North Carolina Railroad
Greensboro - Raleigh
Introduction
In this Frograil tour we will head east on what is legally part of the North Carolina Railroad, which is owned by the state and operated under a long term agreement by Norfolk Southern Railway. While the tour is completed only from Greensboro to Hillsborough, some 40 miles, eventually it will continue on to the Amtrak station in downtown Raleigh. The Charlotte - Greensboro tour, a part of the Crescent Route series of tours, is complete, and is here. That tour ends at the Elm Street interlocking, which is where this one starts.
If you have never taken a Frograil tour before, you are strongly encouraged to visit the Frograil Tour Guide page, which is loaded with good info for you. Following the advice on that page will save you time, effort, and quite probably, some grief.
Contents And Navigation:
About This Tour:
WHAT YOU WILL FIND HERE: From a particular starting point, each segment of this coverage will allow you to follow the instructions given, drive to a railfan site, then to the next, etc. etc. Traffic levels and patterns will be given, and the photographic/ lighting considerations for each site will usually be mentioned. You'll be told about area attractions, such as tourist and historic sites, as well as hotels and restaurants which are trackside or otherwise worthy of note. In short, you'll be able to plan an entire family or railfan-only outing or even a vacation from this guide, as it is completed in the months to come.
WHAT YOU WILL NOT FIND HERE: This is a railfan guide, not a photo collection. There are already many excellent and enjoyable railroad photo sites available, and one more really wouldn't add much value to the general railfan. Besides, photos take up a lot of memory, and your humble Webmaster has to pay for memory. You will also not find fancy graphics, as this is a tour guide, not an exhibition of graphics expertise. You'll be able to load these pages quickly and print them without waiting a week for each page to print. Also, you'll conserve toner in the process.
Contributors:
Major contributors to this tour include:
Tony Hill, Webmaster and content, unless otherwise noted. Any use of the first person singular pronoun refers to Tony, unless specifically otherwise indicated.
Train Gif Artists. Train gifs add life and color to these pages, and take almost no time to load. I stick these gifs in whenever I get the urge -- there is no rhyme or reason, I just like them. You can see hundreds and hundreds of train gifs by going here.
Help
This tour is the result of two short trips by the Webmaster along the route described. Obviously, I'm no expert on the route, and realize that good photo places or other interesting spots and local attractions may have been left out. If you can provide information that would make this tour more complete and enjoyable, please contact me at webmaster@frograil.com, and let me know what you'd like me to add or correct.
Also, if you'd like to contribute tours of portions of other rail lines, 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
The Railroad -- Background. To say that this stretch of railroad is steeped in history is to state the obvious; I'll let the historians deal with those matters. Today's railroad is enjoying a bit of a growth spurt, in that decent traffic levels and volumes are being supplemented by two State-supported Amtrak trains each way daily. As of September 2008, the State is seriously considering adding a third daily train. These trains run between Charlotte and Selma, from which passengers can continue north to DC and the northeast.
The Railroad -- Geography. You are definitely in the Piedmont of the Appalachian Mountains, but for some reason, this railroad is quite a bit gentler than other parts of the Piedmont. The sharp hills and curves usually associated with the foothills are considerably muted all along the route, with the exception of the Hillsborough area. Railfanning is easy, and the average photo ratings along the way are much better than on most other, non-coastal plain tours.
The Railroad -- Traffic. You will not see a lot of trains, but there are enough to keep you listening to your scanner. In 24 hours, expect a long, regularly scheduled freight in each direction, two sets of Amtrak trains, and the occasional grain train or other movements.
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.
Attractions:
Eno River State Park.Asyou leave Efland and approach Hillsborough, you encounter the Eno River Valley.The state park along the river is a jewel.For tourists following the I-40/85 corridor, the park is very close to the highway, and is also very close to several locations on this tour east of Efland (more will follow as I extend the tour to the east). So far, the Occoneechee Mountain area has been mentioned, and it is definitely worth a visit.Check out both the state park here, and the Occoneechee Mountain Natural Area here.
Photo considerations. For most of the sites included herein, I try to give you an idea of the availability of photo fields. These ratings are not to be considered indications of the photogenic aspects of a place; they are merely an indication of how much open, uncluttered room you have to take pix. I usually give all 4 compass points, such as: NE3, SE1, SW4, NW4. In this example, there is no photo access from the west, poor from the northeast, and excellent from the southeast. For areas with no crossing, east and west ratings (e.g., E2/W1) are used.
