The Crescent Route
Charlotte to Greensboro, NC
Introduction
This is a continuation of our self-guided tour of the Norfolk Southern's Crescent Route. The Introduction to the over-all tour is here. In this segment, we'll cover Charlotte, North Carolina, starting at the downtown Charlotte Amtrak station [MP 386.0], up to and including, the Greensboro, North Carolina, terminal [MP284.4]. This is a total of 101.6 timetable miles. In this segment, we'll see busy city/terminal action, as well as heavy mainline action.
Contents And Navigation:
Contributors
Fred Burton: Charlotte terminal thru Concord
Tony Hill: retired Frograil webmaster and text north of Concord
Help
If you'd like to contribute to this or any other Frograil tour, simply e-mail me here, and let me know what you're interested in. We'll work together -- you supply the data, and I'll take care of the HTML stuff. Frograil can only be as good as its contributions, so keep 'em coming. Dozens of folks a day visit Frograil, so your material will not just be moldering away -- it will be used by railfans.
Supplemental And Back-Up Data
The Railroad -- Geography. The name of the Norfolk Southern division that stretches from Washington, DC to Atlanta is the Piedmont Division. As the name implies, the division traverses the Piedmont through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. You won't find mountain railroading like you'll find on our Clinchfield tours, and you also won't find flat, easy terrain like that encountered, say, on our CSX East Coast tours south of Petersburg, Virginia. What you'll encounter are rolling hills, many streams and some major rivers, and trees -- lots and lots of trees.
Both end-point cities are long-standing railroad terminals, and both are growing rapidly. Indeed, the entire I-85/Crescent Route corridor from Charlotte to Greensboro is becoming one huge city. The counties through which NS runs between these cities have close to 1,500,000 population now, and local and industrial railroad traffic is heavy. Besides the two large end-point cities, there are several, sometimes contiguous, medium-sized cities: Concord, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Lexington, Thomasville, and High Point. As a general rule, railfanning in the cities is better than in the countryside (with a few exceptions). Because of the terrain, the railroad outside of the towns and cities is fairly inaccessible. It is the medium-size and smaller towns along the route that offer, almost without exception, excellent trackside access.
The Railroad --Traffic. As is the case along much of the Piedmont Division, there is relatively little coal traffic. This route is the primary rail route between the northeast megalopolis and the gateway to the south: Atlanta. As you can imagine, there is a lot of intermodal and manifest traffic. You can expect manifest trains at any time, but intermodal operations are different. Atlanta and northeast freight is designed to reach intermodal yards very early in the morning, so that pigs and boxes can be delivered to their customers that morning. Therefore, almost all southbound trains will go through in the evening or early night time. Depending on the ultimate location, most northbound hot trains will likewise go through in darkness. While there are always exceptions to any rule, you probably won't realize how busy the line is, if you spend 2-3 hours in mid-day. All-in-all, you can expect 24-30 trains per 24 hours, but a lot of them run at night.
Passenger service is seen between both cities, with Amtrak's Crescent going through in the wee hours in both directions daily, and 2 joint Amtrak/NCDOT trains in each direction daily.
The physical plant is in excellent condition, with many multiple mile (usually 4-6 miles each) sidings. Because the sidings are so long, the line almost runs as a 1 1/2 track main line, rather than as a single main track with passing sidings. Look for trains to be quiet and fast. Be alert and be prepared.
Supplemental Information: Here are some frequencies to plug into your scanner when you are in the area. Some are useful when around Linwood Yard and the North Carolina Transportation Museum, which is a good place to visit. These frequencies are as of July, 2012, but if someone finds that something doesn't work or wants to add additional channels, please use the contact address to pass them on.
| Freq. | AAR Channel | Use |
|---|---|---|
| 160.245 | 9 | Dispatcher To Train Ch 2 |
| 160.275 | 11 | PBX - Salisbury |
| 160.365 | 17 | Yard - Carmen - Linwood |
| 160.440 | 22 | Road - Ch 3 - N of WS |
| 160.515 | 27 | PBX - Charlotte, Greensboro |
| 160.695 | NCTM Train Crews | |
| 160.755 | 43 | Yard - Linwood Pullback 1 |
| 160.830 | 48 | Train to Dispatcher Ch 2 - S Line to Ashville |
| 160.875 | 51 | Yard - Linwood Pullback 2 |
| 160.950 | 56 | Road - Ch 1 |
| 161.010 | 60 | MOW - Linwood Yard |
| 161.190 | 72 | Yard - Ch 1 - North Winston Yard |
| 161.325 | 81 | Yard - Linwood Hump |
| 161.505 | 93 | Yard - Shop - Linwood Yard |
| 161.535 | 95 | MOW - Piedmont & VA Division |
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 any other tour which is 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.
Railfan sites
The Tour -- Greensboro, NC to Charlotte
Charlotte -- Amtrak Station This location is both the end of the Greenville, SC, to Charlotte, NC, segment of our self-guided tour of the Crescent Route, and the beginning of this segment. Directions to the station are in the last section of the Charlotte portion of the Greenville-Charlotte segment. However, if you're beginning your tour here, follow these directions:
From the intersection of I-77 and I-277 in the northwest corner of downtown, take I-277, the Brookshire Freeway, east to the Church Street exit (exit 3). You will be delivered to 11th Street. Take 11th one block to Tryon and go north. Shortly after crossing the second set of tracks, Tryon will become U.S. 29. Shortly after this point, the Amtrak station will be on your right.
The station is in the middle of the NS yard area, on the west side of the yard. However, absolutely nothing in the yard is visible anywhere along here, so forget railfanning the yard area. As far as the station itself, only passengers are allowed on the platforms. This is not a railfan location.
Charlotte -- AT&O Connector. Continuing north on Tryon, you'll come to an at-grade crossing of a single track. At this point, you have passed the north end of the yard, and AT&O Junction. At the latter point is the Aberdeen, Carolina and Western inter- change. You cannot drive to this junction. The track going across Tryon is going towards the old AT&O line from Graham Crossing to Winston-Salem. These tracks were a connector between the Crescent Route and the AT&O.
The AT&O line at one time continued to the south and crossed NC Music Factory Drive & CSX near Graham Crossing. The line has been severed with a pile of dirt on tracks just "north" of the Statesville Avenue "dead" crossing, and NS engines are rarely seen on the leg of track (except for maintenance activities) beyond Atando Junction/Wye at Graham Street and Atando Avenue. NS cycles engines on its locals for "O" line using SD40's and GP38's engines (rare appearances with SD60 or Dash-9) that appear to be from heavy use on its Nickel-Plate, Wabash, and Conrail acquired territories. The other heavy user is Amtrak/North Carolina, which uses the AT&O wye as a turnaround for trip back to Raleigh--engine pulling instead of a push operation with a low-audible beeper on the railcar. Amtrak does a Metra-speedy reverse up the Wye, crossing Graham and paralleling it, then pulls across Atando crossing to reverse across Graham back to the station. (E. Michael Jones, added 1/4/15).
If you know a train is coming, you can get OK pictures here, but otherwise, the rail traffic is too light, and the street traffic too heavy to spend any time here.
Charlotte -- Sugar Creek Road. Continue north on U.S. 29 to the major intersection with Sugar Creek Road. Take a right and go south on Sugar Creek, cross the mainline, and take an immediate right into PJ's restaurant. Here, you can get decent food at a reasonable price, and the Crescent Route is visible from a few booths. There is also a visible signal, and some trains are held here, pending clearance into or out of the Charlotte terminal area. Trains can also be held here to await meets with trains coming off single track north of Junker Interlocking (Orr Road, below).
Backtrack to U.S. 29, and continue north. U.S. 29 will begin a broad arc to the north, and Old Concord Road will veer off to the east. We're going to remain on or near Old Concord for a good ways, as it is closer to the tracks and carries less traffic.
