss Carter, turn north on Sandy River Road. Either way, you'll marry up with Sandy River Road northbound, cross the Sandy River, and reach a railroad crossing. This is a crossing on a sharp curve deep in the woods, and is nice to see, but not to photograph.
We now have to drive well out of our way, but so be it. Continue north on Sandy River Road. You'll go thru the crossroads of Baton Rouge, and then shortly thereafter, you'll take a left (west) on Leeds Road. Leeds will become more and more southbound as it nears the village of Leeds and the Broad River. Leeds itself is tiny, and the railroad goes right along its axis.
Take a little while to explore here. Some comments: The shot at the south end of the siding ("Leeds", approximately MP 364) is mediocre. The signals here are approach lit, and the doggone crews, all thru this wilderness area, often do not call signals, so know where the defect detectors are (use the station list referenced in the Supplemental Data section above), and be alert. There is often no chatter whatsoever on the radio thru this area. There is a nice view from the bridge on Calvary Church Road in the village.
From Leeds, because of the large river and wilderness west of us, we have to once again leave the railroad. Head south out of the village on Woods Ferry Road, which will take you directly to SC-72/SC-121.
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Carlisle. Cross the Broad River, and enter Union County via SC-72/SC-121. Just to the east of the village of Carlisle go north on Woodyard Road. [Here, an aside: Carlisle is a very poor community. Unfortunately, its major source of revenue seems to be from extracting cash from motorists passing thru. This is what is known as a "speed trap".] As you go north on Woodyard, you get the sinking feeling that you're on an industrial entrance road. However, immediately before the guard house entrance into Cone Mills, take a left, and continue across the tracks to River Road. Turn left (south), and follow River, which will become English Avenue in the village.
From English, turn left (south) onto Kennedy, and then right onto Fishdam Avenue (this takes more time to type than it does to drive -- Carlisle is very small). On Fishdam, cross the NS tracks and immediately turn right (south) onto Stoudemire. This latter will get you about as close to the crossing as practical. The "crossing" is not at grade, as the NS goes over the CSX main on a rather narrow bridge and fill. Photos are out of the question.
Continuing southwest out of Carlisle on SC-72, maybe some 2.5 miles, you'll come to Santuc Drive (Secondary State Road (SSR) 35) on the north side of the highway. Note that pre-911 maps will not give you road names. Most of the road names came about as a result of the requirement that 911 systems have to have road names. You'll have to slow down and be careful. Anyway, Santuc Drive will take you north to the tracks, but the crossing is not at grade, and is narrow. This is not a railfan location. Further southwest on SC-72,
Further along SC-72, the next real road to the right is SSR-87, Delta Road. Delta Road is maybe 4-5 miles southwest of Santuc Drive. The crossing is about a mile north of SC-72, and is towards the northern end of the Delta siding. It's at grade, but isn't a good location. In fact, I'd rate it as NE4, SE2, SW4, NW4. When you see the 2 northern quadrants, you'll know why there 4's, and the southwest is fenced. However, if you know a train is imminent, you can get over to Delta for pix. You can see the signals at north end Delta several hundred yards northeast of the crossing.
So, let's get to a good photo location.
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Whitmire. A couple miles southwest of Delta Road, SC-72 will join US-176, and go straight south to the small town of Whitmire. At the northeast corner of town, US-176 continues straight south, while SC-72 peels of to head west. Stay on SC-72 into town, and follow it as it bends to the northwest. Before going over the tracks on an overpass, take a left and go down to track level on Railroad Avenue. This is not a good location -- it's excellent. There's plenty of room for off-property parking, so get out the lawn chairs, cooler and scanner, and relax. Instead of chasing trains, let a few come to you! Photo ratings: NE1, SE1, SW2, NW3. The northeast - southwest track bias will ensure good southbound photos virtually any time of day, and good northbounds in the morning.
