Bunn, NC Line?

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All,

On the way to Nags Head from Raleigh this past weekend, we drove thru Bunn, NC. I noticed what appeared to remnants of an old ROW thru Bunn. I also noticed what appeared to be old freight buildings. I know there is now a branchline that extends from south of Rocky Mt. up to Nashville (crosses under US 64 and looks like it services a grain elevator).

Did this line once extend to Bunn? Where did it extend to? When was the line pulled?

Thanks, Brian Crase Raleigh, NC

-- Brian Crase (bocowm@aol.com), August 06, 2000

Answers

Brian, Dont't think there is much of anthing going on with rail service in Spring Hope. The NCRR is storing boxcars in Spring Hope. Going out of town to the west (toward Raleigh) you can see cars spotted to the right as you cross the tracks on old business US64. Going the other way, toward Rocky Mount, you can see cars stored on the hill right behind Lowes Grocery Store. For awhile they were storing cars in downtown Spring Hope. That didn't go over well with the town "fathers".

Craig Strickland

-- Craig Strickland (cstrick@coastalnet.com), September 08, 2002.


Well, its been a little over 2 years and we just got back today from Nags Head. This time, we came thru Spring Hope and I found the line still in service thru downtown. Boxcars were spotted around town. Anyone know what is serviced in and around town on this branch?

Thanks, Brian

-- Brian Crase (bocowm@aol.com), August 19, 2002.


I just remembered another part of the bubble gum story. The engines were always F-units in glorious purple and silver (well Ok, aluminum, I couldn't say aluminum when I was five....probably).

-- David Wiggs (bigwiggs@bellsouth.net), September 10, 2000.

When I was a youngster in the early fifties living in Rocky Mount, my parents would take us to visit one of my dad's relatives that lived in Bunn. He was raised in that town. I was probably five years old but I remember going to the back of the property to wait for the ACL trains to pass. We would wave our arms and the engine crew would toss out bubble gum. Other than getting chased by geese while waiting for the trains, that is my only memory of Bunn.

-- David Wiggs (bigwiggs@bellsouth.net), August 13, 2000.

The former ACL/SCL branch from Rocky Mt. to Lassiter was still in service as far as Bunn I believe as late as 1980-1981. I know for a fact that I saw a local freight in Bunn during the late 1970's while on a school field trip. The line west of Spring Hope was removed sometime during 1981 if I remember correctly, because I had gone there to photograph the line and was surprised to find it gone. The line had been included in the state of North Carolina's first "Rail Plan" study which had evaluated several branch lines in the state for possible assistance/rehabilitation. The Rocky Mt. to Spring Hope segment as well as the nearby Franklinton to Louisburg branch of the SCL were later purchased as a package deal by the Laurinburg & Southern Railway and operated respectively as the Nash County Railway and the Franklin County Railway.

Maurice Hill Raleigh, NC

-- Maurice Hill (MoinNC@aol.com), August 12, 2000.



The ACL branch west of Rocky Mount to Spring Hope was extended through Bunn to Polesville between 1924 and 1926. I don't have the exact date. There was another extension from Polesville to Lassiter between 1926 and 1930. The line actually went several miles further as a lumber railroad. Lassiter-Bunn was abandoned in October 1965 and the line was cut back again to Spring Hope in 1967. Passenger service on the branch out of Rocky Mount shows three roundtrips a day until c.1926. Then it was one roundtrip mixed train 'til c.March 1937, when it became freight only. ACL never showed passenger service west of Spring Hope. "Stations" west of Spring Hope were Bunn, New Hope, Dollard, Barham and Lassiter, NC.

-- Tom Underwood (tlunder@attglobal.net), August 07, 2000.

The Spring Hope branch originally went to a rock quary up that way. Lots of ballast was hauled from it.

Contact J.E. Winstead (443-3438) for details. There was a station on the line called Winstead.

JE has quite a collection of ACL stuff including, Weldon turntable, RMT lockout house for controlling crossing gates, and many depots. He has quite a museum in Rocky Mount including rolling stock.

The Tar River Rail Bridge for the Spring Hope Branch is still there.

A past rail bridge that was the highway bridge for NC43 north of Rocky Mount was recently torn down. Anyone know the details of this bridge? The Rocky Mount Telegram did a picture of it.

-- Tom Stallings (tlstalli@libertybay.com), August 06, 2000.


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