Also note that this tour is thru hilly, tree-covered country, so an SE1 here might barely be a SE2 in the coastal plain. All things are relative. One other thing to consider is that the general bias of the railroad is often northeast - southwest, so many crossings are more an x than a + . This greatly expands the photo potential for most crossings.
Abbreviations. Some phrases are used repeatedly in this tour, so I've developed some standard Frograil abbreviations:
AG. An at-grade crossing.
NAG. A not-at-grade crossing. Unless I mention otherwise, these are usually not worth the time and trouble to drive to them.
NARL. Not a railfan location. This is because of any number of reasons, such as lousy photo ops, dangerous, no shoulder on a NAG bridge, etc. As a general rule of thumb, it is wise to avoid NARL's.
NFOG. Not found on the ground. There may have been a road or crossing here "back in the day", but on-the-ground research failed to find it in the Fall of 2008.
WEBMASTER'S NOTE: I do not recommend or 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.In all railfan outings, you are encouraged to have at least one male buddy with you.
Railfan sites:
The Tour -- Greensboro to Raleigh, North Carolina
Greensboro -- Elm Street Area. If you're just starting the tour, take exit 37 from I-40/85Business, or take exit 124 from I-40/85, and go north on South Elm-Eugene. (Thanks to Donald Arant for a clarification of these directions.)After a few miles, take a right as Elm veers of from Eugene, and continue straight north into the downtown area. Cross the three tracks downtown and park on the east side of Elm. Walk back to the tracks. There is a pedestrian area which allows excellent train viewing. This site is where the North Carolina Railroad was started in 1851, which was perhaps the most important event in the state's history since Columbus sailed.
If you're continuing on from the Charlotte - Greensboro segment, you're already here, so let's all get going towards Raleigh.
The Elm Street area, not to put too fine a point on it, is a pedestrian and vehicle nightmare. I'm not a city boy, but I've had plenty of city driving experience, and this is a tough area to figure out. If you look at a street map or aerial, you'll see why, as 4-6 streets all seem to converge at the junction of the Crescent Route (NS Washington/Hagerstown to Atlanta) and the line we'll be following, NS Greensboro to Raleigh. Just to the east-northeast of the junction is the restored Greensboro Southern Railway station. Both lines see Amtrak trains, and there are tracks all over the place. Getting close to them is tough, however. My advice is to park, and just walk around until you find a location that works for you. Understand that the Crescent Route (actually the Piedmont Division) sees 4-5 times more trains than does the line to Raleigh.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Greensboro -- Dudley Street. From your parking spot in the vicinity of Elm Street, go north on Elm or Davie street to a right on Washington Street. Pass up Morrow Boulevard, as it is NAG/NARL, as is the Washington Street crossing about 1 1/2 blocks further east. At Dudley Street, take a left and park in the vicinity of the crossing. The station sign for "Fields" is just west of the crossing, and there is a pretty decent view of the far eastern end of the station area. The crossing itself is very busy with street traffic, and the viewing is lousy: NE4, SE4, SW4, NW1. That northwest quad view to the west makes the stop worthwhile.
Greensboro -- Gillespie Street. Continue north on Dudley to a right on East Market Street. Pass up Benbow Road, as it is NAG/NARL, as is O'Henry Boulevard a little further east. Just past O'Henry, watch carefully for Gillespie Street on the right -- it's very easy to miss. Considering how close to downtown Gillespie is, this is an excellent railfan location: NE4, SE1, SW1, NW2. Just south of the crossing, Peach Tree Street goes to the left. The area between Peach Tree and the tracks is really nice.
Greensboro -- English Street. Go back up to Market Street, take a right, and then take another right onto English Street. While a fairly short distance from Gillespie, the viewing is quite different, at NE2, SE4, SW2, NW1. Depending on the time of day, you will probably prefer one over the other. Also, this crossing is really an x rather than a +, as there is a northeast - southwest bias to the tracks.
Greensboro -- Holts Chapel Road. Backtrack to Market Street, turn right, and then take the first right, which is Holts Chapel Road. The tracks, although still northeast - southwest in bias, are now somewhat more northbound, so take these ratings with a grain of salt: NE2, SE1, SW4, NW3.