Charlotte -- Orr Road. Shortly after getting on Old Concord, you'll come to the intersection with Orr Road. Orr parallels the mainline to the southeast, while Old Concord does from the northwest. Usually, the lighting will favor Orr Road photos. Here is the site of the Junker Interlocking [MP 372.2], where double track begins and continues all the way through the Charlotte terminal to Paw Creek Interlocking, 13.5 miles to the south.
Continue north on either Orr or Old Concord. Orr will end at Newell-Hickory Grove Road, so take a left, go over the tracks, and turn right on Old Concord. Here, as you drive northeast, you're in Charlotte, but across the tracks is suburban Mecklenburg County. Be alert for a very small, gray, weathered building sitting all alone in a field to the east of the tracks. Take your next right, go over the tracks, and take a right over to the building. This is the actual Newell Southern Railway station, and has been moved a hundred feet or so back from the tracks. The garage-type doors are apparently not original.
You're now approaching the intersection with NC-49, which goes directly through what is referred to as the University City area. Every upscale and chain retail store in existence, most motel chains, and chain restaurants are in this area. The place gets its name from the nearby University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and is a booming, affluent area of the city. Continuing north on Old Concord Road, you'll join NC-49 and go right. You'll shortly see an Arby's and other restaurants and gas stations on your right. You can get take out here, go behind these stores, and park next to the tracks. Lighting is usually poor on this side of the tracks, but as a place to chomp down 5 Arby's sandwiches for about $1.50, you can't beat it. Park well north of the aggregates plant, and the area is wide open.
Heading further north on NC-49, you'll notice an elaborate defect detector. This is "Hahn" at MP 367.5.
Harrisburg. Shortly, you'll enter Cabarrus County and the town of Harrisburg. Stay on NC-49 well into the town until you come to Robinson Church Road, and turn right. Go south to the tracks. There is parking here, and the views are OK for photos. Be advised that the traffic on Robinson Church is heavy and fairly fast, and also be aware that the trains through here tend to be moving right smart. One warning: On the day of a NASCAR racing event, you don't want to be anywhere near this entire area, as 100,000 vehicles descend upon the Lowe's Motor Speedway, which is to the north, next to U.S. 29.
Note that NC-49 from Harrisburg to Concord will be rebuilt and widened within the near future (Webmaster's note: This is being written in January, 2000), so you may want to be extra careful, or plan to go up to U.S. 29.
Concord -- Rocky River Road. As you approach the town of Concord, Old Charlotte Road will go off to the right. Take it, and make a very sharp right onto Rocky River Road heading south. You'll go over the tracks on an overpass, and there will be a road/driveway to your left. Take it and drive up towards the tracks and park on the left. You can walk to the overpass for photos, but there is no real sidewalk area, and the traffic is heavy and fast. We don't recommend it. Rather, there is an invisible road on your right as you face the tracks. This drops down quickly, and you can't see it until you actually walk over to it. Some things have to be believed to be seen.
Walk down the road and you'll be at Haydock [MP 360.1], the beginning of 23 miles of double track going north. It appears that there is off-railroad property area to take photos at the bottom of the gravel road to the tracks.
For a better place to take down-on photos from an overpass, go to the Wilshire Boulevard overpass.
Concord -- Wilshire Boulevard. Get back on Rocky River Road and head north. Shortly, you'll merge with, and become, Old Charlotte Road. Shortly after that, Wilshire Road will go off to the northeast at an oblique angle. Take it and continue until just going over the overpass of the tracks. Here, the overpass bridge has huge shoulders, and can accommodate a full-sized van with ease. Even so, I'd park off the bridge, as you'll attract less attention from, perhaps, policemen who might wonder why a car is parked on the bridge. There's a good view from both sides, but the tracks are almost due northbound here, so northern shots will be your best bet. The local intermediate signal near here is called "Rocky" by NS crews on the radio.
Continue east on Wilshire until you shortly run into the major U.S. 601 By-pass. Go north (left) on 601, until the first major intersection, which is Old Charlotte. Take a right onto Old Charlotte, and continue north until the road ends at a tee-intersection with Cabarrus Avenue. Turn right, go over a creek, and just before going over the tracks, take a right onto Corban Avenue. Cabarrus and Corban immediately become parallel streets, with Cabarrus going over the tracks on a busy bridge, and Corban crossing the tracks at grade.
Concord -- Corban Road. There is relatively little traffic on Corban, and there are excellent off-property areas for photos in any time of the day and year. The trains can be quite fast through here, so be prepared. The station, destroyed by a derailed freight train, was in the SE quadrant of the crossing [MP 356.4]. There is excellent access from east or west of the tracks. In November 2001, I found that the "abandoned" commercial building on the northwest quadrant is now an active auto underlining (?) facility, but judging from external appearances, it probably won't be around very long.
This is the best place to watch and photograph trains in Concord. Sometime within the next several years, the Cabarrus Avenue bridge is to be replaced, and the Corban crossing eliminated. This may become a better place to watch trains, but they may be even faster.
While getting to the next site, we'll give you a little history lesson. Virtually all these Piedmont towns were "made" via two commodities: Tobacco and cotton, but it was cotton which exploded the importance of the entire Piedmont. All along the Southern Railroad were great beasts of brick buildings where thousands upon thousands of workers toiled. The companies for whom they worked constructed houses for their workers. Surprise, surprise, but these are today called mill-houses. Few people from outside the area realize the extensiveness of these mill-related communities. While it's a bad area today, from here to McGill Avenue, we'll see some nice old mill homes. Another nice example is in Belmont, which is in the Greenville, SC, -- Charlotte, NC, segment of the Crescent Route, which is here.
From the crossing, go further east on Corban, and take a left on Cromwell. Go north until you hit Franklin Avenue, and take a left (west) and go one block to Kerr Street, and follow Kerr north all the way to McGill Avenue. Rather than worrying about the state of the citizenry here, take a good look at the buildings themselves, and you'll see good examples of mill-houses.
Concord -- McGill Avenue. Take a left on McGill and go over the tracks. Immediately past the tracks, turn right and go up the slight hill to past the church on your left. Park in the church parking lot as far north from the church as possible. [Webmaster's note: This may actually not be a church, but it certainly does look like one.] There is a nice grassy area here, a picnic table, and one heckofa mainline right in front of you. Full disclosure: There is a street between the parking lot and the tracks. This is Bruton Drive, NW. On the east side of the railroad, there are houses, Railroad Avenue, and then the tracks. So, we've got a mainline, street, and then an off-road area on both sides of the tracks. However, the traffic on both Bruton and Railroad is slight, so if you're reasonably careful here, you'll be alright.
If you'll take a moment, you'll notice that all the houses on Railroad Avenue look the same. These are mill-houses, "saltbox" - style, and they're much bigger than the ones we saw along Kerr Street, as these on Railroad Avenue were obviously for supervisors. Note how much closer to the actual mill they were! The workers walked a lot further to work than did the supervisors.
The crossing gates will warn you of any approaching trains, and the fact that you can be on either side of the tracks, depending on lighting conditions, makes this a nice photo spot.It's not spectacular, but we kind of like it.
Now, we'll go to a site which should be good, but turns out to be somewhat controversial -- Adams Interlocking.
Concord -- Adams Interlocking. This is a difficult place to: a) Give directions to, b) drive to, c) justify visiting, at least for some folks.
Go west on McGill to U.S. 29/U.S.601 By-pass, and turn right (north). Just north of where NC-73 goes off to the west, you'll cross over the tracks and see Davidson Drive on your left. Take the left and go into the big Harris Teeter Shopping Center. go around behind the stores and continue to the southwest. You'll see the tracks in front of you. Look to the south, and you'll see Adams Interlocking [MP 354.1]. There is a nice bank here, but the light will still not be good most of the day, and unless you're a real photographer, there isn't much here.