If you enjoy viewing trains from an overpass, Joe Hinson recommends the overpass of the tracks on SC-72. There is ample parking, and the only drawback is the typical "Hey, take my picture, buddy" comment from the locals. Not a problem.
Just to the east of the crossing is the defect detector at MP SG379.9
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Whitmire -- Duckett Street. Here's another Whitmire location, and it's perhaps more to your liking than the previous. My wife liked this one, while I liked the previous spot. Continue southwest along the tracks on Railroad Avenue (it may change names). You'll wiggle around a bit, but will overall stay close to the tracks. The first crossing will be on Duckett Street. Take a right and go to the tracks. Park in the church parking lot in the southeast quadrant. Photo ratings are NE1, SE1, SW4, NW3. Note that you'll want to avoid the area on Sundays, Wednesday evenings, and other times the church will be active. If folks come into the lot, introduce yourself and make sure it's OK to park there. It's a nice church, and a nice photo location.
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Whitmire -- County Line. I have no idea what "place" to put this spot in, but you combat railfans will enjoy it. Continue north on Duckett all the way to SC-72, where Duckett ends at a T. This is about one mile. Take a left and go west on SC-72. You are deep within Sumter National Forest beyond Whitmire once again. Immediately after the Laurens/Newberry county line, take a left onto Little North Carolina Road. This is a hard-packed dirt and gravel road, and is used as a connector between SC-72 and SC-66 to the south. It is also used as a log truck road within the forest, so if you're on it during the week you'd better be very, very careful. The road is narrow, there are no shoulders, few places to turn around, and deep ditches along both sides for much of the way. You'll go round and about and up a hill (with a good view if the trees haven't grown up again), and then start back down. Be very careful down this hill, because there's a very large rock along the way that road graders can't deal with, and the result is a rather steep hump. No problem if you're going real slow, but a major one if you're in the family sedan going over 20 mph, and this is NOT a good place to have a car problem
At the bottom of the hill is a wooden trestle carrying the line over the road and creek. Note that the creek flows freely over the road here on a concrete ford -- another reason for driving very slowly. When I did the research for this tour in October 2001, just south of the trestle was a "newly renewed" logging road to the west of Little North Carolina, and it was gated about 200' in on it. However, just before the gate area, you're at grade level with excellent viewing to the north, east and west. A great place to set up on week-ends and after the timber company has gotten the logs out of the area (probably not before January 2002, or even later). If there is active logging going on in the area, don't even think of setting up here. You might try the area east of the trestle, but you'll have to stay well back to avoid railroad property, and you pix won't be very good.
Truth to say, I like this spot a lot, and recommend it for a quiet Sunday. You'll probably hear the defect detector at Whitmire to the northeast, but will probably not catch Fuller to the southwest. You're in the bottom of a bowl here, and this is where that expensive antenna might pay for itself. Remember, you're in the hills and hollows, and sound plays tricks on you, so be very alert and careful, and stay off railroad property.
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Renno. In October 2001, SC-72 was "cut" several miles to the west of Little North Carolina Road, and thru traffic was not possible. Also, an east-west "road" appearing in the deLorme didn't exist on the ground (probably intermittent logging roads), so we continued south on Little North Carolina all the way to SC-66, which was a little more than a mile. The road south of the trestle was better than north of it, but not by much.
At SC-66, take a right and head southwest. According to deLorme, there is a road, SSR-276, which forks at Stomp Springs, and either fork will take you to a crossing. However, since we're now so far south on SC-66, we decided to travel beyond SSR-276 to Renno Road, SSR-26, and head north to the tracks. This worked out well, as the crossing at Renno is excellent: NE1, SE1, SW2, NW1. You could spend a lot of comfortable time here, and the crossing isn't particularly busy.
