Norfolk Southern Denies Rumors About Reopening Saluda Grade Line

[Anonymous]

Norfolk Southern denies rumors about reopening Saluda Grade line

from the Tryon Daily Bulletin, Tryon, North Carolina, October 6, 2004
by Chris Dailey

Norfolk Southern says it has no plans to reopen the Saluda Grade line, despite recent rumors that the company is preparing to reopen the line soon.

Several local residents who follow railroad activity closely say they've heard NS will open the line perhaps early next year. They say shifts in customer demand are expected to prompt NS to resume use of the route that includes the Saluda Grade line.

NS has not used the line for regular freight traffic in nearly three years and it's been nearly 18 months since NS cut the local rail line in two places, making a 20 mile section of track impassable.

The line was cut a little west of Saluda and again just south of the Hwy. 14 intersection in Landrum, S.C. The company said it cut the line to reduce the cost of regular inspections and maintenance.

At the time, NS said it may reopen the line in the future if its business activity requires use of the line.

Company spokesman Robin Chapman said last week that hasn't happened yet.

"We do not have any plans to reopen the Saluda line," he said.

The Carolina Heritage Line Committee, which is dedicated to preserving the unique local rail line, was formed here after NS announced that it was closing the line.

The committee proposed using the line for passenger rail service and tourism. The local line is well known among railroad enthusiasts as the steepest standard gauge main line railway grade in the country.

The committee received support for the idea from the North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division. Committee members and state officials have been waiting to hear NS's future plans for the line and whether the company will consider sharing it for passenger rail service.

State officials say they too have heard recent rumors that NS may reopen the Saluda Grade line soon, but they have no confirmation on that from Norfolk Southern.

[Modelcar]

...BRF: Thanks for the Saluda update. Sounds like a possibility despite the denials. Time will tell.

[JoeKoh]

would be interesting if they did.
stay safe
Joe

[gabe]

There might be a perfectly good response to this, but why on earth would they deny it if they were planning on reopening it?

Given the denial, I am not planning on packing my bags to see the first train tackle the grade any time soon.

Hope I am wrong though.

Gabe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by gabe

There might be a perfectly good response to this, but why on earth would they deny it if they were planning on reopening it?
[snip]
Gabe

Because the right hand doesn't know what the left is doing, let alone thinking about!

That "Company spokesman" is probably the Director of Corporate Relations or some such thing and has no idea of what the operating departments are discussing around the coffee pot.

[espeefoamer]

They closed it once before,in the early 80s I think it was then they reopened it. Lets hope it happens again[:)]!

[espeefoamer]

Is this the first time a newspaper has gotten a railroad related story right?

[Modelcar]

...If they would start operations there again I believe I just might make a run down there and this time, stay until I see action on the hill. Another incentive I have I have driven past the nearby mansion of Biltmore on the way back and forth to Florida and the wife has wanted to stop there but we never did....Hmmm.

[Anonymous]

For those of us in the dark, what is the %?

[Anonymous]

The best part about watching traffic on Saluda is that you can see it several times from the same train since they have to break it down and bring it up in parts. You can watch the first section go up while at Melrose, the second part you can "chase" by going on Pearson's Falls Rd. (which is another stop that's well worth it, beautiful Pearson's Falls) and then see the train pulling up the last section in Saluda.




The Biltmore Estate is absolutely amazing and well worth visiting and even spending the entire day at, the house is rather large, even though it is a bit expensive ($39 per ticket.) The entrance is very close to the NS yard at Biltmore, so you can see plenty of rail action close by too from the road and a few public spots.


This was from the flooding a few weeks back, only picture I could find of the line coming into Biltmore. The entrance to the Biltmore Estate is just on the other side of the bridge.

There are of course plenty of other places in Western North Carolina that are worth visiting as well, such as near-by Chimney Rock Park where The Last of the Mohicans was filmed, but train spotting is rather limited. Might catch some action on Old Fort Mountain east of Asheville (never been there myself, need to check it out.)





And NO, I don't work for the chamber of commerce.[(-D] Sorry I got so carried away, I just love where I live and want everbody to see how great it is![:D]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: For those of us in the dark, what is the %?

It's officially 4.7% at the steepest, but at one point reaches 5.1%.

[Anonymous]

Yep, NS is gonna reopen Saluda.

And when that's done, the N&W's old Abingdon Branch is next!

Old Timer

[ValleyX]

Yeah, and the Peavine (Cincinnati District) in Ohio!

[Mookie]

Beautiful pictures - thanks for sharing.

[Modelcar]

...BRF: Thanks for sharing those great pic's. of that area...Have seen much of what is pictured there and agree that it is a beautiful area to visit. The pic's of Saluda are sure familiar...Know just where the shots from the bridge were taken and looking west down that slight grade one can see the spot on the right where the Depot used to reside....

[Overmod]

A small note on the Biltmore: Buying a yearly membership is only slightly more expensive than the one-time admission, and allows you to come back as many times as you want. Since it's almost impossible to see the whole thing in a day (and I only qualify that because there might be SOMEONE out there who could; I don't know how it could be done!) this is a good way to ensure you 'get the most out of the place.'

You'd be amazed at how different it is at different seasons of the year, for instance...

[SALfan]

Blue Ridge:
Thanks for the photos. You definitely live in a beautiful part of the world.