Also be advised: During the past few years, several pedestrians have been struck and killed by trains here. You are in a fairly significant cut here, and you can't easily get out. Both the Concord Police and the Norfolk Southern Police are keenly interested in keeping pedestrians away from the tracks. Don't be a jerk -- stay up by the Harris Teeter Parking lot.
There is an alternate view of Adams Interlocking. Instead of turning into the Harris Teeter shopping area, continue north on Davidson Drive to Beechwood. Turn left and park at the dead end. The tracks are visible from the embankment, but good photos would be rather difficult. If you must have photos from Concord, this is really not the place to be.
Fred Burton, who is the expert on the trackage through this entire portion of the Crescent Route tour, feels this to be a good railfan location, irrespective of the photo difficulties. Because this is an interlocking on a very active double crossover segment, 3-way meets are not at all rare here. The action can be pretty intensive, so use your scanner.
We'll give you one more Concord spot, but it's a little different: Get back on the U.S. 29/U.S. 601 By-pass, and grind through the heavy traffic of Concord, until just at the very northern city limits. Here, there is a truly ugly mini-series of intersections with U.S. 29/US-601 Bypass, U.S. 29 Alternate and Ridge Avenue.
Concord -- Rodeway Inn. You will pass (slowly, I assure you) the intersection of the road you're on -- US29/U.S. 601 By-pass and U.S. 29A, which goes up through Kannapolis, and with which we will shortly become familiar. Stay on U.S. 29/U.S. 601 By-pass for a very short block, and Ridge Avenue will go off to your left. Turn north (left) onto Ridge Avenue, and the entrance to the motel will be almost immediately on your left.
There is a triangle formed here between U.S. 29A, Ridge Avenue and the NS Crescent Route. The Rodeway Inn sits innocently in the middle of this triangle. You want to ask for a room facing the tracks to the west. If I were you, and a foreigner were on the desk, I'd want to see the actual rooms before accepting them. I was told that rooms 202 and 204 face the tracks, but there is some doubt that the sweet young thing at the desk had any clue as to what I was asking about.
Any room on the south side of the motel will be better than those on the north. At the foot of the parking area is the embankment for the railroad, which is about at the second floor level through here. This is one interesting location for a motel, and it's one which only a real train nut could truly enjoy. If you're listening to the scanner in your room, and hear the crews and/or dispatcher mentioning "Glass", they're referring to an intermediate signal between the motel area and Kannapolis just to the north.
Kannapolis. It's difficult to imagine a better town within which to watch trains than Kannapolis. For the most part, the town is clean and safe, with lots of restaurants and other amenities. The tracks run mostly north/south, with a parallel street to the west (Main Street), and one to the east (Ridge Avenue). Along both streets are several nice train-watching locations, and we've detailed a few for you. We'll proceed up both sides of the tracks, assuming that it is:
For afternoon lighting conditions:
For morning lighting conditions:
Kannapolis -- Ridge Avenue at I-85 . From the ugly U.S. 29/U.S. 601 By-pass and U.S. 29A intersection, go north one block on U.S. 29/U.S. 601 By-pass to Ridge Avenue. Go north on Ridge, and cross over I-85. (Ridge Avenue will parallel the NS Crescent Route mainline for several miles on the east side of the tracks.) Almost immediately on your left is a manicured, grassy area next to the Norfolk Southern DC-Atlanta mainline. You might want to employ your weed-whacker and lopping shears, as the last time I was there (November 2001), some brush and weeds were beginning to clutter up the view.
This is an excellent site for AM shots, and as this is a north/south (compass) railroad, southbounds will give the best photographic results. However, I prefer the next location, which is a little further north on Ridge Avenue.
Kannapolis -- South Station Area. Continuing north on Ridge Avenue, you'll come to a major intersection with Dale Earnhardt Boulevard/NC-136. Note that DEB used to be call Centergrove Road, and is still labeled as such on most maps. This highway goes under the railroad, and the bridge is rather photogenic. Cross DEB, drive about 3-4 blocks, and you'll see a signal bridge. Park off Ridge Avenue. The area all the way from DEB to East D Street is grassy and well maintained by the city. At the north end of the area, close to the signal bridge, there are nice, large trees, and this is a great place in hot weather to set up your lawn chairs, get out the coolers, and enjoy the day. When a train is due, just walk south away from the trees and you won't be bothered by shadows. There are poles and guy wires in some areas, so you'll want to decide where to stand for photos before a train shows up.
In July of 2006, Chase Millsap recommended the area where 1st Street crosses the tracks. There are shade trees, and it's across the tracks from the new Amtrak station (201 South Main Street).
Kannapolis -- Station Area East. Continue north of the signal mast, and you'll very shortly see the former Southern Railway station about 1/4 mile ahead. Where East C Street joins Ridge Avenue, there is a nice grassy area between the poles and the railroad, but the area south of the signals is really a better location if you've got some time to spend.
As an alternative, continue up Ridge Avenue, pass the station and just before going over an overpass of a major road, do a U-turn and park on the west side of Ridge. There are telephone/power poles here, but they're back about 15 yards from the tracks, so you should get OK morning photos. This is a good site to photograph any local switching work being done in the station area.
Kannapolis -- Ridge Avenue and Ebenezer Street. From the station area, go north on Ridge Avenue until you get to a big bend in the road. Ebenezer Street will come in from the right. Park on the left, and walk up the large grassy area towards the tracks. There is plenty of off-property room here on both sides of the tracks, and the big curve makes this an excellent photo location. It may be the best one in Kannapolis.
Kannapolis -- 18th Street. Continuing northbound, Ridge Avenue will end at U.S. 29, so continue north on the latter until you get to 18th Street. Take 18th Street west to just before the tracks and park. You can get excellent, unobstructed views for (mostly) morning shots. Southbound trains will give perfect results here.
For Afternoon lighting conditions:
From the yucky intersection of U.S. 29/U.S. 601 By-pass, and U.S. 29A, go north on U.S. 29A. In Kannapolis, this is Main Street. In fact, this road remains Main Street through Kannapolis, Landis, China Grove, Salisbury, Spencer, and all the way to the Yadkin River, where U.S. 29Business (which is what the same road is called at that point) dead-ends into I-85. This is over 25 miles, which is a pretty impressive Main Street! Throughout Kannapolis, U.S. 29A parallels the NS Crescent Route to the west, and as such is best for photos in the afternoons.
Kannapolis -- Station Area West. Turn onto U.S. 29A (NOT Ridge Avenue), go under the tracks, and continue north on U.S. 29A, which becomes Main Street through Kannapolis. For several miles, you will drive due north, with the NS DC-Atlanta mainline to your right (east). Along the way here, there are several good places for afternoon-light photos.
Eventually, you'll come to the fine ex-Southern station. There is parking in the station area, and plenty of nice open area for good afternoon photos. For morning shots, see Kannapolis -- Station Area East.
Close to the station is the Cannon Mills Village shopping area, which is quite nice, and your wife can spend a fortune while you wait for trains. It might be cheaper just to buy a few trains.
Kannapolis -- 22nd Street. Continue north on Main Street. Just before 22nd Street, there will be a bingo parlor building with a large gravel parking lot on your right, and you want to park there. To the south, the single track mainline becomes a double track mainline. This is timetable "North Kannapolis", MP 347.3. Signals are hard to see without some hoofing, but the crossing gate bells and lights on 22nd Street will give you some warning, as will the fact that there are numerous crossings at which the trains must blow their horns. However, trains can be fast here, so stay away from the tracks, and be prepared.
This is an afternoon photo location, and photos from the east side of the tracks here are difficult and unsatisfactory.
Leave Kannapolis on Main Street, which is on the west side of the tracks. You'll have few photo locations until you get to the nice, clean town of Landis.
