Frograil Rail Tours

Tony Hill, Webmaster and text provider. The guy who makes it go.

Joe Hinson, who gave me the heads up that the conversion from Norfolk Southern to L&C was to take place on March 25, 2001, so I got a chance to spend a great day with the L&C family and some fellow fans. Before you take this tour, you should visit Joe's Lancaster & Chester Railway railfan site. Besides photos and the usual stuff, Joe has extensive knowledge of the operational side of the railroad and its history, and he speculates on future developments for the property. If you'll print the pertinent data out, study it, and then take it with you on this tour, you'll not only see trains, you'll understand why the train is there and what it's doing. Highly recommended!

Help:

If you'd like to contribute to this, or any other tour, please contact me at webmaster@frograil.com, and let me know what you'd like to do. We'll work together: You supply the data/info, and I'll do the HTML stuff and upload it. You'll get a chance to review the fruits of your efforts before the general public sees the finished product, so you can let me have your corrections, additions and changes.

Supplemental And Back-Up Data.

Business Plan.

"No, I don't know what the L&C business plan is, and no, I don't know what its statistical benchmarks might be, but I do know the philosophy behind the business effort: Make the customer think the only reason you are on the earth is to move his or her cargo. Make the customer think that if his or her cargo does not move as it should, you would take that as a personal affront, and will make sure it will never happen again."

The foregoing is a quote from the original L&C tour I did, and there is no doubt that it will be transferred over to the new Catawba-Kershaw line. Mr. Gedney and his railroad are not taking on the burden of operating this railroad as an act of charity -- they aim to make themselves indispensable to its shippers/ receivers, and therefore, they believe the railroad will make a profit and prosper.

Business development. There are precious few customers on the line today, but there are thousands of acres of undeveloped potential. A simple case in point illustrates how rich the potential is, if outside the box logic is applied: The ADM mill in Kershaw makes soy meal from soybeans. About 15 carloads per week are used at the Circle S feed outlet east of Richburg on the original L&C. Currently, up to 60 trucks per week are carrying this traffic. Now that L&C is operating to Kershaw, this traffic is easily handled by rail (which, nicely, takes 60 trucks a week off the roads and streets. That change took place on start day: March 25, 2001. Everyone benefits.)

Motive Power. This railroad is committed to being an elongated yard. That is, it doesn't need great beasts with huge weight hauling tonnage at 60 miles-per-hour. They do need reliability and consistency, and they've been getting that for over 20 years with EMD's SW series of switchers. While the railroad will probably add a few switchers to its roster (as of December 2001, a leased SW-1500 and SW-1000 were on the property and in daily service), don't expect to see any hot-dog, high-powered units. Small switchers may not be glamorous, but they are dependable beasts of burden. In early 2003, 3 LLPX GP38's were leased, and the railroad is reportedly pleased with them. Is this the end of the end cab switchers? Time will tell, but you'd better get your pix sooner rather than later.

The Railroad. Geographically, the SB-Line runs from Rock Hill, South Carolina, through Catawba - Lancaster - Heath Green - Kershaw, South Carolina. However, the Norfolk Southern remains in control of the line thru Catawba and over the river. It is at that point that the L&C takes over. This is very important for two reasons: First, and most obvious, is the fact that huge volumes of carload traffic originate and terminate at the Bowater paper mill in Catawba. Less obvious, but no less important, is that no interchange at Catawba means that all NS-delivered and outbound traffic (including that for ADM at Kershaw) has to be via Chester. With unit trains already going into Circle S, mini-unit trains going into Thyssen at Richburg, and GOK what else, the interchange at Chester can get awfully gooey at times.

As far as railfanning the Catawba - Kershaw line is concerned, nothing could be easier. Besides the fact that the entire line is 10mph, you really catch a break because the line is flat and is virtually joined at the hip with US-521 south from Lancaster. Indeed, it is hard to imagine a more photogenic line, or an easier line to railfan than Lancaster - Kershaw. You're in the Piedmont, and there are no boring flat sandy stretches, and yet there are also no roller coaster hills. If you've got grandchildren, this is the line to start them on!

