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I live in the area of the Saluda Grade and do miss seeing the train coming down from Melrose towards the Tryon Country Club (could see this from my house in winter!) I have a friend that works for Norfolk Southern at the Biltmore Yard in Asheville. He seems optimistic on the fact that the line will be reopened eventually. This may yet be a few more years, but one can only hope. The original reason for closing it was economics and shift in rail traffic from coal mines in southern Virginia to West Virginia, but the trains are now being routed through Salisbury, a good 3 hours by train from here. He thinks that the Saluda Grade will probably see regular freight traffic again one day. He also told me that Representative Charles Taylor, District Eleven, found an old legal document dating back to the 19th Century stating that a rail line had to be kept from Charleston, S.C. to Asheville. Even though the rails are cut, Norfolk Southern can not legally remove the rails. I'm not familiar with the law, so I can't tell you anything more about it, but I am trying to find more information about it and keep everyone informed on the status of the line. So far nothing much has been happening. The Carolina Heritage Line was formed not long after the line was "abandoned" and is currently working on establishing rail service along the line, similar to how the Great Smokey Mountains Railroad was formed in Dillsboro and Bryson City, N.C. after their line was abandoned by Norfolk Southern. If I remember correctly, the NCDOT favors this idea and may provide grants for purchasing the Norfolk Southern line if it is completely abandoned. This is all that I can recall off the top of my head. I'm going to try to get a website started on the Saluda Grade and keep information posted.
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