Sounds like NS is continuing the policy of "railbanking" some of the lines they don't need for current operations. I had wondered if they were still doing that.

[oskar]

man, I hope they do I bet that the town is quiet I have olny been there once only seen one train but it was worth the wait



kevin

[MP173]

Blue Ridge:

Thanks so much for sharing the pictures and info. Lets hope they do re-open the line. I have never seen it and would make a diversion on the yearly trip to the North Carolina coast.

Several things....do not apologize for the photos nor your passion for that area. Sometimes we get too wrapped up in the nuts and bolts of this hobby to enjoy other things. Back in '02 on our way to the coast, we went via Asheville, rather than Charleston WV and toured the Biltmore. I really didnt want to do it, but the people we were travelling with wanted to.

What a wonderful place. It was well worth the time and money.

On the way east, we stopped at Old Fort and the depot was open, converted to a museum. Another neat experience.

I am fascinated by the western North Carolina region and have classified two cities that I would like to live at...Flagstaff, Az or Asheville NC. I find both of them similar in size, weather, and geography.

You are truly lucky to be living in that region.

Keep us posted on the Saluda grade.

MP

[Modelcar]

...MP173: Have been to both the cities you mention and I agree with your assessment of the suroundings...Believe Flagstaff is a bit highter at 7000'. And Humphrey's Peak near by is some piece of mountain. Snow load in winter is massive in Flagstaff too....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: I am fascinated by the western North Carolina region and have classified two cities that I would like to live at...Flagstaff, Az or Asheville NC. I find both of them similar in size, weather, and geography.

The altitude in Asheville (mainly within the city, the topography varies greatly) averages around 2,100'-2,500.' Of course you have elevations within Buncombe County over 4,000' and 5,000' and nearby Mt. Mitchell in Yancey County at 6,684' being the highest peak east of the Rockies. Farther down my way you get to the 1,000'-1,500' range (foothills) with peaks over 3,000'. Average annual rainfall for Asheville is 49.97" and snowfall is 14.9." Last year we had 92.59" of rain in Tryon though! Flagstaff averages 22.8" of rain and 110.8" of snow yearly.

[Modelcar]

...That snowfall in Asheville is interesting....Here in Indiana, central In. we have an annual avg. snowfall of about 27". Our elevation is 937' out at the airport. Asheville is about 500 miles by auto travel in distance and most of that is headed south. At least that's what my odo. read several times as we stayed at a Hampton Inn, Asheville.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if the snowfall totals include sleet and ice or not. It'd be higher if it did I would imagine. We always get some sleet and ice (lower elevations here anyway, but up there too of course) starting out before the snow unless it's just really cold. Last year, went to Chimney Rock on a Saturday in March, temperature up in the 70's, felt great, cold front came through overnight and snowed three inches on Sunday! Few years back in April, got into the 90's and the hottest it got for the whole year. Next week got a few inches of snow. Crazy weather down here! End up with a nice inch layer of ice, another inch of sleet, and then a few inches of snow on top, making for an interesting experience driving. That's something that "Yankees" don't realize when they get down here and start bragging about driving in the snow (no offense to anyone in the north, but I hear this all the time [(-D][;)]). There's always a nice sheet of ice on the road they can't see, and it doesn't matter what tires, chains, or 4x4 you have when you get on some ice. Not to mention the numerous curves, hills and mountains around here.

[Modelcar]

...Indiana is kinda known for ice too.....and sometimes it's called "black ice", guess it gets it's name because it's hard to see. Back about 10 years ago we had an ice storm come through here in late March and broke down trees over power lines, etc....In our addition here around a golf course and just outside of Muncie we were without power for 5 days. March-April and October can be known as weather transition months and anything can happen...This year we're experiencing weather warmer than normal and extremely dry. It can be snowing or like you say..in the 70's in these months...Weather in transition, not sure what it wants to do.....

[Anonymous]

Oh yes, the infamous black ice. It's hard to know how to dress too isn't it? Freezing in the morning and sweating in the afternoon. Ugh[V]

[Anonymous]

And speaking of snow, here's a picture I took this past January at Melrose after a light snow (yes, it does snow in the south, parts of it anyway [(-D]) You can see the safety track running up to the left and one of the side tracks along with the steep start of the grade, but not the steepest. The mile marker is showing 35 miles to Asheville.

[Modelcar]

...Those people would have had some excitement if a train would have slammed into the "runaway track" there....and maybe in times past they have.
As for winter in your part of the south...very easy to believe in that area of mountains. Further more, just a few years ago I saw it down to mid 20's in central Florida in the winter. Don't think I've ever seen any snow flakes there but I know it has sprinkled some down there in the past. That is a telling scene of a dormant rail line in your photo.

[espeefoamer]

The first indication that something is going to happen,is that the party involved denies the roumor that it will happen.[:D]!

[Modelcar]

Very true...Especially in Government....As the rumors start, it's probably already happened.

[Anonymous]

I was through Saluda last Wednesday. Yes Saluda has been shut down before, but this time the rails are severed at both ends and part of the reason for closure was the need to resurface and replace rail. Re-open Saluda, only if you believe in miracles. As for running a tourist line-the first word from the NS corporate mouth will be LIABILITY.
Still, I would love to see it happen!