Mapwork: Much of the tour is made easier if you have a detailed map for back country roads. You can find information about Railfan Maps that are available.

Lancaster to Kershaw, SC -- Railfan sites:

The Tour

Lancaster -- NS Interchange. The start of this tour of the ex-NS, exx-SOU SB-Line is somewhat ironic, in that the L&C/NS interchange in Lancaster has been somewhat moribund for the past decade. As of 25 March 2001, however, it was opened for regular business once again, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. All interchange with the NS, irrespective of where the ultimate destination or origin of the cars might be, is at Chester. Trains coming off the L&C for the ADM mill in Kershaw will join the ex-NS SB-Line here, and swing towards the southeast. Remember that the L&C has always been a strict east-west road, while the SB-Line is a somewhat northwest-southeast road, so a map is pretty important for you.

Your location here is at Market Street, just north of Gooch Street. For photos, you've got plenty of opportunities, and since the sun is behind you virtually 100% of the time, you can't go wrong. You've got good access from virtually all compass points, so be creative.

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Lancaster -- US-521Business Trestle. As the title implies, this trestle crosses US-521Business in the southeast quadrant of town. From the L&C/NS interchange on Market Street, you can attempt to get close to the tracks on several streets east of Market, but it isn't worth it. Instead, go straight southeast on US-521 Business. As you reach the extreme southeast part of town, US-521Business will duck under the railroad's trestle. Pix from the southwest, especially, are excellent, and good photographers can make lemonade out of lemon on the other quadrants here. There is lots of off-road parking in the southwest quadrant.

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Lancaster -- Fox Run Road. If you have an older map, and attempt to follow it here, you'll really get screwed up. "Old Camden Road", which will be your friend for much of this tour, shows as going just southeast of the trestle to Fox Run Road, but it really doesn't go there. From the trestle to quite a ways south, the Old Camden Road has been eradicated. Here's how to railfan this next area: From the trestle, continue southeast on US-521Business until just after joining US-521By-Pass. Almost immediately thereafter, take your first right onto Fox Run Road. You'll cross the railroad here, and the photo ops, especially west of the tracks are excellent. You can follow the vestiges of Old Camden Road northwest for some distance, but just north of Stephens Hill Road, it'll peter out on you, and you will not have gained any railfan advantage in attempting to use Old Camden Road north of Fox Run Road.

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Lancaster -- LR-284. Continuing southeast on US-521 from Fox Run Road, you'll shortly come to an un-named road, which is identified by the state as S-29/284, which I've named Local Road 284. This is another excellent, wide-open place to get pix of the L&C switchers earning their keep. Not sophisticated: Just really nice. At this location, cross over the tracks from US-521, and then take your first left onto Old Camden Highway. Note that there will be no road signs anywhere around here. Road signs, thru much of South Carolina, are apparently unconstitutional. That said, driving sedately along Old Camden Road on the west side of the (now) L&C towards Kershaw is as good as it gets -- and it's legal! You can drive parallel to the tracks on the east via US-521, but you've got to go at least 55mph, and you've got to worry about idiots, to boot, so my advice is to get on the old road and just toodle on at about 40 mph, and enjoy the show.

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Elgin -- North. From the crossing of LR-284 all the way to Elgin, the viewing is excellent. One runs out of adjectives, because you just can't go wrong. Please understand that this is a NW-SE railroad, so choose your photo locations/times accordingly.

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Elgin. Well, I'd like to give detailed data here about railfanning in Elgin as you come off the Old Camden Road into the village, but my notes only indicate: " Blatantly Wonderful." , and I guess that fairly well does the job for me, ....eh? Everything is wide open here, and viewing is pretty much perfect from every angle. This is a superior location.

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Elgin -- Southeast. As you go southeast out of Elgin, again using Old Camden Road, the viewing is simply perfect. It's almost as if God had decided to give us long suffering railfans a nice place to go to watch trains. He outdid Himself here. This street is the Old Camden Road, but the good folks in South Carolina don't like road signs, so you won't see any thru here.