Landis. Along Main Street up from Kannapolis, there are literally dozens of places to take afternoon pix. In the center of town, you can cross the tracks and head north on Central Avenue if it's morning, and you want to take some pix. On Central between Ryder Avenue and Mill St. there is a gazebo and a long, track-hugging park-like area of mown grass and trees. This is a great place for a picnic while you wait for trains. In Landis, it's kind of difficult to find a poor place to take railroad pictures. The angle of the sun is the only variable through here.
There is a lovely restored station in the part at E. Ryder Ave. and N. Chapel St. The station was moved in August, 2012, from its trackside location across from the gazebo to make way for NS to double-track its line. The station is owned by the town and is being restored as a railroad museum.
The gazebo is a good place to watch trains, but Jeremy Hughes reports that during spring through fall, you -must- be careful in and around the gazebo, since the flowers on the bushes around it attract -a lot- of wasps and bees and such, If one is allergic to bee stings, he HIGHLY advises AGAINST the Gazebo. However, if one does get stung, there are several fire and EMS stations in the vicinity that will quickly respond to a 911 call. Across the tracks from the gazebo, and two blocks down Main St. to the left is Landis Fire Station 44. If you stand at the gazebo and face the tracks, down Central Ave. one block to your right is Landis Fire Station 58/Rowan County EMS Station 86, which houses Medic 861. The nearest backup unit is in downtown China Grove at the Rescue Squad station there, Medic 945. Either will respond out to Landis, in addition to Landis Fire if one has a reaction.
China Grove. Driving up Main Street from Landis, you'll soon be in the town of China Grove. Like several towns through here, Main Street is on the west side of the tracks, and another street, in this case Harris Street, is on the east side. You can get morning shots from Harris here, but afternoon shots via Main Street are far superior, both in quality and quantity to those from Harris, unless you get a kick out of standing in the middle of the road. You might want to try where Harris dead-ends at its southern end for your morning shots.
The highway from China Grove all the way to Salisbury is to the west of the tracks, and follows them very closely. It is still called Main Street, and there are many, many open areas for late afternoon photos from the west side. The east side, however, is heavily industrial and built up, and you're better off going on into Salisbury for morning shots.
Salisbury -- Reid Interlocking. Immediately at the border of Salisbury, as you continue north on U.S. 29, you'll see three things. Airport Road will go off to the left. There is a traffic light here. On the right, you'll see a nice stone "Welcome to Salisbury" monument/sign. On the far right, past the mown grass and the small trees, you'll see some tall signal masts. These mark the site of Reid Interlocking, where double track from Linwood slims down to one southward.
Unfortunately, photo ops from the east side are virtually non-existent here, and the light is almost always wrong from the west side. It is also very noisy, as U.S. 29 is right behind you. There are better places in Salisbury.
The city of Salisbury has been closely identified with the railroad since before the Civil War, and there are four parts of the metro area which are of railroad interest: Salisbury itself sees the mainline of the Norfolk Southern Crescent Route come into the city from the southwest, and the tracks go right through town to the east-northeast. Downtown is the junction and wye with the branch leading to Asheville and beyond into Tennessee and Kentucky going off to the northwest. This branch carries significant traffic, virtually all of which goes northwest towards Linwood Yard, so the traffic north of the junction is noticeably higher than that coming up from the south on the mainline.
At the eastern end of Salisbury, the mainline goes through the town of Spencer, and on to Linwood. On the south side of the tracks opposite Spencer is the town of East Spencer. Finally, the fourth area in the overall Salisbury metro area of railfan importance is Linwood Yard. We'll continue our railfan self-guided tour in a southwest to northeast fashion, coming in to Salisbury on the southwest, detailing sites along the way, and leaving Linwood Yard to the northeast.
Salisbury -- Yadkin Junction. From Main Street on the far west side of town, go south on Military Avenue under the tracks, and turn right onto Railroad Street., which ends at the junction, and turns 90° to become Crawford Street. Park on Crawford and walk back to the junction. For some detailed information about the branch line to Albemarle and Badin, click here. This was the Yadkin Railroad, and it was always a step-child of the Southern Railway.
There is an abandoned, boarded up house between the branch and mainline at the junction, and this would be ok for photos. However, this is not a safe area of town, and I really suggest you move on to the next location for photos. The junction is definitely worth a visit, because it's a good railroad site, but it's not the best railfan site.
Salisbury -- National Cemetery. Get back on Railroad Street and go just past the Cemetery itself, and turn right onto Monroe Street, away from the tracks, and park in the swimming pool parking lot. Walk back, cross Railroad Street, set up your lawn chairs, and don't forget your cooler. This is a good place to watch trains, and it's safe.
Salisbury -- Station area. Get back on Railroad Street, go north on Military Avenue, under the tracks, and turn right (northeast) onto Main Street. Go through the downtown area on Main, and cross Innes Street. This is the center of town. Go 2 blocks further east and turn south on Liberty, and go 2 more blocks to the station area. The station is big, impressive, and beautifully restored. This is a great place to bring small children who want to see trains. You are north of the tracks here, so late afternoon shots are about all you'll be able to accomplish photographically, but this is such a nice area that it really won't matter. A block to the east, on either Cemetery or Park are some quaint shops in which the non-railfan can spend some time (and lots of money).
Salisbury -- Henderson Road. From the station, go east on Depot Street and take your first right over the tracks, which I believe is Park Avenue. Turn left (east) onto Long Road, and go 4 blocks to the traffic light at Henderson Street. Be careful, as the road to your right is labeled Bringle Ferry, while the road to your left is Henderson -- same road, different names. Go north on Henderson one block to the tracks. There is a paper re-cycling plant on your right, and a big parking area for another industrial plant on your left. Park in the corner of the latter, close to the street and tracks. Walk along the edge of the parking lot back towards the station, and after about 50 yards or so, you'll come to a mound of dirt. Hike up to the top of the mound, and you're at track level. You'll be able to get good photos most of the day, especially for south (west) bounds, but you'll have to run from the mound of dirt back to where your car is parked to get trains entering and leaving the Asheville branch.
Update from July 2007: The mound of dirt is still there, but it's quite overgrown. It would be nice if a local fan would bring a weed whacker in to clean it up.
Henderson Street is very busy, and to get photos of all trains here, especially those on and off the S-Line (Asheville branch), and avoid trespassing while doing it, is difficult.
Salisbury -- WYE at Freight Station. Cross the tracks via Henderson, and follow your railfan nose to the left twice, go over the S-Line, and take your first left onto a gravel road leading back to the freight station, which has had several incarnations within recent years, but never seems to attract a lasting clientele. Railfanning from the area of the station never fails to please the railfan clientele, however. At the east end of the station, everything on the main line plus the S-Line is visible. Getting down to the few trains that go from the S-Line south via the main line (and vice versa) requires some hoofing, but there are rather few trains that go via that route.
In the summer of 2007, the area around the old freight depot has been majorly cleaned up. Photos in that area are much better than they were just a year or 2 ago. Finally, afternoon shots from north of the tracks (vicinity of the freight station) of both the main and S-Line are good from mid-afternoon on in the mid-summer months, but not worth a hoot when the days are shorter. Photography aside, however, this is an excellent place to just sit and watch some trains. You'll frequently find other fans here, some of whom are actually sociable!
See the Google map of the area.
Now, we're going to see a great railfan attraction, stop at an excellent train hobby shop, and get some super-duper food to eat.
Spencer -- North Carolina Transportation Museum. Drive north over the tracks on Henderson Street, and follow it's wiggles and waves down to N. Main Street. It doesn't really matter how you do it, you'll end up on Main shortly, as it's only 2 blocks from the tracks. Go east on Main, and you'll soon enter the town of Spencer (all these towns run together) and the street will become S. Salisbury Ave. You'll notice big buildings and odd railroad equipment on your right. This is the area which was the Spencer Shops. The entrance to the North Carolina Transportation Museum is to your right at Samuel Spencer Drive.