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Clinton -- Hurricane Church Road. Just before the crossing at Renno, take a left to travel west on Lake Road. Lake will meander about somewhat, and then BAM! will come up hard on I-26. Lake follows the interstate for a mile or less, and then ducks under it, swings due south, and gets to a fairly complicated intersection. Take the hard right onto Double A Trailer road. On the deLorme, you'll note a road (Fuller Road) leading to the tracks on the east side of I-26, but we couldn't find it. You'll also note that the railroad under the interstate is double track, and mapQuest clearly shows the siding ending west of the intersection with Double A Trailer Road. Obviously, the siding has been significantly expanded in recent years. This is the Shands siding, and it's 9,950', so it is certainly much longer than the original siding would have been.
Double A Trailer takes you across the siding to a T at an attractive church and Hurricane Church Road. Take a left on Hurricane Church, and head back towards the tracks. The crossing itself is so-so, and is rated at NE1, SE3, SW2, NW4; however, if you know a train's coming, it'll be OK. There is a much better crossing a short distance ahead. The south end of the Shands siding is just to the northeast, and signals are clearly visible.
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Clinton -- Dover Connector. Continue south on Hurricane Church Road, and you'll go over the tracks of the CSX (ex-Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad, an ex-ACL subsidiary) going between Spartanburg and Columbia. Shortly thereafter, you'll reach US-76, and will turn right to drive into Clinton. This town should perhaps be re-named "Railfan City", because there are so many enjoyable places to see the action. This is life support Heaven compared to the Forest. We'll go thru the town east to west, following the railroad all the way.
The CSX (ex-CNL) parallels US-76 into Clinton, and the first crossing of the railroad goes into the Whitten Center. This is a large facility helping developmentally challenged and special needs folks. Just before the tracks, take a right and drive into the large, grassy area. There used to be a spur track here. Park well to the east of the Whitten street. This is an outstanding location, because the ex-SAL line we've been following all the way from Wilmington, and the ex-CNL line come together here to go thru town together. This happens right in front of you, at MP SG 394.9. There's plenty of room for the kids to run around, and the area is well-maintained. The tracks are on a fairly pronounced southeast - northwest bias, so lighting will be good all day for all eastbounds, and very good for westbounds by mid-morning on.
Traffic thru here is pretty good, as you're getting all Spartanburg - Columbia traffic as well as Hamlet - Greenwood traffic. An average of more than one train per hour can be expected, but they can come in bunches, followed by long periods of quiet. This is such a nice location, however, that you can just sit back and enjoy a good book during the lulls. It doesn't get any better than this spot.
For viewing north of the tracks and west of the junction, go over the tracks on the Whitten street, and take your first right onto East Main Street. Stay out of all CSX property, and just west of that property there is good viewing. The sun will fight you all day, however.
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Clinton -- Clinton Connection. Follow US-76 into the center of town, and you'll note good viewing almost constantly along this drive. When you get to the intersection of US-76 and (our old friend) SC-72, you're in the middle of town. Turn right and go north on SC-72 one block, and then turn left. There is a large free parking lot on your left, so drive past it, and turn in to the entrance on your left. On summer weekends you can park at the far east edge of the lot in the shade (you won't be in a marked parking space, but there won't be anyone else in the lot, anyway). Next to the tracks, on both sides of SC-72 are benches and small, park-like areas. The area on the east is more developed as a park, and there is also more public parking available, also. There is plenty of room for excellent shots both north and south of the tracks just to the west of SC-72.
This is a delightful place on the weekends, but it's quite busy with people and cars during the week.
One block west of SC-72, the railroads split, with the ex-CNL going due west and on to the "Laurens Connection" and Spartanburg, and the ex-SAL beginning to drop seriously southwest towards Greenwood.
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Clinton -- Southwest. From the split with the Spartanburg line, the Greenwood-bound ex-SAL immediately bends significantly southwesterly. There are some excellent photo locations beyond the Clinton Connector along this route. To take advantage of them, go south on SC-72 across US-76, and take your first right onto Gary Street. Take Gary due west and it will bend to follow the tracks all the way thru the rest of the town. Note that this area is not the high rent district, and we always recommend you fan with at least one male friend.