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Elgin -- Thomas & Betts. Continuing southeast on the Old Camden Road, or on US-521 South, you'll come to the large Thomas & Betts plant. From the Old Camden Road, you'll just come upon the plant, and from US-521, you'll see a small, blue sign to the Thomas & Betts facility. This was a long-time railroad customer, and one which the L&C would like to woo back. T&B is a dealer in majorly large power line towers, and much of its raw materials might logically be transported to it via rail. However, for quite some time, all traffic in and out of T&B has been via truck, and the L&C is most interested in the possibility of re-railing some of the T&B traffic. This is MilePost 70, utilizing NS mile points, which will apparently be retained..

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Pleasant Hill. Continuing on from T&B on the Old Camden Road, you'll eventually cross over the tracks and join US-521. [NOTE WELL: From here on south, you've got to make a mental adjustment: You're no longer on the quiet, slow-moving Old Camden Road; you're on a numbered US route, and you've got to maintain your speed and concentration. Drive first -- railfan second.] Perhaps the best place in Pleasant Hill is at the south end of the town, just north of the water tower. There is plenty of room for parking, and views from the northeast and southwest are excellent. Views from the southeast are good, but views from the northwest are out. There is little in the way of life support in Pleasant Hill.

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Heath Springs -- Solar Road. From Pleasant Hill to Heath Springs, the railroad is pretty much a straight north to south operation. Therefore, shots to the southeast and southwest are probably not going to be optimal much of the day. However, at Heath Springs itself, the line becomes pretty much east-west, so the light will be easier to deal with. Coming into the town on US-521 from the north, there are some non-descript crossings. Bevel Road looks to be OK, and Solar Road will give pretty good shots from the northwest, no shots from the northeast, and OK from the southwest. It appears that the southeast quadrant is private, and is therefore not recommended.

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Heath Springs -- Station Area. Continue into town on US-521. The railroad is hard on your left. Keep alert, and as you get into the downtown area, you'll see the nice, restored Southern station at about 11 o'clock. The highway will cut to the southwest, but you want to put on your left-turn blinker, and cut across the highway towards the depot. There is parking anywhere around the depot, and the viewing is virtually perfect from any angle. To frame the depot and the train does not require O. Winston Link or Ansell Adams. Young kids can get excellent pix here, as the photo lines are perfect, and the trains are slow and manageable. This is not BNSF hauling pigs thru Arizona with 5 huge new GE's blasting at 70MPH!

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Heath Springs -- US-521 Crossing. As you depart Heath Springs on US-521, the railroad will be on your north, and quite close to you for much of the way, but trees interfere with photographic sightlines. The next real photo location is at the crossing of US-521 and the railroad. There is plenty of parking on the shoulder anywhere here, but watch for broken 40's! Sight lines from the northwest are excellent, the southeast is good, and the northeast and southwest are OK, at best. MilePost 64 is just north of the crossing.

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Kershaw -- Floyd Road. This is as good as it gets, folks. Continue on south via US-521, and just before you enter Kershaw on the extreme northwest corner of town, you'll come to Floyd Road. Take a right and park at the tracks. There is plenty of room to park. All quadrants are perfect for pix here, and you don't have to dodge idiots at 75 mph. Just to the south of the crossing is MilePost 62. If you can't get good pix here, you might consider trading in your camera for a toaster or BBQ grill.

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Kershaw --US-521By-Pass. There are a couple of different ways to get here. As you leave Floyd Road via US-521, and begin to get into the built-up area of Kershaw, you'll pass a right turn onto Railroad Avenue, which will take you over the tracks and to the intersection of Railroad Avenue and Matson Street (US-521ByPass). If you miss Railroad Avenue from US-521, and it's easy to do so, just continue towards Kershaw, and take a right onto US-521By-Pass, which becomes Matson Street. The intersection of Matson Street and Railroad Avenue is a pretty decent area for photos, especially from the southeast and northwest.