Mr. Spencer is the man credited with putting together, from the mostly derelict remains of much of the South's railroads after the Civil War, what was to become the Southern Railway. Later, in need of a major shops and classification facility, the site of present-day Spencer was chosen, as it is half-way between Washington, DC and Atlanta. The town was, of course, named for the man who created something out of chaos. The facility was pretty grand, and was a key element of the system for many decades. However, the demands of the growing Southern, and later, Norfolk Southern, outgrew the confines of Spencer, and things were relocated up the line near the small village of Linwood.
The shops and yard area, as one might expect, deteriorated rapidly after the move to Linwood, and North Carolina eventually decided to create a transportation museum at the site. Today, this is a place all railfans should consider visiting. The buildings are being refurbished and contain a nice collection of rolling stock. There is a short train ride available (steam on weekends -- diesel on weekdays), a nice gift shop, and lots of fun things for the kids to do. When you visit, and step inside the immense shop buildings, you get an idea of the impressive scope of what was done here by the men and women of the Southern Railway.
Upon leaving the museum, turn left onto Salisbury Street, and head back the way you came. At 5th Street (address 500 S Salisbury Avenue), is the Little Choo-Choo Shop, which is an excellent train hobby store. They have much more room than you think when you enter, because the store has been greatly expanded to the rear. You want it -- they probably have it.
See the Google map of the area.
After spending your children's inheritance at the hobby shop, go back further west on Main Street, and cross the tracks of the Asheville-bound S-Line. Within 100 feet or so is a restaurant on your right: Richard's Pit Cooked Bar-B-Que (address, 522 North Main Street). Richard's, formerly T&F, was founded in 1935, and has been pleasing folks in Salisbury ever since. It's good food. Excellent BBQ and four very attractive, pleasant young women serving up great service. Get a "plate" to go, and you'll get more BBQ than you can eat, two vegetables, two hush puppies, and a bun. This will set you back $4.92 including tax. You will probably not be able to eat it all. Get it "to go", and head for the best train-watching location in Salisbury, which is....
Salisbury -- 11th Street. On Main Street, go east to 11th Street and turn right (south) on 11th. Cross the tracks and take an immediate right into the large vacant lot at the southwest quadrant of the intersection. Park south of the dirt road and enjoy your lunch. This is not a great area of town, but it's not all that bad, and the site is very open. [As an aside, we recommend you always railfan with a male friend or better yet, several friends. Keeping up with the scanner, maps, text such as this, and driving is a lot to ask of one person, plus your relative security goes up dramatically when there are at least two fans.]
[From October 1, 2001: Within the past 12 months, a dramatic turn of events has changed this location. An engineering/surveying firm has re-habbed the derelict house on the property, and has maintained the entire block. Now, if you want to park south of the tracks, you'd better get permission, but the riff-raff has largely disappeared, because the area is so open and clean. This is the way urban renewal is supposed to be done -- one lot at a time.]
This is the best train-watching location in the Salisbury area, and is timetable "11th Street", MP 333.0. Trains are not blazingly fast here, and there is a small yard facility just north (east) of the intersection which will yield some action for you sometimes. The sun is behind you most of the day, so pictures should be excellent. As an added plus, all Asheville traffic will be seen here. Altogether, you'll probably have 36-48 movements in a 24-hour period. Enjoy.
East Spencer -- Georid Street. If you live close to Salisbury and plan on making several railfan trips a year to the area, here is a site to consider. Right now, it's a little rough, but it offers great potential. From 11th Street in Salisbury, go south to Long Street, and drive east into East Spencer. At Georid Street, go north to the tracks. This site is adjacent to the south side of what was the yard at Spencer. Today, the two mainline tracks are directly in front of you, and there are a couple of storage tracks, but most of the area is vacant. Directly across what was the yard are the buildings of the shops and the museum grounds.
All that's needed here is a lawn mower and some lopping shears. With about 30 minutes of work, you'll have a top-notch place to watch trains. Good photos can be taken here almost all day, and you are not on railroad property unless you're stupid and get right at the tracks. East Spencer is not to be confused with Beverly Hills, but this area is quite open. If we had our druthers, we'd want some friends with us, as is always the case in city areas.
Spencer -- Hacket Street. From the corner of Long Street and Georid Street in East Spencer, go east on Long. You will leave East Spencer on Long, which in turn will end at Long Ferry Road. Turn right on Long Ferry and then take your first left onto Five Row Street. This is now a dirt road, but it looks as if they're getting ready to pave it. Five Row will end at Hacket Street. The tracks will be right in front of you. Take a left on Hacket, which parallels the tracks for a short while, and then makes a 90° turn to go over the tracks to the north. Park just before this turn, walk back towards the east between the tracks and Hacket. Select a nice place, set up your lawn chairs, and open up the cooler. Enjoy.
Spencer -- Yadkin River Crossing. Get back on Hacket Street and go north over the tracks to Main Street. Turn right on Main (U.S. 29Business), and go northeast and over the big Yadkin River. Immediately after crossing the river, park and walk in to the tracks. It is quite tight here, and you're looking into the sun most of the day. The road bridge has no sidewalk, so do not, under any circumstances, attempt photos from the bridge. This looks like a really nice place to watch trains, but it isn't, and we do not recommend it.
Between the Yadkin River and the north end of Linwood Yard, the railroad hugs the river in countryside which is very rugged, private, and several miles from the highway. There is no legal way to get to the tracks, and having gotten there, finding a nice big open area for photography would be highly unlikely.
Linwood Yard. As the 1950's and 60's progressed, the limitations of Spencer shops and yards became more and more of a problem. The solution was the establishment of a huge, modern facility a little north of Spencer in the bucolic countryside around the hamlet of Linwood. This is the major classification facility on the Norfolk Southern between Harrisburg/DC and Atlanta. Even though more efficient blocking of trains is a universal trend, many NS trains begin and end at Linwood, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
From the Yadkin River Bridge east of Spencer, travel north on U.S. 29Business as it gets on I-85 at exit 82 (this, by the way, is finally the end of Main Street, which we have followed all the way from the extreme south end of Kannapolis). Drive north on I-85, and take exit 86. This is the Belmont Road Exit. Take a right at the stop sign, and then another right, parallel the highway for a very short distance, and then the road will bear to the left. After a few miles, you'll pass a big sign which announces you are at the Norfolk Southern's Linwood Yard. You can take a right and drive into the yard, but it's immense, very tightly safe-guarded, and extremely well posted. Unless you have some specific business there, continue northeast on Belmont. You'll soon see a factory on your right -- pass it, and come to a stop sign. Take a right and go over the tracks. Go a block, and you'll see NC-47 going off to your left. At this point, take a right, instead, and drive down to the tracks.
Until a very short time ago, there was a Purina feed tower here, and the area was a little hazardous. The elevator has been torn down, and the view has therefore been opened up a lot. Plus, you don't have to worry about stepping into a deep hole. Directly ahead of you to the southwest is the yard throat of the yard. Everything going in and out of the yard, plus all through trains, go by here. While those trains entering and leaving the yard move slowly, the through trains are fast and quiet, so be alert and be prepared. Bring a lawn chair and cooler. This is timetable "Lee", MP323.0.
If the sun swings too far to the west, drive back the way you came, go over the tracks, take your first left, and head into the factory area. You can park and get the afternoon action here. In fact, all you've done is get on the other side of the tracks from where you just were -- you just didn't have to trespass to do it. All in all, this is a darned good place to watch trains.
Continuing north towards Lexington, there is no road which hugs the mainline in any area, until you actually get into the city itself. From the overpass of the tracks, take Old Linwood Road north. Note that this is called "Linwood - Southmont Road" in the DeLorme Atlas, which also shows Belmont Road as NC-47, which it is not. Shortly, you will come to a fork in the road, with Old Linwood going to the right. Bear left, instead, following the signs to I-85. Cross over I-85, and continue to U.S. 29Business, and head north into Lexington.