The marker for Mile Point 2 is just south east of the crossing.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Greensboro -- Franklin Boulevard. Continue east on Market Street, and you will shortly pass Pine Street (NAG/NARL) and Loudermilk Street (NAG/NARL). When the road begins to swing to the north, bear right onto Burlington Road. The first intersection is with Franklin Boulevard. Take it to the right and the crossing is immediately ahead. Photo ops are NE1, SE1, SW4, NW1, and the MP 3 marker is just to the west of the crossing.
Greensboro -- O'Ferrill Street. Further east on Burlington Road, take a right onto O'Ferrill Street. O'Ferrill crosses the tracks, and then T's with Maybrook Drive. Park anywhere in the area and walk back to the tracks. Photo ops are best shooting to the west: NE3, SE4, SW1, NW1.
Greensboro -- Ward Road. Drive back out to Burlington Road, turn right, and then take another right onto Ward Road. This is a lousy fan location, except for the photo field from the southeast: NE4, SE1, SW4, NW4. The view northeast from the southeast quad is super, and the icing on the cake is that the tracks are elevated.
Greensboro -- Maxfield Road. Burlington Road will merge with US-70, and you should continue east. At this point, the railroad has now become almost dead east - west, and this next location, as well as Wagoner Bend Road which follows, are + crossings, rather than x's.
Take a right onto Maxfield Road, and the photo ratings are NE2, SE1, SW1, NW3. For the most part, the sun will be your friend almost all the time.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Greensboro -- Wagoner Bend Road. Head back out to US-70/Burlington Road, and take a right to continue east. Pass up Buchanan Church (NAG/NARL), and take a right onto Old Burlington Road. At a T intersection, take a right on what will become Wagoner Bend Road. This will wind around to a pretty nice crossing: NE2, SE2, SW1, NW1. To the east is the MP 5 marker, and beyond that is a pair of very visible signals. Wagoner Bend is a dead end beyond the tracks, so this is a fairly quiet location.
McLeansville -- Frieden Church Road. If you go back to the T intersection and continue straight, there is an ugly NAG/NARL crossing, and the road is cut just before I-840, which is a connector up from I-40. Therefore, at the T, take a left to go back towards US-70, but bear right onto Willowlake Road, which is a short cut to the main road. Turn right onto US-70, and head east out of the Greensboro area, and well into the Piedmont countryside. Before you get to Silverbrook Drive on the south side of the highway, MapQuest shows a road to the north, crossing the tracks. It apparently no longer exists, and was NFOG.
Once past Silverbrook, you'll come to a rather odd road/intersection on the north side of the highway and tracks. This is Frieden Church Road, and it crosses the tracks before going 90º of to the northeast. The crossing is very, very nice, at NE1, SE1, SW1, NW1, but you are cautioned to be very careful, as there is a lot of traffic, and getting safely clear of that traffic can be difficult.
McLeansville -- McLeansville Road. Go back down to McLeansville Road and take a left. This will ultimately lead you to a crossing. Parking is tight here, so continue across the crossing, and up to Frieden Church Road, which has come in via the north side of the tracks from the last location. Walk back to the tracks. The photo ratings are so-so, at NE3, SE4, SW2, NW1. McLeansville Road is really, really busy, so unless you need to get trackside in a hurry, you might want to consider moving further east.
The MP 8 marker is just west of this crossing.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
McLeansville -- Carmon Road. Leave McLeansville's downtown area via Frieden Church Road, which is north of the tracks. At Carmon Road, take a right, go over the tracks, and park at the 90º curve immediately south of them. This looks like a pretty bucolic spot, but there is a steady stream of traffic over the crossing, so don't let looks fool you. That said, the viewing is OK: NE1, SE2, SW3, NW4.
McCleansville -- Colony Road. Heading east on Carmon Road, on a map you'll see all kinds of Agate Road/Rock Quarry Road stuff off to the north. These are private roads, and where not cut, they offer no public access. Therefore, just continue east on Carmon, to a left onto Colony Road. The crossing with Colony is quite good, at: NE2, SE1, SW1, NW1. Actually, it's a good bit better than "quite good".
