Roanoke Railway

the Roanoke Railway built north from Thelma, North Carolina across the Roanoke River into Brusnwick County, Virginia
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Norfolk VA 1:250,000 topographic quadrangle (1953)

The Camp Manufacturing Company built the Roanoke Railway, 75 miles west of its other timberlands in the Dismal Swamp and 50 miles west of its mills at Franklin.

The Roanoke Railway operated between 1912-26, and was abandoned when the timber had been cut. At the time, Camp Manufacturing Company's practice was to harvested all the mature timber it could reach and then leave an area, rather than practice sustained yield forest management.

Construction started from the Seaboard Air Line at Thelma, North Carolina, and required building a bridge over the Roanoke River. Track was built for 15 miles to the town of Brunswick. A network of additional track extended through the forests in Brunswick County, Virginia.

the Camp Manufacturing Company built the Roanoke Railway through Brunswick County, with links to the Southern Railway at Racume, VA and the Seaboard Air Line at Thelma, NC
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), White Plains VA 1:48,000 topographic quadrangle (1919)

The Roanoke Railway built far enough north to connect with the Southern Railway at Racume. The Southern Railway had leased the track built there originally by the Atlantic and Danville Railroad.

the Roanoke Railway (red) linked to the Southern Railway (blue) at Racume, VA
Source: US Geological Survey (USGS), Emporia VA 1:62,500 topographic quadrangle (1919)

The Camp Manufacturing Company operated the Roanoke Railway for 13 years. After the timber was cut, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) approved requests to abandon the railroad in two segments. First, the track from Horners to Brunswick was abandoned. At the end of 1925, the Interstate Commerce Commission approved closure of the track between Brunswick-Thelma.

The Federal agency noted that the Roanoke Railway had one purpose, and the need had disappeared with the timber:¹ "North Carolina Railroads - Roanoke Railway," Carolana, http://www.carolana.com/NC/Transportation/railroads/nc_rrs_roanoke_railway.html; "Abandonment of Roanoke Ry," Interstate Commerce Commission, Finance Docket 4100, December 13, 1924, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Volume 94, Government Printing Office, 1925, p.243, https://books.google.com/books?id=edWbQOMIVTsC; "Abandonment of Roanoke Ry," Interstate Commerce Commission, Finance Docket 5143, December 29, 1925, Interstate Commerce Commission Reports, Volume 95, Government Printing Office, 1926, p.267, https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/Chcm3vvaAO4C (last checked June 29, 2020)

The applicant represents that its railroad was built in 1909-1911 primarily for the purpose of transporting logs and timber products from the tributary territory, that forest products constituted approximately 95 per cent of the traffic, that the timber has been cut and transported, and that there is practically no traffic now originating on or available for transportation over its railroad...

Almost two decades later, the Camp Manufacturing Company built the Franklin and Carolina Railroad between its timberlands in the Dismal Swamp and the mills at Franklin.² Clifford A. Hedgepeth, Jr., "Dismal Swamp Operations of Camp Manufacturing Company and The Franklin and Carolina Railroad," Southampton County Historical Society, http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vaschs/Camp.htm (last checked April 22, 2020)

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