Before continuing north, it is worthwhile to mention a few things about Lexington. It is an industrial city, and is still a very active furniture manufacturing area. In fact, furniture company factories begin south of the city off Brown Road at the tracks (inaccessible to the public), and continue north well past the center of town. Because of this, Lexington is a rather difficult place to railfan. The sites detailed are OK, but are not held out as being particularly spectacular.
During 2003-4, several crossings have been closed, including Bristol, Church, and 13th Street. This is a long term, on-going effort by the State and NS to reduce at grade crossings, so be advised that crossings on the map will frequently not, in fact, be crossings. In the long run, that's good for all of us, especially railfans. This update has been provided by Gerard Littlejohn.
Lexington -- NS/WSSB Crossing. US- 29Business is Main Street in Lexington. Cross over the Winston-Salem Southbound Railway, and take a right on 12th Avenue. Take another right on Salisbury Street. Here, the NS Crescent Route is on your left, and is inaccessible. As you continue south on Salisbury, you will shortly go over the WSSB, which is in a deep cut. There really is no place for photos here, and the area leaves something to be desired. It's worth seeing once because it's an interesting junction, with quite a bit of interchange traffic, but having seen it, I'd move on.
Retrace your steps back to Main Street, turn right, and head a little ways further north. However, before traveling further north, if you're hungry, stop at Smokey Joes BBQ joint, which is cheap, fast, and delicious. Get hush puppies for $1.10 side order, and you get a bunch of 'em. Their red slaw is good. They serve everything on paper dishes, which bugs me no end, but what the heck...when in Rome, etc. Smokey Joe's is at 11th and Main.
Lexington -- East 7th Avenue. Back on Main, continue to East 7th Avenue, and turn right and go over the tracks. Find a legal place to park in the area, and walk (carefully) back to the tracks. In the SE corner of the intersection of 7th and the NS Crescent Route is a rather large, vacant area. I'd be comfortable with a friend here, especially if I had expensive camera equipment. In the summer there will be some weeds in the way, but I always suggest fanning with a weed whacker or some sort of cutting tool.
As mentioned earlier, there are furniture factories all over the place here, and you can't simply drive around in a logical fashion, as every street close to the tracks seems to end in an improbable place at a factory. So, go back to Main, turn north again, and go to East 3rd Avenue. Go towards the tracks, taking a left onto Railroad Street.
Lexington -- Railroad Street. Between 3rd and 1st, Railroad Street parallels the tracks, with excellent views to the south (unfortunately not good for photos). There is a path leading across the tracks, which will give so-so photos to the north, which is good for lighting, but the area is a little tight. You'll want your weed whacker with you. BE CAREFUL: This is a busy, noisy, industrial area. Trains are very fast and quiet here. Be 100% alert, 100% of the time. North-bound signals are quite visible here. Gerard Littlejohn advises that there are often cars and equipment stored on tracks in the area, which further reduces the "railfan worthiness" of the area.
On the north side of Railroad Street is a local eatery which seems to attract flocks of local folks of all ages, races, demographic backgrounds, etc. This is the "Southern Lunch" (you gotta love the name). Try it if you're here for lunch.
Travel north on Railroad until you dead-end at Center Street. Turn right and go over the tracks. Take you first left onto Church Street. Church parallels the Crescent Route for a short while.
Lexington -- Church and Pond. On the right, as you go northwest on Church, you'll note Pond Street coming in. Just before Pond, on an un-marked street which must be East 4th Street, park and walk to the tracks. In the southeast quadrant of the NS 4th street crossing, there is a nice, open area for photos. To the southwest, there are trees close to the tracks, so good photography is improbable in that direction.
Lexington -- Church and Bristol. Continuing just a short distance northeast on Church, you'll see a very large church up ahead on your left. At the southern edge of its property is Bristol Street. Turn left on Bristol towards the tracks, and park on the right side of Bristol just before the tracks. Walk some 100 feet or so towards the church. Here, IMHO, is the best trainwatching location in the Lexington area. From either direction you've got lots of picture-taking space, and it's all off-railroad property. Bring a cooler and the lawn chairs to this one.
Cross country between Lexington and Thomasville is just as unrewarding as cross country between Linwood and Lexington. You're better off just getting back on U.S. 29 Business and heading directly towards Thomasville. From the Bristol Street location, continue northeast on Church until it dead-ends at Raleigh. Go north on Raleigh, and then east on Main Street, which will run into U.S. 29Business. Go north (east) on U.S. 29Business, until the exit for Thomasville sends you into town on Lexington Avenue. Go into town on Lexington until the intersection with Peace Street. Note that the road to the left here is Martin Luther King Drive, and to the right it's Peace. Turn right onto Peace Street. You'll shortly cross the tracks, and then take your first left onto West Main Street. [NOTE WELL: In mid-2004, an overpass is under construction in the Peace Street area. The crossing via Peace is now closed. Follow your railfan nose in the area until they get the overpass finished. Gerard Littlejohn has provided this heads up.
Thomasville -- Baptist Children's Home. Drive east on West Main Street, and you'll find quite the opposite of what you saw in Lexington. Here, there is a grassy verge between the tracks and the street, although there are lots of small trees planted along the way. The area opposite the Baptist Children's' Home of North Carolina is probably best for photos. This is a nice, safe and enjoyable area for photos. It's a lawn chair and cooler place.
East of the Children's Home, the trees are more mature, and the distance between the tracks and Main Street seems to narrow somewhat, although that may be only an optical illusion because the trees are so much larger there.
Continue on West Main to downtown. At the NE corner of West Main and Fisher Ferry, there is a tiny passenger station. This is the restored High Point, Thomasville, and Denton Railroad's Thomasville station, and is not much larger than an RV. It's on the National Register of Historic Buildings, and deserves to be. Your webmaster hates to say it, but: It's cute. You can take pix here, but it's really not recommended. There's too much street traffic and noise. Also, there isn't much room off the tracks, so angles would be pretty sharp here. We'd suggest you move on to a really excellent photo site.
Thomasville Furniture Factory Outlet. Head further east on Main Street, until you get to the Thomasville Furniture Factory Outlet at 401 East Main Street. This will be on your right. Their very nice, large parking lot is on the left, between the street and the tracks. If you've got your family with you, you don't want to miss this store. They've got lots of really, really nice things at prices which are very attractive. Plan to spend some time in the store. And yes, Virginia, they'll deliver to virtually anywhere.
When you're tired of getting furniture bargains, leave the store, walk across Main Street and the parking lot towards the tracks. The best area is a little northwest of the store. You'll get virtually perfect shots of all southbound trains all day long here (except for early morning for about 60 days on either side of the Summer Solstice), and there is also good viewing from the north side of the tracks. There is a signal bridge about 200 yards northwest, but be advised that yellow over red means nothing, as does a green over red southbound. The combination of a green over red and a red over red in the opposite direction is the only thing that pretty much guarantees a train is near. This sounds a little complicated, but if you drive along Main Street north and west of the Julian Street underpass (see next entry), and then do a U and come back to Julian, you'll soon figure out what I mean.
This is the best train watching site in Thomasville. It is also the last train watching site in the city.
Now, having finished Thomasville, we'll head towards High Point, where urban congestion continues, furniture manufacturers abound, and the Crescent Route slices NE-SW across the city. From the Thomasville Furniture Factory Outlet, continue on East Main to Julian, and go under the tracks. Take a right on the Main Street north of the tracks, and then a quick left on National. This is easier to drive than to describe. Go north on National all the way to its intersection with U.S. 29, and head northeast into Guilford County and High Point. Go over the tracks, and take the next exit, which is Old Thomasville Road. Going north on Old Thomasville, the Crescent Route will be on your left
High Point -- Vandever Street. Drive north until you come to Vandever on your left. Take Vandever and head towards the tracks. Just before the tracks, it will take a 90° right, go for several hundred yards, and then 90° to the right again. Between those two turns, the street parallels the mainline. Note that this is a very lightly traveled road. There are places for lawn chairs and coolers here. You webmaster likes this location a lot -- it's a well-kept secret. However, you still need to be careful, as the trains are fast and quiet here, and there are all kinds of ambient noises in the area.
