almetto rail

P Couple Up
Greenville SC
With History S
August 2009
COUPLE UP WITH HI STORY

P almetto Rails is the offi-

cial monthly publication of the
Double Feature Night!

Greenville Chapter of the Na- Cass WV and the Southern Loops

i ng
Meet
tional Railway Historical Soci-
st
ety. Opinions and views ex-
pressed in this publication are
those of the editor and con-
Augu
August Meeting
J oin us for an double feature evening brought
to us by chapter member Gordon Fewster.
tributors and do not necessarily Greenville Chapter
reflect those of the members, Gordon went to the Cass West Virginia Railfan
National Railway Weekend in 2007. He will present a slide pro-
officers or directors of the t
chapter. Items of interest Wha Historical Society gram of the Cass activities. For those unaware,
should be sent to the editor at Cass, West Virginia, was a West Virginia Pulp
the address on the mailing label and Paper Company mill town. The town was
o r e m a i l a t Sears Shelter preserved as a state park, along with the stan-
GrvlNrhs@yahoo.com. e 100 East Park Avenue dard gauge logging railroad. Be ready to see
W her Greenville, SC plenty of steam action in Gordon’s first pro-
Editor
Dennis Lockwood 864-288-8313 gram. Gordon’s second program highlights the
chapter’s first unofficial tour of the loops be-
President
Craig Myers 864-616-6585 Friday, 21 tween Ridgecrest and Old Fort, North Carolina
en
Vice President
Wh August 2009 last fall. It was a cold but sunny day with
7:00 PM plenty of Norfolk Southern freight action. Join
Frank Ezell 864-814-2989
Gordon for a memorable evening.
Secretary Additionally, join us for our August chapter
Malcolm Mather 864-876-1616 field trip. Everybody loves a group
Treasurer activity on a hot summer Saturday,
Dr. Marv Havens 864-292-3852 right? On Saturday, 22 August 2009,
we will tour the new trestle over
National Director
Woodruff Road in Greenville. But to
Lester Collins 864-592-2881
avoid the heat, we will go early Satur-
Directors day morning and be done before the
Ruth Turner 864-281-0149 heat sets in. We will announce the
Dennis Lockwood 864-288-8313 exact time and meeting place at our
Geoff Duncan 864-895-4788
Steven Hawkins 864-236-7051 August meeting.
So join us before the summer slips
Mission: The mission of the completely away.
chapter is to preserve and inter-
pret the history of railroads of
the United States, South Caro-
lina and the upstate of South
Carolina and their role in his- Steven Hawkins photo
tory by (1) the study of railroad Congratulations to Steven and
operations, (2) the acquisition, Cheryl Hawkins on the birth of
restoration, operation and dis- their new son, Spencer Haywood.
play of rolling stock, artifacts, Spencer came into the world at
photographs, paper records and 8:11 AM on 24 June 2009
other railroad related items, and weighting 8 lbs, 4 oz. He meas-
(3) the education of the public ured 21 in long. Both mom and
about railroad operations.
Spencer are doing fine, the only
Chapter Logo and Banner question is: How is Steve?
Copyright 2009

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PAGE 2 P A LME T TO R AI LS AU GUS T 20 09

Chapter Calendar

Coming Events
A
endar.
quick look at our upcoming cal-

Note: If you know of a rail event of in-

terest, please submit all items to the edi-
tor at GrvlNrhs@yahoo.com. Include the
name and date of the event, cost, location
and contact information. Submit all
items at least 60 days in advance of the
event, so we will have time to publish it.