From about just south of West Centennial Street to just north of the end of South Livingston Street, the viewing is excellent from the west. This is an excellent spot for later PM shots. Further south on Gary, from some 300 yards past the end of South Livingston to Lydia Street in the Lydia Mills area, the viewing is excellent from the east. You'll get excellent AM and early PM shots all along here. If you know something's coming from either north or south, and you can't get to Dover or the Clinton Connector, you'll do very well anywhere along the indicated areas of Gary Street.
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Mountville -- Apple Orchard Road. While you're no longer in the Sumter National Forest, you're definitely going to be in the country for awhile, so you might want to gas up, etc, before you leave Clinton. There are a couple of different ways to head further south. When Gary T's into SSR-46, you can go right, over the tracks, and then go left on SSR-103. We chose to go left on SSR-46 to rejoin SC-72. The crossing at SSR-46 is not much, but the southwest quadrant is excellent. It's fairly busy and noisy, however. Both SSR-103 and SC-72 parallel the tracks, making kind of a sandwich with the tracks in the middle. However, you'll not be close to the tracks on either road.
From SC-72, there is access to the tracks via nothing until you get to SSR-103, which has looped, crossed the tracks, and completed its 180° turn at SC-72. It's called Apple Orchard Road here (and probably is all the way back to Clinton/Lydia Mills, but that's a guess only), and you want to take a right on it to get to the tracks. Be careful, as the road is quite curvy. About 200 yards northeast of the crossing is the south end of Fuller Siding. Parking is difficult in the area, and you want to be real careful to avoid any private or railroad property. Photo ratings: NE2, SE4, SW4, NW1. If you can hold out, Mountville to the south is much better. Defect detector Fuller is between the crossing and the siding switch, at MP SG 402.2.
Further south on SC-72 is Milam Road/SSR-45, but the crossing is not at grade, and is not a railfan location.
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Mountville. SC-72 will rise up and go over the tracks immediately north of the village of Mountville. The tracks are dead north - south thru the village, so northbounds are going to be always tough to photograph on sunny days. That said, however, viewing is excellent from both sides of the tracks. Take any of the streets to the east, and drive one block to the tracks. Viewing from the west is best in the north part of the village, and from the east in the southern end.
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Cross Hill -- Puckett Ferry Road. As you approach the village of Cross Hill, SC-39 will come down from the north. Take a right and go just one block to Puckett Ferry Road, which will take you back to the tracks. It's not much of a crossing, with a rating of NE2, SE3, SW4, NW3, but it's a quick place to get trackside from SC-72 north of Cross Hill. The crossing itself is MP SG 410.0. There are roads indicated by MapQuest going southeast from the crossing, but they no longer exist, so you must backtrack to SC-39, take a left, and continue into Cross Hill.
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Cross Hill. When you get to the tracks, they are still mostly due north - south, and the southwest quadrant is wide open with plenty of parking: NE3, SE3, SW1, NW2. This is best as an afternoon locations, but there is fair viewing from the east. Just to the south of the crossing is North End Cross Hill siding switch at approximately MP SG 411.
Cross Hill is the last place to view the railroad before it enters the Greenwood Lake area. As with all such lakes, the area is fairly hilly, almost all roads just peter out as they get close to the water, and it can be difficult to railfan. On the deLorme, it looks as if there are several crossings/access points thru the area, but I don't trust such maps. My experience has been that those roads are usually private, and give no public access. I've picked out one spot, however, and it's interesting.
