The Cheraw and Darlington Railroad was a

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

shortline railroad that served

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

and, later,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, beginning before the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The gauge was changed to in 1886.

History

The Cheraw and Darlington was chartered in 1849 and began operations in 1853, initially serving the area between

Cheraw, South Carolina Cheraw ( , ) is a town on the Pee Dee River in Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 5,040 at the 2020 census. The greater Cheraw area in the zip code 29520 has a populatio ...

, and

Darlington, South Carolina Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, South Carolina, United States. In 2010, its population was 6,289. It is the county seat of Darlington County. It is part of the Florence, South Carolina metropolitan area. Darlington is known f ...

. Like many Southern lines, the Cheraw and Darlington Railroad suffered during the American Civil War. In the waning days of the conflict, a considerable portion of the carrier's infrastructure was ordered destroyed by invading Union forces. Maj. Gen.

William T. Sherman William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

sent a mounted infantry force to

Florence, South Carolina Florence is a city in and the county seat of Florence County, South Carolina, United States. It lies at the intersection of Interstates 20 and 95 and is the eastern terminus of the former. It is the primary city within the Florence metropol ...

, to level the depots, trestle-work, bridges, and public buildings and stores. In the course of the action, which took place in March 1865, of trestle work, two depots, 11 freight and four passenger cars were destroyed, along with a considerable amount of supplies. However, the Confederate cavalry and infantry was able to stop the Union cavalry from completing some of this mission. By 1867, the Cheraw and Darlington was running again, going from Cheraw to Florence and back daily. As of 1887, the line had four locomotives, three passenger cars and 29 freight cars. The Cheraw and Darlington acquired the Cheraw and Salisbury Railroad, in 1892 for $90,000. With the purchase came an extension north to Wadesboro, North Carolina. The Cheraw and Darlington Railroad was acquired by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967, it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast ...

in 1898, which became part of their Wadesboro—Florence Line. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad existed between 1898 and 1967, when it merged with the

Seaboard Air Line Railroad The Seaboard Air Line Railroad , known colloquially as the Seaboard Railroad during its time, was an American railroad that existed from April 14, 1900, until July 1, 1967, when it merged with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, its longtime ri ...

to form the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate lin ...

. After several more mergers and consolidations, it is now part of

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of track, it is the lead ...

. The line is still in service from Florence to Floyds and is now operated by the South Carolina Central Railroad.

References

External links

Cheraw and Darlington R.R. Company Proceedings, 1883-1897, Cheraw and Darlington Railroad Company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheraw and Darlington Railroad Defunct South Carolina railroads Defunct North Carolina railroads Predecessors of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Railway companies established in 1853 Railway companies disestablished in 1898 5 ft gauge railways in the United States American companies established in 1853 American companies disestablished in 1898 1853 establishments in South Carolina 1898 disestablishments in the United States