Gibsonville -- Bell Road. Once again, continue east on Carmon Road, passing the two legs of the Carmon Loop. At Cullen Road, there is a crossing, but it is NARL. At Bell Road, take a left and go to the end of the road. Bell has been cut, and not longer crosses the tracks. Interestingly, MapQuest's aerial and street maps show the road crossing the tracks. The GoogleEarth aerial clearly shows the road as being cut before the tracks. Conclusively, my on-the-ground experience can guarantee that Bell is cut, and there is no access from three of the quads. That yields a yucky NE4, SE4, SW1, NW4 photo ops rating, but the southwest quad is worth a second look.
The shot from the southwest quad is across the farm field. This is an AM shot, and it can be a Great American Train Picture, if you're lucky and the sun and Norfolk Southern cooperate.
Gibsonville -- Wagoner Road. Trundle on back down to Carmon Road, turn left, and continue to the east. At Wagoner Road, take a left and park in the vicinity of the crossing. This is not at all a prime photo location, but it will get you trackside in a hurry in case there is something coming in a short period of time. And that's about all that can be said for it:NE3, SE3, SW2, NW3.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Gibsonville -- Power Line Road. Once back on Carmon Road, continue east past Frank Road on the right. North of Frank is a road displayed by MapQuest, but it was NFOG. MapQuest also shows a street map view where Eagle Nest Court goes off to the north and crosses the tracks, but it is NFOG. At Power Line Road, take a left and park in the area of the crossing. Note that in this area, Carmon enters the Gibsonville city area, and magically becomes Mineola Street.
This is an afternoon location: NE1, SE1, SW2, NW4, although you can probably make morning shots work in the fall and winter.
Gibsonville -- 10th Street. In the beautiful downtown area of Gibsonville, there is a very nice railfan viewing area. From Power Line Road, go back to Mineola, and take a left to enter Gibsonville. Once in town, take a left onto South Joyner Street, and then another left onto 10th Street. After driving 30-50 yards on the latter, park and pick your spot. You'll note that you are in the only decent photo spot in the area: NE4, SE4, SW1, NW4. But, like some other spots, that southwest facing quad is worth the stopping.
If you continue west on 10th, the street will bend 90º to the south, and just before you get back to Mineola, there is a nice city park with a picnic table or two, and a playground area for the kids.
Gibsonville -- Huffines Street. Downtown Gibsonville should be an ideal fanning location, but someone decided to plant trees all along the tracks, both north and south, so I don't recommend it as a location. Take a left on Mineola to continue east, and then another left onto Springwood Avenue. Cross the tracks and then take a right onto Burlington Street. At Huffines Street, try to park along Burlington, and then walk down to the crossing. There is no parking near the crossing. Be alert, because Huffines is quite busy.
The photo ops looking east are excellent: NE1, SE1, SW3, NW3. Just to the west of the crossing is a defect detector ("Gibsonville"), at MP 15.5. The shot from the northeast quad is excellent, and if you walk east (around some obstructions), the one from the southeast is almost as good. The only negative here is that the road is really busy, and there is virtually no shoulder.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Gibsonville -- Cook Road. Continue east on Burlington Road/NC-100, until you get to Cook Road, and then take a right. Cook, like Huffines before it, is a quite busy road. The photo ratings to the east aren't as good as at Huffines, but the southwest quad is quite nice. NE3, SE2, SW1, NW4.
Elon College -- Downtown Area. Backtrack up to Burlington Road (which becomes Haggard Road somewhere along here), and take a right. At Church Street, take another right to enter the town of Elon College. The railroad is dead east - west thru the town, and is bounded by Lebanon Avenue to the north, and Trollinger Avenue to the south. Viewing for several long blocks is wide open. This is an excellent railfan location. Get out the lawn chairs and the cooler, and fire up the scanner. Church Street is approximately MP 17.
The town, obviously, is a college town, and there are sandwich shops, pizza places, etc., all over the place, although the college itself (now a university) is located somewhat northeast of the town center.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Elon College -- East Trollinger Avenue. From the downtown area, continue east on what is now East Trollinger Avenue. There is a large, open area on both sides of the tracks, giving excellent views both from Trollinger and East Lebanon Avenue on the north side of the tracks. This is a very good photo location.N1/S1.