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Greenwood Lake -- Whitten Road. From Cross Hill, backtrack to SC-72, take a left, and continue southwest. After several miles, you'll notice lots of lake-type subdivision signs and roads, and you want to be on the lookout for Whitten Road/SSR-147 on the left. If you get to US-221, you've gone about 150 yards too far. Take Whitten, and it will meander ever southeast until you get to the tracks. Note that somewhere along the road, Whitten apparently becomes SSR-152. Park in the fishing/parking area on the right, before the crossing. Walk away from the tracks to the north, and you'll see the trestle. You can walk along the tracks to the trestle, but it's on a significant fill. You're obviously trespassing, and even more important, these trains move right along, and the whole area between the crossing and the trestle (about 200') is very dangerous. The best way to enjoy the trestle is by boat -- go southeast under the trestle, and get nice morning shots. This is the main channel of the Saluda River/Lake Greenwood area.
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Greenwood -- Old Brickyard Road. Go back the way you came on Whitten to SC-72, and take a left to continue southwest. You'll join US-221, and will go over Lake Greenwood. As you get close to the south end of the bridge, you can see the trestle at Whitten Road far to the east. If you're using a scanner here, you should start hearing traffic on the CSX (ex-ACL, exx-Charleston and Western Carolina Railway) line down from Laurens. As you cross Lake Greenwood, you're much closer to the CWC than the SAL. At the intersection with SC-246, take a left and 2-3 miles to Saluca. The overpass is not at grade, so take your first real right into Emerald Road/SSR-100. There are obviously some important railroad customers in the area west of SC-72.
Emerald Road will go quite a way on into Greenwood, but it's hard to follow it on the map. After a few miles, the tracks will come in on an almost dead east - west bias, and Emerald will veer to the left to follow on the south side. Old Brickyard Road will cross the tracks at grade, and give excellent south photo field ratings: NE4, SE1, SW1, NW4, but obviously nothing from the north. To the west is North End McDowell siding switch at MP SG 421.0.
From here on, let me give you a disclaimer. There are a lot of places to catch trains in the Greenwood area. This tour is only going to cover a few of them, but I'll add to them when I do Greenwood - Abbeville to extend the tour. You should understand that virtually all Greenwood maps are not only worthless, when it comes to railroad locations, they are harmful, as most of the railroads shown no longer exist. I recommend 2 publications to help you: First, is the good old trusty Steam Powered Video's Southeast edition, which looks completely accurate to me. Second, and this one is worth its weight in gold if you really want to meticulously explore Greenwood:
Greenwood County and its Railroads: 1852 - 1992. James H. Wade, Jr. Copyright 1993 by The Museum, Greenwood, SC. Printed by The R. L. Bryan Company, Columbia, SC.
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Continue west on Emerald, and make sure you stay on it and not South Emerald Road where the latter goes south past Conners Road. You'll come to a significant intersection with Kateway Boulevard. Take a right and go north on Kateway to the tracks. At this point, the line from Laurens and the line from Monroe have joined just to the northeast. There is a dirt road leading to the actual junction, but it is obviously railroad property, and the photo angles are very poor. There is a defect detector just south west of the junction, at MP SG422.9.
However, there are some off-railroad property viewing sites at Kateway, so you can get shots of a pretty consistent flow of traffic heading towards (and from) Maxwell yard to the southwest. Photo ratings are NE3, SE2, SW2, NW3.
I'd like to thank Tim Huemmer for his help with this location.
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Greenwood -- NE Greenwood Siding. Go back down Kateway to Emerald Road. Take a right, and follow Emerald Road to US-25ByPass. Get on the ByPass and head south to Cambridge Avenue. Take a left to go west on Cambridge. Just before you cross the tracks via Cambridge, take a left on Seaboard Avenue, and you'll follow the tracks all the way to downtown. When you get downtown, I suggest you take some time and look at what has been accomplished. You'll notice that the city street (Main Street here; Hampton further north) seems awfully wide -- that's because it was almost literally full of tracks at one time. Wade's book will really open your eyes as to what used to be here, and how the changes were made.