Now, we're going to get into High Point proper, and we're going to go to one of those places where "Combat Railfans" can enjoy themselves. Your webmaster has mixed emotions about this location, but it is, quite frankly, excellent in many respects. Bring several large male friends and some moxie, and you'll get dynamite pix here. This is not a place a single individual should be railfanning. Also, if the missus is with you, be a gentleman and drop her off at the mall ahead of your railfan time here.
High Point -- Lincoln Street. Do a U-turn on Vandever, and get back out on Old Thomasville Road. Go north to the next major intersection, which is Market Center. Turn left, go under the tracks, and take the first major right onto English Road. This street will be your companion for quite awhile. Continue NE on English to West Ward Avenue, and turn right. Go under the tracks and then turn right on Wrightberry, and then take another right onto Lincoln. Lincoln will dead-end, with a junk/salvage yard to the south (west), and some other industrial concern to your right. The street dead-ends at the tracks, even though some older maps show Lincoln crossing the tracks. Do NOT park where signs tell you not to park!
It is doubtful that the scrap dealer is still in operation. No sign of life was discerned on Thursday, January 13, 2000. Stay away from the business north of Lincoln. The interesting thing here is that there is a quite wide area between the tracks and the fences of the junk yard. Folks have continued to dump scrap metal here. Seems to your webmaster that you could move around a few old lockers, benches, or other relics, get comfortable, get out your cooler, and be treated to one heckofa parade of trains. Most of those trains will enjoy excellent lighting -- especially, the southbounds.
For you guys and gals who are following all this via the timetable, this is MP 301 -- exactly. Just think: 301 more glorious miles on the Crescent Route to Washington, DC!
High Point -- Prospect Street. Back track to English and turn right. English will shortly become Kivett Street. About the time that happens, take a right on Prospect and go over the tracks. Find a place to park south of the tracks, and walk back. There is a dirt road over what used to be a spur in the northeast corner of the crossing. There is a large industrial facility to the south of this roadway, so be unobtrusive. This is the south end of the High Point yard, and signals are plainly visible to the south.
The sun will be against you here in the northwest quadrant of the crossing, but there is a good, off-railroad vacant piece of property there. The Prospect Street site offers some potential, but the next one further north is much better.
High Point -- West Point Avenue. Continue northeast on English/Kivett, to right on South West Point Avenue. Cross the tracks and take an immediate right onto Courtesy Road. Take another immediate right, and park in the area southeast of the tracks. If you park well back, you will not be bothered here. This is a good railfan site, although not a lawn chair site, because it's too built up. This is station "High Point Yard" (MP 300.4] on the station list.
There is a lot of activity here. The industrial base in High Point seems to be quite strong, so you'll see good action in the yard itself, as well as plenty of trains on the two main tracks. Here also, is the interchange with the HPT&D, as well as the beginning of the M-line eastward to Asheboro. There are no engines stationed here, as it's only 14 miles to Pomona Terminal in Greensboro.
High Point -- Taylor Avenue. Retrace your steps to the intersection of South West Point Avenue and Courtesy Road. Take a right on West Point, and then an almost immediate left onto Millis Street. This will dead end in about 2 blocks, at Taylor Avenue. The last block or so is a vacant lot, and you can park close to the tracks, off railroad property. You've got a pretty good view, the sun is mostly at your back, and local switching all combine to give you a good railroad site. Be with a male friend here.
Note that Kivett/English are one-way opposites, so you cannot get to the Taylor Avenue site from English. Follow the instructions as above. Thanks to Bill Knott for this site.
High Point -- High Street. To get back on Kivett eastbound, simply cross the tracks via Taylor Avenue, turn right, and continue the tour. Note that you'll see several signs proclaiming this or that to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive or Bridge, but the street signs from here northward all say Kivett. North of about the West Grimes area, the railroad is suddenly in a rather deep cut, and open panorama shots are impossible. Some interesting shots and views can be had, however. Take a right onto South Lindsay and find a legal place to park. [This is difficult, as High Point and Greensboro have apparently both invested millions of dollars in little signs announcing wherever you happen to be a "No Parking -- Tow Zone", and they are bound and determined to use every one of those signs. They are succeeding admirably.]
Walk back towards the tracks, and turn left (south) on High Street and go down the hill to the dead end. This is an interesting location. You can get artsy shots of southbounds exiting the cut, and the sun will almost always be with you (but the train beyond the lead engine or so will often be in shadow). Early morning shots from the south will be OK. PM shots are probably no good from here. Be alert, as northbound trains, especially, can be rather fast and quiet.
High Point -- Amtrak Station. You can walk back up High Street and continue on for two blocks to the Amtrak station, or you can go back to your car and drive there and attempt to find a place to park. As for the latter, your best bet is to drive up High Street, pass the station, and turn right on Main Street, US-311. Again, parking is a bit of a fantasy trip here, and if you get to High Point during the furniture exposition days, you'll probably have to park in Charlotte! I'd suggest you walk from the foot of High Street. It's good for you, you can't miss any trains that way, and you'll avoid getting frustrated trying to find another parking place.
The station, parking problems notwithstanding, is well worth a visit. It has some rather interesting features. First, the station itself is up on the top of the cut, while the tracks and platforms are some two stories below. You can walk into the "station" on a walkway which goes over the tracks, and comes out on the north side of the cut, which leads to an attractive bus terminal. This walkway is always open. However, only passengers are allowed to go down to the track level, so you won't get any pix down there.
You can take some interesting photos from the overhead walkway, but panoramic shots are not possible because of the bridges both north and south of the station. The station waiting room itself is quite small, but does feature a public restroom, which is somewhat rare in downtown areas these days. The station opens one hour before a train is due. As mentioned, it's well worth a visit.
High Point -- Pendleton Street. We have one more site in High Point before the rails and roads separate. Get back on Kivett and continue northward. The road will cross over the tracks and parallel them out of the downtown area. Shortly after crossing the tracks, the cut ends, and the tracks and street are once more at grade. Take a left on Pendleton, a new street, pass the High Point water treatment facility, and park. Do NOT park near the tracks. Note that Pendleton does not show up on any older maps (I bought mine on 2-13-00, and it's not on there!). This is a new industrial/office park, and is just northwest of the new US-311By-Pass, which hasn't begun construction yet.
Walk down to the tracks, and turn right after crossing them. Walk all of 100', and you'll come to a nice open area on the south side of the tracks. This is off railroad property and is safe for railfanning. I think this is a lawn chair and cooler location, but when the new by-pass starts, this site may disappear under construction rubble and concrete. It's certainly a good place now, however.
From here, it's not practical to follow the tracks, as the distance between them and local roads is considerable. Therefore, let's push on: Continue northeast on Kivett, and turn left (north) at the traffic light at Scientific Street. You cross the tracks north of here, but the crossing is rather tight, there is little room to park, and Scientific is pretty busy. The crossing is not a railfan site. There is, however, a southbound signal just south of the crossing. Observe, by the way, that the speed limit is 40 mph all along Scientific.
Jamestown -- Ragsdale Road. When you Tee into Greensboro Road, take a right, which will become Main Street through the attractive community of Jamestown. Take a right onto Ragsdale, which will shortly cross the tracks. However, before you cross the tracks, take a right into the gas station/convenience store. Buy a cup of coffee and some chips or something, tell them that you're going to watch trains for a while, and ask if it's ok to park in the corner of their lot. On the southeast quadrant of the crossing is a good, off-railroad viewing area. These are not, be advised, slow moving drag freights. Be alert and prepared for quiet, fast-moving trains.