Glen Raven -- Park Road.When you reach Oak Avenue, take a left and go north to NC-100/Haggard Avenue. There is a NAG/NARL crossing via York Road, so pass it up. Take a right onto Gillam Street, cross the tracks, turn left immediately onto Park Road, and park.The crossing isn't much for photos, with the exception of shooting to the southwest (the tracks are fairly steeply northeast - southwest here) from the northeast quad.Just a little further north on Park, there is a nice, broad, open area, which is N4/S1.
Burlington -- Gillam Road.Keep going north on Park Road, and it will swing to head east. You hug the rails all along here, but they are treed in.You will come to Gillam Street, which is the end of a loop, and there is a large parking area to your left.Park, but be aware that this is only a snatch-and-grab spot for eastbounds, as the other quads are lousy.
Burlington -- Lakeview Drive.Here's another snatch-and-grab location, but it's for eastbounds in the afternoon.Park/Gillam roads will end at NC-100/87/Webb Avenue, and you need to turn right.Almost immediately, turn left onto Lakeview, which is merely a one-block-long connector.There is a crossing via Webb Avenue a little west of Lakeview, but it is NAG/NARL.
After you've gone the one block on Lakeview, you must turn right onto North Park Avenue.This street will hug the tracks all the way into downtown Burlington.You will be on the north side of the tracks, which are northwest - southeast in orientation.
Right at the Lakeview/Park intersection, park as soon as you make the turn.Photo ratings, because of private property, are NE1, SE4, SW4, NW4.The northeast quad is wide open, so if the light works for you, it can be a nice photo spot.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Burlington -- Glen Raven Road.After a long block, the crossing at Glen Raven Road is a much, much better railfan location than the previous spot: NE1, SE1, SW2, NW1.
Burlington -- End Park Avenue.Further southeast along Park is a crossing at Elmira Street, and the northeast quad may rate a 2, but the others are no good.I don't consider the Elmira crossing to be a railfan location.Therefore, pass it up and continue southeast on Park. The trackside area is very attractive and well-maintained, but a zillion landscape trees have made photos close to impossible.It is, however, a great place to bring a youngster who wants to see a "twain".
Park Avenue ends just before it reaches US-70/Fisher Street.Just before the street swings into a 135º turn to the left, find a place to park.Shooting to the northwest would give excellent light for eastbounds, but shots to the southeast are no good. Do not cross the tracks, as the next location will take us there.
Burlington -- Webb Avenue Sidewalk. Go back up Park all the way to Elmira Street, take a left to go over the tracks, and then an immediate left to go southeast on NC-100/87/Webb Avenue, which parallels the tracks on the south(west). Look for Brooks Street on the right and find a place to park.There is a sidewalk on the south(west) side of Webb.Walk towards the southwest via the sidewalk, and you'll soon see a very nice, broad, open area between the tracks and the street.If you try to shoot from the northeast side of the street, all you can get is an awkward wedgie. You're very close to the end of Park Avenue here, but the lighting, viewing, and perspective are completely different.S1/N4
Burlington -- Station Area.As you continue further southeast on Webb Avenue, you'll see the familiar Amtrak station sign, and when you reach Main Street, another such sign telling you to turn left.Do so, and park in the large parking lot on your right.
Tell your wife to enjoy herself, give her a few hundred bucks to play with, and enjoy a lovely railfan location.Besides being lovely, the location is a spot-on photo location:NE1, SE1, SW1, NW1.This is one of those spots on the North Caroloina Railroad where you really wish there were 48 trains per day!
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Burlington -- Mebane Street.A little further southeast along Webb Avenue, pass up the Broad Street crossing, as it is NAG/NARL.One block later, Mebane Street seems to be the same, but it is an underpass.Between the tracks above, and Mebane Street below, there is a grassy terrace on each side of Mebane.This yields a photo rating of NE4, SE4, SW1, NW1.Remember:The crossing is almost a perfect x, and not a +.
Burlington -- Graham Street. One long block beyond Mebane Street via Webb Avenue, take a left onto Graham, and find a place to park.Beyond this crossing, the railroad orientation (and photographic considerations) change considerably.The photo ops should give you decent light most of the day, but there are obvious limitations:NE4, SE1, SW4, NW1, and remember, this is another x, not a +.
