Alexander Railroad

The Alexander Railroad Company (reporting mark ARC) is a Class III shortline railroad operating in North Carolina. The railroad has 18 miles (29 kilometers) of track that runs northwest from Statesville to Taylorsville, North Carolina.

Alexander Railroad
Overview
HeadquartersTaylorsville, North Carolina
Reporting markARC
LocaleNorth Carolina
Dates of operation1946–Present
PredecessorSouthern Railway
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length18 miles (29 kilometers)

History
Alexander Railroad headquarters located Taylorsville, NC.

The Alexander Railroad began operations in 1946. The line was marked for abandonment by the Southern Railway, so local investors and businessmen stepped in, purchasing the 18-mile (29 km) branch line from Statesville to Taylorsville. The railroad is named after Alexander County, North Carolina, although it serves both Alexander & Iredell Counties.

The railroad was originally chartered and built in 1887 as the Statesville & Western, a subsidiary of Atlantic, Tennessee & Ohio which ran between Charlotte and Statesville North Carolina. The AT&O was purchased by the Richmond & Danville, and eventually came under the Southern Railway.

Operations
Alexander Railroad #7, Alco S-3, photographed March 11, 2004.

The Alexander Railroad serves 20 customers, handling approximately 2,500 carloads (200,000 tons) per year.[1] Principal commodities carried by the railroad are grain, pulpboard, plastics, lumber products, and scrap paper. The ARC has one connection with Norfolk Southern at Statesville, NC, which sees daily interchange.

The ARC uses radio frequency 160.62000, under license KCP872 (AAR channel 34) for all of their operations.[2][3]

Roster

The Alexander Railroad currently has five operating diesel-electric locomotives. The roster includes: #3 - GE 44 tonner, and four EMD SW1500's, #9 and #10 wearing an all over black livery. #11 and #12 wear a more eye catching black and green livery. ARC #11 was photographed working in Taylorsville in March 2013.[4]

The ARC has a locomotive servicing shop in Taylorsville, where four of the railroad's five locomotives are kept. The other one is kept in Statesville for switching the yard.

See also

References
  1. Alexander Railroad, Railway Association of North Carolina (retrieved 18 June, 2014)
  2. Railroads Scanner Frequencies, RadioReference.com (retrieved 18 June, 2014)
  3. ULS License, Industrial/Business Pool, Conventional License - KCP872 - ALEXANDER RAILROAD COMPANY, Federal Communications Commission (retrieved 12 August, 2014)
  4. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=428883&nseq=40

General references
  • "Alexander Railroad History". Alexander Railroad. 2009. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
  • Walker, Mike (2004). SPV's Comprehensive Railroad Atlas of North America: Appalachia and Piedmont. Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom: SPV Publishing. ISBN 1-874745-07-2.
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