SPENCER, N.C. –The N.C. Transpor-

tation Museum Foundation and the
Watauga Valley Chapter of the Na-
tional Railway Historical Society offer
a chance to see the beautiful fall foliage,
experience a great destination and enjoy
the romance of riding the rails this fall.
The museum is again hosting fall train
excursions. In addition to our traditional
Charlottesville, Va. day trip, the museum
will also offer a day trip to Asheville
NC.
After hosting day trips through the
1990s, the museum revived rail excur-
sions in 2007. The past two years have
been sell-out crowds and satisfied pas-
sengers made those excursions a great
success. . The “Virginia Autumn Spe-
cial” will travel to Charlottesville, Va.,
Oct. 31, while the “Blue Ridge Special”
will travel to Asheville, Nov. 1. Each
day’s trip will include spectacular views Departing Spencer at 7 a.m., Saturday’s offer a second passenger pick-up at the
of fall foliage. “Virginia Autumn Special” will again Greensboro Amtrak Station at 8 a.m.,
allowing those living in the Triad a
more convenient boarding opportunity.
Passing through the North Carolina
cities of Thomasville, High Point and
Reidsville, and the Virginia cities of
Danville, Lynchburg and Oak Ridge,
passengers will experience beautiful
views of the Piedmont and rolling hills
of the Carolinas and the western part of
Central Virginia. Spectacular views of
the Dan, Roanoke and James Rivers
will be seen as the train crosses above.
The train will even pass by Schuyler,
the mountain town fictionalized in the
television show “The Waltons.”
At noon, the “Virginia Autumn Spe-
cial” will arrive in Charlottesville,
home of the University of Virginia.
(Continued on page 3)

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AU GUS T 20 09
Coming Events
(Continued from page 2)
Here travelers will have nearly three
hours to explore the historic downtown
area. A short walk takes you to the
downtown outdoor mall, considered
one of the finest urban parks in the
country. Unique shopping and dining
opportunities can be found in bou-
tiques, specialty wine, coffee and tea
shops, and outdoor dining spots. Trav-
elers may also enjoy relaxing walks
under a lush, leafy tree canopy. De-
parting Charlottesville at 3 p.m., the
train will arrive back in Greensboro at
6:45 p.m. and Spencer at 8 p.m.
During Sunday’s trip, the “Blue Ridge
Special” will travel through the west-
ern Piedmont into the foothills and on
to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Depart-
ing Spencer at 7 a.m., the train will roll
through the cities of Statesville, Hick-
ory, Morganton, Marion, Black Moun-
tain and Swannanoa. The train will
climb the famed "loops" of the Blue
Ridge Mountains passing the famous
Andrews Geyser and through several
tunnels before arriving in Asheville at
noon. Passengers will have nearly
three hours for an outing at Biltmore
Village.
Established in the late 1890s as a
planned community near the entrance
of the Biltmore estate, Biltmore Vil-
lage stands near the entrance to Bilt-
more Estate. Shopping will be avail-
able in unique, locally-owned bou-
tiques. Passengers can dine in restau-
rants and take walks along brick side-
Greenville Chapter archives
Unide ntifie d Mainte nance
crew with push car at Fonda,
New York ca. 1917. Although
we don’t know the name of the
gentleman on the right, chances
are he was a US Navy veteran.
Why? Because he is wearing a
standard issue US Navy pea
coat.
P A LME T TO R AI LS
walks that parallel tree lined streets.
All of this will be enjoyed alongside
spectacular views of the North Caro-
lina mountains. Departing Asheville
at 3 p.m., the “Blue Ridge Special”
will return to Spencer at 8 p.m.
Several different levels of excursion
tickets are available. Ticket prices are
the same each day. Premium First
Class tickets feature comfort seating
on private rail cars restored to the
height of luxury. Premium First Class
passengers will also enjoy an early
continental breakfast, newspaper and
dinner in the diner on the return trip.
Premium First Class tickets are $240
per person.
A new offering this year, Deluxe
Coach Class tickets feature spacious
seating with large windows, lunch on
the dining car and light snacks during
the trip. Deluxe Coach tickets are
$170 per person.
Coach tickets feature comfortable
seating, air conditioning and heat and
restrooms. Coach tickets are $140 per
person.
Another new feature, an optional box
lunch will allow travelers to save time
www.palmettorails.org
PAGE 3
for shopping in Charlottesville or
Asheville. The $14 box lunch, served
in a souvenir lunch tote, includes in-
clude a half turkey wrap, pasta, chips
& salsa, a cookie and drink.
Passengers may also take advantage of
a shuttle bus at each destination for an
additional $2.
Tickets are available online at
www.nctrans.org or by calling 704-
636-2889 ext. 232.
P&N Program at the Upstate His-
tory Muse um, Greenville, South
Carolina — 3 October 2009, time
TBD. Our very own president, Craig
Myers, will present a program about
the history of the Upstate’s own elec-
tric interurban, the Piedmont & North-
ern. If you are soft on your P&N his-
tory, this is the program to see.
Narrow Trak 09 – 9&10 October
2009, Pisgah Forest, North Carolina.
This annual mini-convention will fea-
ture seminars, operating modules,
popular-vote model contest and Satur-
day night music. The first seminar
will start at 2:30pm, Friday. For more
information: plans@citcom.net.
AU GUS T 20 09 P A LME T TO R AI LS PAGE 4