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Kershaw -- North End ADM. Continue south on Matson Street. Just before a fairly large parking area for Smalls Food Center, take a left onto West 1st Street, and go towards the tracks. Park in the northeastern extreme edge of the Smalls lot. The Archer-Daniels-Midland mill is in front of you, as is the switch giving access to the L&C at the north end of the facility. There is excellent viewing from the west, but none at all from the east. The mill area itself, of course, is completely off-limits to railfans.

The mill is not simply a receiver of processed feed grains for distribution to local poultry operators. Rather, it is a miller in the true sense of the word, and handles both inbound and outbound loaded covered hoppers. Also, many tank cars are in evidence, so the over-all rail activity of the mill should be considered pretty high. Doing all the required switching is not a 10 minute job, so if the units are working on the north side of the mill, plan on being here for awhile.

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Kershaw -- Station Area. Continue south on Matson Street until you reach Church Street, and then turn left to head towards the tracks. At Cleveland Street, take a right and head to the station and park. Actually, the switchers of the L&C probably won't get this far south, as they can drill the mill pretty completely a little north of here, and you'll want to relocate to watch them in action. However, going to Kershaw without seeing the station would be sad. If you want to watch the engines drill the plant, go back north to Church and a block further to Hilton, and you'll be amply rewarded.

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So ends, at least for now, our tour of the Lancaster and Chester Railway's new "baby", the ex-Norfolk Southern SB-Line segment from just south of the Catawba Rive to Kershaw. As operations gel, the section of the segment from just south of the Catawba River to Lancaster will be written up. Thanks to Joe Hinson, who gave me the initial heads up that the events of March 25, 2001 were going to happen. Watching the pride and anticipation of the management and railroaders (is there a difference on this railroad?) was delightful. Frograil wishes them all the best of the best.

But wait! Like the TV ads say: "There's MORE". The only other customer on the Kershaw Branch is north of Lancaster, and here are the particulars:

Lancaster -- Ameristeel. Service to Ameristeel is handled quite differently than that to ADM in Kershaw to the south of Lancaster. There is no wye connecting the ex-SB line and the L&C, so on start up, the railroad was faced with a dilemma. It could spend a substantial sum and build a connection between the SB line and the L&C in the vicinity of the Springmaid plant, but remember that the SB line is leased. Any capital outlays may not, therefore, be wise investments. However, the prospect facing the railroad was a backup move of 4-5 miles, either north- or southbound, and that's not a pleasant prospect for any railroader or railroad. Here's what the railroad has done, but first let's drive up to the Ameristeel plant.

From the junction of SC-9 and Riverside Road (which is West Meeting Road/SC-9Business south of the SC-9By-Pass) in the northwest part of Lancaster, go north on Riverside about 3-4 miles. The ex-SB line will be on your right most of the way, but photo access is minimal. You'll see some boxcars and a medium-sized pre-fab metal industrial building on your right, and should park in any safe place. It's fairly tight all thru here. Note that the speed limit is about 45mph(?), and you have to drive carefully. Photo ops are fair from the west, and non-existent from the east. The draw at the plant is the large variety of cars servicing the plant.

Ameristeel takes steel in, reworks it, and sends (primarily) buckets of railroad spikes out. Railroad spikes are heavy, but need to be in a manageable container -- that's why they put them in buckets, and subsequently why they put the buckets in boxcars. Obviously, this is not a commodity for the newest and freshest rolling stock. And that, finally, is why the cars at the plant are so interesting. It kind of looks like a museum there sometimes.

The way the L&C has temporarily solved the access problem has been to have Bundrick Contracting out of Pageland, SC, put in a connection with the south end of the plant's spur. NS never saw the need to do so! Now, access to the spur is both north and south of the plant. L&C pushes (as in backs up) the cars in Lancaster across Market Street, and then heads engine-first up to the plant, does it's switching, and heads back south to Lancaster, backs across Market Street, and is finished. There are still 2 back-up moves necessary, but they've quite short -- certainly not several miles in length.

Joe Hinson has provided much of this information for us.

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