Blue Ridge Southern Railroad

Overview
Headquarters| Canton, North Carolina
Reporting mark| BLU
Locale| North Carolina
Dates of operation| 2014-Present
Predecessor| Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern
Technical
Track gauge| 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length| 91.8 miles (147.7 kilometers)
Other
Website| watco.com/railroads/BLU

The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad (reporting mark BLU) is a Class III shortline railroad operating over 91.8 miles (147.7 kilometres) of track in Western North Carolina. The railroad is owned by Watco of Pittsburg, Kansas, and operates three lines that connect in the Asheville area that were previously owned by Norfolk Southern. The railroad is based out of Canton, North Carolina, and utilizes 11 locomotives. Operations began on 26 July 2014.[1]

## History

[edit]

See also: Murphy Branch

The Blue Ridge Southern Railroad was formed on 25 June 2014 when Watco reached a definitive agreement with Norfolk Southern for the purchase of 91.8 miles of branchlines in Western North Carolina. The railroad began operations with a fleet of 11 diesel electric locomotives, which consist of three SD40-2s, four SD40M-2 rebuilds, and four GP39-2s.[1]

The announcement to sell the lines that would become the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad was made in a Norfolk Southern corporate meeting in April 2014.[2][3]

## Lines operated

[edit]

NS Line  | North/East terminus  | South/West terminus  | Industries

|
|
|

W Line (Saluda Line)  | Asheville - MP 1.0  | East Flat Rock \- MP 26.0  | Southern Concrete Materials (numerous locations), Cane Creek Industrial Park, Kimberly Clark (Naples)
TR Line  | Hendersonville \- MP 0.0  | Pisgah Forest \- MP 19.8  | Out of service
T Line (Murphy Branch)  | Murphy Junction \- MP 0.0  | Sylva \- MP 47.0 (Interchange w/ GSMR)  | Evergreen Packaging (Waynesville), Vulcan Materials Quarry (Enka), Southern Concrete Materials (Waynesville), Giles (maker of Epsom salts, Waynesville), T&S Hardwoods (Addie), Enterprise Solutions (Addie), Jackson Paper Manufacturing Co. (Sylva)

## Roster

[edit]

Blue Ridge Southern 3943 at Arden. Model  | Road numbers

|

EMD GP39-2 | 3932, 3939, 3940, 3943, 3945
EMD SD40-2 | 4205, has BLU logo on nose
EMD SD40M-2  | 4201 - 4204

## See also

[edit]

* Trains portal

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Watco's Blue Ridge Southern Railroad To Buy Lines in N.C." Rail Source. 30 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
2. ^ Kracher, Frank (18 June 2014). "Railroad Jobs in Jeopardy". WLOS. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
3. ^ "Watco Acquires Cluster of NS North Carolina Branchines". Eastern Railroad News. 12 May 2014. Archived from the original on 20 May 2014. Retrieved 20 May 2014.

## Further reading

[edit]

* "Company negotiating with Norfolk Southern for rail line". BlueRidgeNow.com. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
* "Rail segment needed for Ecusta Trail is sold". Hendersonville Lightning. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
* WATCO. "Blue Ridge Southern Railroad agrees to purchase Asheville, N.C., lines" (PDF) (Press release). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
* "Watco Holdings, Inc.-Continuance in Control Exemption-Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, L.L.C." Surface Transportation Board. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
* "Kansas company buys railroad lines in Jackson County, WNC". The Sylva Herald & Ruralite. Retrieved 12 August 2014.

## External links

[edit]

* Blue Ridge Southern Railroad

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Watco

United States|

* Alabama Southern
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* Baton Rouge Southern
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* Birmingham Terminal
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Australia|

* Track IQ
* Watco Australia

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Railroads of North Carolina

Common carriers|

* Aberdeen, Carolina and Western Railway
* Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad
* Alexander Railroad
* Atlantic and Western Railway
* Blue Ridge Southern Railroad
* Caldwell County Railroad
* Cape Fear Railways
* Carolina Coastal Railway
* Carolina Southern Railroad
* Chesapeake and Albemarle Railroad
* Clinton Terminal Railroad
* CSX Transportation
* Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
* Laurinburg and Southern Railroad
* North Carolina Railroad
* North Carolina and Virginia Railroad
* Nash County Railroad
* Norfolk Southern Railway
* State University Railroad
* Thermal Belt Railway
* Virginia Southern Railroad
* Winston-Salem Southbound Railway
* Wilmington Terminal Railroad
* Yadkin Valley Railroad

Passenger carriers|

* Amtrak

* See also: Former carriers in North Carolina
* List of United States railroads by political division

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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