But let's get back to the tour. Seaboard runs right next to the railroad, but photo ops are zero, because you're too close, and the street is busy. As you approach downtown, Seaboard rises up while the railroad ducks under Main Street (US-25Business, US-178Business, US-221Business). You must turn right on Main, which in one block becomes Hampton. Get in the left lane and turn into the Hampton Place shopping center. Park back up towards the southeast corner of the parking area and walk to the tracks. You'll see where the railroad comes out of the tunnel under Main Street. Just to the southwest, you'll see North End Greenwood siding switch, and double track extends from here all the way thru the terminal and Maxwell Yard.
There is a cut here, but it's not particularly deep. I think this location has potential, on both sides of the cut, for some interesting photos. It is not a roster shot location, and the light can be a problem, but nothing done well is easy. I like this spot.
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Greenwood -- Maxwell Avenue. Just to the south of the previous location is the crossing of Maxwell Road, and it's a very interesting urban photo location. There's a lot to take into consideration. We'll take it a quadrant at a time, but first we have to get there. From Hampton Place shopping center, take a right out of the parking lot, go back over the tracks and take a right after 2 blocks onto Maxwell Road. Another map quirk is that Maxwell is also SC-10, but you won't find any street signs in the area pointing to SC-10. Only after you're west of the tracks will you see a street sign identifying that you are, indeed, on SC-10. Anyway, go southwest from Main Street, cross the tracks, and find a place to park.
We'll start in the northwest quadrant, because that gives us a good, overall perspective. To the northeast, you see the double tracks of Greenwood siding arcing northeast to south, but the previous railfan location is out of sight around the bend. To your left is an industrial building, and photos are out north of the crossing area. Looking across the tracks, you can see a curved concrete platform, so let's head across the tracks to the northeast quadrant.
You can get fair photo access from the crossing, but the strength of the northeast quadrant is that curved concrete platform. On page 100 of James Wade's book, you'll see an overview of this area. In (many) years gone by, this was the location of the SAL freight station, and the only remnant today is this curved concrete platform. Walk, between the tracks and the platform, up to the platform and crawl on top. You've got an interesting place to take pictures. NOTE WELL: Immediately behind (east) of the platform is a nasty, deep, dangerous ravine, and it's so overgrown that it's hard to see that it's even there. There are also other obstacles east of the platform. Stay away from the area.
On the southeast quadrant, there's a big area which would be fine for a bunch of folks to sit and enjoy Greenwood's show. This is an excellent photo location. "Why is this big open area here, in a downtown location?" you ask? Well, also on page 100 of James Wade's book, you'll see that this was the location of both the SAL passenger station and the SAL express freight station. The passenger station was torn down in ~Oct 1972, and the express freight station probably preceded it by many years. Today, it's a great place to take pix.
Finally, the southwest quadrant offers no photo access close to Maxwell Avenue, but if you walk south beyond the crossing, you'll be in another excellent spot for photos.
All in all, this is, IMHO, a truly excellent location for photos. The downers to the site: It's noisy, as Maxwell is a busy street, and there are some less than trustworthy-looking folks walking around, but I don't think daytime fanning is any problem. Besides, I always recommend you fan with at least one male friend.
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Greenwood -- Maxwell Yard North. Please note that, as was the case with the city of Greenwood, the write-up of the yard is relatively incomplete, and will hopefully be expanded during a future extension of this tour towards Atlanta. For now, the only yard site detailed is a nice overpass of the northern end of it. From the prior location, simply go south on Maxwell Avenue until you reach an intersection with SC-225ByPass. Take a left and go up and over the north end of the yard. The bridge is 4-lane, with sidewalks on both sides. The street, unfortunately, has a curb on both sides, so finding a place to park is a bother. Find a place and hoof it back up the overpass.
This is a nice place to watch a modern yard in action, and there is decent traffic. Just be mindful that the road is very busy, and you won't be able to rush from one side of the bridge to another just to see an arriving train. Your corporeal entity is far more valuable than one more slide, so be wise and be cool.