Saluting the Men Who Labored for the Railroads

Both photos from Greenville Chapter archives

Above Three wheel handcar meanders through the

North Carolina woods in this 1917 photo. Left railroad
office and shop crew examine a motorcar in this un-
dated photo.

In Memoriam
Palmetto Rails sadly notes the passing of Frank Ezell Sr.,
father of our Vice President Frank Ezell Jr. The senior Mr.
Ezell passed away 6 August 2009 at the age of 90. Mr. Ezell
had a BS degree from Wofford College and landed on Omaha
Beach on 6 June 1944 (D-Day). In civilian life, he retired as
Corporate Vice President of Geer Drug Company in 1984. He
was a life member of Kiwanis International and served as
President and Lt. Governor. He was a lifelong member of the
First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, where he served as dea-
con. The Greenville Chapter extends sympathies to the Ezell
family.

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AU GUS T 20 09 P A LME T TO R AI LS PAGE 5

Railroad Laborers

Both photos from Greenville

Chapter archives

Above handcar in front of

Sims, North Dakota depot ca.
1911. Left motorcar enters a
diamond in an unknown loca-
tion ca. 1925.

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G R E E NV I L L E CH A P T ER
N A T IO N A L RA I L W A Y H I S T OR I C A L SO C I E T Y

PO Box 5481
Greenville SC 29606

Email: GrvlNrhs@yahoo.com

COUPLE UP W ITH HISTORY

25 Years of NRHS ster

or d o n Few
Leadership! G oops
ght!
e at ur e Ni an d t he L
le F ass, W
V
D oub ws C
R e vie

Guess where? Chapter President Craig Myers sends this photo quiz. Craig recently visited
this location. Could this be a mine entrance? Palmetto Rails requested $100 million in stimu-
lus money from the Obama administration to use as prizes. Alas, we were rejected. So those
correctly identifying this location will win the distinction of having their name listed in the next
Palmetto Rails. Email your guess to GrvlNRHS@yahoo.com or be at the August 2009 chapter
meeting to learn the answer.

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PAGE 7 P A LME T TO R AI LS AU GUS T 20 09

Pictures From the Past

Greenville Chapter archives

Landrum, South Carolina depot ca 1909. The Landrum depot stands to-
day as a civic building facing the Norfolk Southern’s Spartanburg to
Asheville mothballed Saluda Grade track.

The Southern Railroad (sic) tracks crossing Main Street near the site of the present Carolina Cash were
removed in 1925. This crossing had caused traffic flow problems after the increase of automobiles in down-
town Spartanburg. Note the A.L.Mayrand and Aug.W. Smith companies in the background. Aug. W. Smith
moved up East Main Street in 1925 to the site of the third First Presbyterian Church building between Liberty
and Converse streets.
Photograph courtesy of the Herald-Journal Willis Collection Spartanburg County (SC) Public Libraries.

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AU GUS T 20 09 P A LME T TO R AI LS PAGE 8

Pictures From the Past

Gaffney, South Carolina Southern Railway depot, ca. 1905.

Photograph courtesy of the Herald-Journal Willis Collection Spartanburg County (SC) Public Libraries.

Spartanburg, South Carolina Southern

Railway depot ca. 1971.
Photograph courtesy of the Herald-Journal
Willis Collection Spartanburg County
(SC) Public Libraries

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