prior to the Civil War, Lynchburg had no railroad connection to the south
Source: University of North Carolina, Virginia, N. Carolina, S. Carolina (Jacob Wells, George E. Sherman, c.1855)
prior to the Civil War, Lynchburg had no railroad connection to the south
Source: University of North Carolina, Virginia, N. Carolina, S. Carolina (Jacob Wells, George E. Sherman, c.1855)
Lynchburg ended up with two railroad connection to the south, one to Danville built in ___ and a later one to Durham in 1890.
The Lynchburg & Durham Railroad was built halfway between two lines controlled by the Richmond and Danville Railroad. The Virginia Midland Railway was already in operation to the west, and the Richmond and Danville track was to the east.
The Lynchburg & Durham Railroad was a "developmental road" expected to generate enough local traffic to be profitable, rather than to connect distant points to increase revenue from through traffic. In contrast, the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad earlier had funded the the Lynchburg & Danville Railroad as an extension of the Virginia Midland Railway south to Danville.
In Lynchburg, the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad connected to the Virginia Midland. All traffic headed north would use that line. Even traffic headed east-west on the Norfolk and Western or the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) railroads would first have to cross over the Virginia Midland, guaranteeing that railroad some revenue.
the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad in 1892
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Lynchburg VA 1:25,000 quadrangle (1892)
The railroad crossed the Staunton (Roanoke) River near Brookneal. Just south of the river, it passed through a plantation owned by Thomas Clark. He granted the railroad a right-of-way, and it agreed to build a station named Clarkton. Traffic on the road between Danville to Richmond began to cross the Staunton River at Clarkton, rathe than the traditional Coles Ferry further downstream, after the railroad and the supervisors in Halifax and Charlotte counties funded construction of the Clarkton Bridge in 1902.
the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad crossed the Staunton River south of Brookneal in 1890
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Appomattox VA 1:125,000 topographic quadrangle (1892)
The Lynchburg & Durham Railroad could interchange cars in South Boston with the Richmond and Danville Railroad. South of Dan River, there was another connection with the Atlantic and Danville Railway through which cars could be transported east to Portsmouth.
The Lynchburg & Durham Railroad built 115 miles of track from Lynchburg to Durham. It reached Rustburg in 1888, South Boston in 1889, and Durham in 1890.1
In an attempt to stimulate local traffic, the railroad established 28 stops initially. After 32 months of operation, 15 of those had been eliminated.2
Completion of the railroad brought an end to work by the US Army Corps of Engineers to improve the navigation channel for 65 miles of the Staunton River, upstream of its confluence with the Dan River to the Pigg River. The project started in 1879, but the railroad ended the need to make navigation easier for poled batteaux and shallow-drafted steamboats.3
the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad completed the north-south links from the Norfolk and Western to North Carolina (1=New River Plateau Railroad Company/Cripple Creek Extension; 2=Roanoke & Southern Railway/Pumpkin Vine; 3=Lynchburg and Danville; 4=Richmond and Danville, 5=Richmond and Mecklenburg)
Source: ESRI, ArcGIS Online
The Norfolk and Western leased the Lynchburg and Durham in 1892. They built an interchange in Lynchburg to connect the two lines, without having to use any of the Richmond and Danville Railroad track.
The Lynchburg & Durham Railroad was briefly renamed the Norfolk, Lynchburg & Durham Railroad in 1896. The railroad survived as an independent corporation until 1998, when it was folded into the modern Norfolk Southern.4
the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad in 1930
Source: The Norfolk and Western Magazine, The Lynchburg & Durham Rail Road (February, 1930)
Trains still run on the track through Virginia, but no longer can reach Durham. In North Carolina, the track now ends at Roxboro.
the Norfolk Southern still operates on the old route of the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad in Virginia
Source: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), Virginia Railroad Map (2012)
service by the Norfolk Southern on the old the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad route stops short of Durham today
Source: Norfolk Southern, System Overview
the Lynchburg & Durham Railroad in 1890
Source: New York Public Library, Mineral territory tributary to Norfolk and Western Railroad (1890)