Burlington -- Washington Street.From the crossing on Graham Street, go north over the crossing and turn right onto East Market Street, and follow it to Graham Street (yes, it's the same one, but it goes way away from the tracks to the north before coming back south at this location).Take a right, and at Queen Anne Street, take another right.Go over the tracks on a NARL, turn left, and head east on Railroad Street.The latter will hug the tracks, but they are hopelessly tree in.
According to MapQuest, Railroad becomes Longest Street somewhere along the way, but eventually you'll T with Washington Street.There is parking to the left, just before Washington.Photo ratings:NE2, SE3, SW1, NW4.The station sign for "BURLINGTON" is here, which is somewhat strange, as we are well east of downtown Burlington here.
Burlington -- Pomeroy Street.Cross the tracks via Washington Street, take a right on East River Street, and at the intersection with Pomeroy Street, find a place to park.The Pomeroy crossing is rated NE2, SE2, SW2, NW1, so it's so-so to good.However, the River Street/Pomeroy/Cannon Street aglomeration is somewhat confusing, and worth exploring from a railfan's perspective.Note also that this is the last railfan location for well over a mile to the east.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Haw River -- Welcome Sign.From River Street, take a right onto Pomeroy, cross the tracks, and take an immediate left onto Cannon Street.This will merge with NC-49/Parker Street, and you should take a left to continue east.You'll go thru a NAG/NARL, go up a small hill, and see a substantial "Town of Haw River" welcome sign.Immediately past the sign, take a right and go back towards the tracks.
This is the best train watching location since the start of this tour in Greensboro.It is not much for photos, as the tracks are mostly east - west, but it's wide open on the north:N1, S4.This is a lawn chair and cooler location.There is a "HAW RIVER" station sign here.
Haw River -- Stone Street.Continuing northeast on NC-49 will take you over the Haw River, and uphill to a right on Stone Street.This road, I need to mention before you get to it, is for real photogrpahers, not wedge artists or mere picture takers.Stone Street drops abruptly down hill, veers 90º to the east, and drops way down to veer 90º to head back south once again.It then crosses the tracks, and goes way beyond them.After it has crossed the tracks, interesting objects, angles, and vegetation offer potential photographic challenges -- and rewards.
The 26-mile marker is just west of the Stone Street Crossing.
Haw River -- Gibson Road.If you continue on Stone Street, it will T at Gibson Road.Park, and the photo ratings are NE3, SE2, SW2, NW4.There are signals and a defect detector to the east.The tracks are broadly northeast - southwest here, and will shortly become dead east -west for some distance.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Mebane -- Lake Lathan Road. Before we go any farther, let me point out one thing:"Mebane" is pronounced "MEBan".Now, with that cultural moment out of the way, let's proceed.From Stone Street, turn left onto Gibson Road, cross the tracks, and turn right onto US-70/West Center Street.The next road on the right is Lake Lathan Road, and the crossing is right next to US-70. Cross the tracks and park on Holt Road to the left.Photo ratings are NE1, SE3, SW2, NW3.
Mebane -- Moore Road.Retrace your route up to US-70, turn right, and continue east.Between St Lukes Church Road and Allen Baynes Road (both on the left), there is what appears to be a defect detector next to the tracks, which hug US-70 on the right.At Moore Road, take a right, cross the tracks, turn left on Railroad Street, and park.Photo ratings are:NE4,SE3, SW1, NW4.
Mebane -- Center Street.As US-70/Center Street enters the built-up area of Mebane, the area between the street, tracks, and Washington Street is not wide open, but it's attractive, and is a nice place to just relax and see a train or two.
Mebane -- East Washington Street.This is a south side of the tracks location, and is a fine one.From Center Street, take a right at fifth Street, cross the tracks, turn left onto East Washington.There is an AG crossing on Fifth Street, but it is very busy and therefore not recommended as a fan location.Once on Washington Street, park anywhere.There is a sweet embankment that allows for nice shots to the east and west.Just east of the crossing of Fifth Street is the "MEBANE" station sign.
There are two tracks here, and just east of about 7th Street, there is a pole line on the south side of the tracks.
Back to the Site Listing Back to the top
Mebane -- East Side Crossing.Continuing east on Washington Street, you're close to the tracks (as you are via Center Street on the north), but you're heavily treed in most of the way.Just to the east of Mattress Factory Road, park in the area of the short connector ("Walton Crossing" ?) street which goes over the tracks.The name of the street is uncertain, but it is the only crossing for quite aways to the east and west.It's all of a few dozen yards long.