Jamestown -- Oakdale Road. Take a right onto Oakdale and cross the tracks. There are areas south of the tracks for excellent photos, but you have to be careful to avoid railroad and/or private industry property. The key is to park off such property, walk back to the tracks, and be cool. This is an average-quality railfan location.
Jamestown -- GTCC. From Oakdale Road, continue northeast (towards Greensboro) on Main Street. Be alert, as Main turns to the right where Guilford College Road goes straight north. When you go under the railroad tracks at the city limit, Main becomes High Point Road. After the tracks, take a left onto Bonner Street into Greensboro Technical Community College, and then take your first left into the first parking lot. The mainline runs behind this parking lot.
The Jamestown signal is located adjacent to the parking lot. Good shots can be made of southbounds at the signal in early afternoon. Watch out for poison ivy and chiggers in season.
We'd like to thank Neil McClanahan for this site.
Sedgefield -- Mackay Road. From the GTCC parking lot, go back to High Point Road, take a left, and continue towards Greensboro. After about 2 miles, you'll come to Mackay Road. Take a left on Mackay, which crosses the tracks just past the Adams Farm Shopping Center. You can park in the shopping center or along the service road behind the shopping center. On the weekends, you can also park across the tracks at the Adams Form Kidney Center.
Life support services, including groceries and restaurants, are available in the shopping center. The Hilltop signal and defect detector are visible just to the north of the grade crossing. Southbounds can be shot by the signal from late morning until dark. The detector is at MP 291.5.
We'd like to thank Neil McClanahan for this site.
Greensboro -- Alamance/Norwood Roads. This location is not on your basic "Railfan's Guide to Greensboro" web sites. Indeed, it's a bit of a stretch, but it offers great potential, is very private, and is a lawn chair/cooler site. Continue northeast of Jamestown on Main Street. Be careful to remain on Main as it curves through town. Main Street will leave Jamestown and curve under the main line, and will magically become High Point Road. From here, you'll be rather far away from the tracks. You'll come to a traffic light at Alamance, and will take a left (north) here. Continue north as the road deteriorates, until it becomes a dirt road and continues on to the tracks.
At the tracks, the road takes a 90° turn to the right and parallels the tracks. The tracks are somewhat in a small cut here, and trees go down to the tracks, so there is no photography possible here. Continue on, and just before the next 90° turn to the right, park. There is a cut-in towards the tracks about 100' before the turn, and you can walk to the tracks. WARNING: This site requires about 30 minutes -- max -- of weed whacker/lopping shear duty. With such duty behind you, this is an excellent location. Very private, lots of trains, and quiet. Bring the lawn chairs and coolers to this place. Bring your friends, as this is a nice place, but only if you do a little work first.
Retrace your drive back to High Point Road, and turn left towards Greensboro. From here northeastward, you'll not get close to the tracks again. The country-type driving will continue for a while, and then all of a sudden, you'll be in the city. Continue on High Point to Holden, a very major intersection. Indeed, virtually every chain store and restaurant is in this area, so this might be a good place to re-fuel, buy a railroad book, get food, and even flop for the night.
Greensboro -- Pomona. As you travel north on Holden, you'll go under the tracks, and then immediately turn left into the bowling alley. Once off Holden, again turn immediately left to go around behind the bowling alley, and continue south to park at the edge of the bowling alley property, but do not drive up the road to the tracks. Walk up to the tracks, and turn right, keeping well back from the tracks. As is the case for virtually all of the Pomona Terminal area, the sun will be in your face here, so this is not a photo location. Indeed, it's a location to visit once, experience, and then move on.
To your immediate left is the ex-Amtrak station and the 3-story yard tower. To your left, but across the tracks, are the yard and engine facilities. To your hard right is the beginning of the K-line to Winston-Salem. Finally, to your right and across the tracks is the Greensboro intermodal yard. Now, you can stand back here and watch trains and not get good pix but see some good action, or you can walk across the tracks to the south side and get great pix and also get arrested and spend the night in jail. The NS police are serious about their responsibilities, and they do their level best to execute them completely. Don't be a dork.
Greensboro -- ex-Amtrak Station From the bowling alley, you have two choices. You can go back the way you came, and go across Holden and onto Oakland Avenue. If you're doing this during the week, however, it may be easier to go north out of the parking lot and turn right onto Spring Garden, and then south onto Holden, because of heavy traffic. If you do the latter, get over in the far left lane as soon as possible, and turn left onto Oakland Avenue just before the railroad underpass.
Head east on Oakland, and the ex-Amtrak station will be on your right after about 1/4 mile. Park well away from this area, as there is no parking anywhere in the vicinity for non-railroaders. Walk back to the area, and use Oakland as your fanning base. Respect the orange traffic cones, and do not go south of them. There are plenty of southward photo ops here, but if you're looking into the sun, this isn't too good. However, there are good photos on overcast days and if you're not interested in photos, this is a good place to watch trains. Besides Amtrak, there is plenty of Pomona Terminal activity right in front of you. Sometimes I think we worry so much about photos that we don't see the trains! Chuck Till has gotten us up-to-date on this location, as of December 2005.
Continue east on Oakland, paralleling the tracks, until Oakland ends and you must take Bitting Street to the left. At Spring Garden turn right, and then at Chapman, turn right and go under the tracks. As you come out from under the tracks, you'll have a major decision in front of you: Are you hungry, or do you just want to railfan? Well, let's take care of your tummy first.
All this train watching will make you hungry, and there is a world-class BBQ joint to make you realize why "white" North Carolina BBQ is the best there is. Stamey's is easy to reach from here. As you come up from the underpass, Lee Street, NC-6, is your first intersection. Turn right, and follow Lee west, and it becomes High Point Road at the Coliseum. About two blocks west of the coliseum, on the north side of High Point Road is Stamey's. You should NOT visit Greensboro without eating there!!! [Sad note: Stamey's is closed Sundays :-( ].
Greensboro -- Warren Street. From Stamey's or the Chapman/Lee Street intersection, go north (east) on Lee. After just a few blocks, take a left (north) on Warren. Be stout of heart!, as this alley only goes north for a block, before dead-ending into the extreme eastern (actually northern) end of the NS Pomona Terminal. There are great photo ops here, and all are off railroad property. Recently, the industry to the east of Warren at the tracks has been re-built, and that has improved the neighborhood. However, I'd still prefer to watch trains here with a few large male friends. That said, this is probably the best place in Greensboro to watch trains.
Sometimes there will be a string of cars or a train blocking your view from Warren. If that's the case, continue east on Lee.
Greensboro -- Skilcraft Industries. As you continue north on Lee, after several blocks you'll see a Skilcraft manufacturing facility on the north side of the street. Skilcraft is an effort to employ the blind at tasks they can perform. You must drive past the Skilcraft plant, and beyond the next traffic light to turn left into an abandoned service station. Go through the service station and then get onto Lee westbound, cross the street, and turn into the Skilcraft parking lot. Drive to the back of the lot and park. On Saturdays and Sundays, there is a terrific view of the tracks here, and photo potential is likewise terrific. On weekdays, you might have to be a little careful, and get permission to park there.
Greensboro -- Elm Street. Continue east on Lee Street until you get to Elm Street, where you'll take a left. Go north, cross the tracks, and park. Here, you're at a special place. Walk back to the railroad crossing and read the historical sign. On this spot, in 1851, the initial grading for the North Carolina Railroad began. This single act opened up the belly of North Carolina to national commerce. Walk further south, on the east side of Elm Street, to the tracks. There is a nice brick pavement area where you can stand and watch the trains. To the east of Elm you can see the North Carolina Railroad going off to Durham, Raleigh and beyond; to the northeast you can see the tracks heading up to Lynchburg and beyond. This is a cool place. And, it's a fitting place to end this segment of the Crescent Route Tour.
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