The photo ratings are excellent:NE1, SE1, SW2, NW1.
Miles -- Buckhorn Road.Continue east on Washington Street until you reach Buckhorn Road.Cross the tracks to the left, turn right onto Frazier Road, and park.There are signals facing away from you to both east and west, but both can be seen by walking past the crossing in either direction via Washington Street.There is a defect detector "ISOM" to the west.
Photo considerations are NE4, SE1, SW4, NW2.
Miles -- Redman Crossing.Head east on Frazier Road, and it will lead to US-70.Turn right and at Redman Crossing Road, take a right, cross the tracks, and park.Potentially, this location is easily an NE2, SE2, SW1, NW2, but you'll have to bring a weed whacker to improve your line of vision.An alternative would be to stand in the back of a pick-up or sit on the top of a van/SUV.
Efland -- Gaines Chapel Road.As you head east on US-70, look for Greenstead Drive on the right, and take the next right, which is Gaines Chapel Road.It is very easy to miss this turn, so be careful.The road will wander around a bit, but will end up at a crossing.Park in the vicinity, and you'll note signals to the southwest facing you. Photo ratings are NE4, SE1, SW2, NW2.
The machinery-like roar you hear in this area is from I-40/85, which is barely more than one-quarter mile to the south.
Efland -- Mt Willing Road West.Cross the tracks, and on the south side, take a left on Southern Drive and drive into Efland.As you approach Mt Willing Road, the trees give way to a nice, open area about 150-200 yards or so wide.The is no access from the north:N4/S1.
Efland -- Mt Willing Road Crossing.Beyond the open area described above, the crossing itself has Forest Avenue on the north and Southern Drive on the south.It is an excellent location, both for train watching and photography. It's definitely one of the best locations on the entire tour.NE1, SE1, SW1, NW1.
Hillsborough -- Hill Avenue.From this point, the topography of the area undergoes an abrupt change. The underlying rock from here east is quite hard, and you'll soon see the remains of an ancient mountain.Even before you see it, however, you'll be forced to go out of your way to get to the next location because of hills, creeks, and the Eno River.
From the Mt Willing Road crossing, go back north to Forest Avenue and take a right. Follow Forest east, and take the 90º turn left, which will lead you north to US-70.Take a right and leave Efland.You pass connector roads leading to and from I-40/85 (there is no access to either interstate highway for traffic heading east on US-70), go over a substantial creek, and go up a long, rather steep hill.When you're going up that hill, look for Hill Avenue on the right.Take it, and it will lead you into Hillsborough, and will begin to go steadily downhill towards the Eno River Valley.
As you curve away from US-70 and start down the hill, look straight across the valley, and you'll Oconneechee Mountain in front of you.At only some 300' above sea level it may not seem like much, but it's the highest point in Orange County.This hill was the inside of a very much larger mountain hundreds of millions of years ago. Because of the hardness of the rocks, this remnant is left while all those around and above it have eroded away.
You will probably notice a large, light colored blotch on the right side of the mountain.There was a quarry operation there years ago that mined sericite and phyllite (those are very light colored minerals, which is why the old quarry site is so visible from a distance). Long after the quarry was closed, there was a major rockslide there during February 2001, with an estimated 5,000 tons of rock breaking off from the old quarry face.You can hike to the base of the slide/quarry and look to the north and northwest, and follow (albeit mostly by sound only) the progress of a train thru the Eno River valley.It's cool.
Back to railfanning:At the foot of Hill Avenue, park before you cross the tracks.Hill T's and ends at Dimmocks Mill Road. Photo ratings are so-so to good, at NE2, SE4, SW2, NW1.Be mindful that Dimmocks Mill is very busy, and your ability to move around is rather restricted.
Hillsborough -- Bellvue Street.Cross the tracks and at Dimmocks Mill Road, turn left, and then turn left again onto Bellvue, cross the tracks, and park at Eno Street.This location is not very good (NE2, SE4, SW4, NW3), but if you've heard a horn after leaving Hill Avenue, this is the oly spot available to get to in a hurry. The next crossing to the east is where Dimmocks Mill goes under the tracks, and it's NAG/NARL.