| Railroad Name: | Charleston & Western Carolina Railway |
| Locale: | Georgia and South Carolina |
| Start Year: | 1896 |
| End Year: | 1959 |
| Successor: | Atlantic Coast Line Railroad |
| Length: | 341miles |
The Charleston and Western Carolina Railway (C&WC) was formed in 1896 to operate the lines of the former Port Royal and Augusta Railway (PR&A) and the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway (PR&WC). The PR&A and PR&WC had originally been part of the Central of Georgia Railroad but the South Carolina Legislature had forced the railroad to give up the subsidiary lines. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) took over the C&WC in 1897 but operated it as a subsidiary until 1959 when the ACL fully absorbed it. Much of the original system is still in use by ACL successor CSX Transportation.
When the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway was created in 1896, it combined two existing railroads, the Port Royal and Augusta Railway and the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway into a single entity. The oldest portion of the line, the PR&A, ran from Port Royal to Augusta, a distance of 112miles following its completion in 1873. It was financed by the Georgia Railroad of Augusta, which sought to extend its own network and gain access to a port on the east coast. Fearing its port at Savannah would be compromised by any expansion of the facilities at Port Royal, the Central of Georgia Railway took control of the Port Royal & Augusta in 1881.[1]
The Central of Georgia sought to expand into the western portion of South Carolina in order to funnel traffic through their lines out of Augusta. In order to accomplish this goal, the Central leased the Augusta and Knoxville Railroad in 1883, which owned a 68miles line from Augusta to Greenwood. Shortly thereafter, the Central financed construction of three new lines; the first was an extension from Greenwood to Spartanburg, 66miles completed in 1885, the second a branch from McCormick to Anderson, 58miles, and a final branch from Laurens to Greenville, 36miles. In 1886, all of these branches including the Augusta & Knoxville were merged to create the Port Royal and Western Carolina Railway.[2] Financial trouble in 1894 caused the Central of Georgia to lose control of both companies.
Finally, in 1896, the Charleston & Western Carolina Railway was organized to consolidate both railroads into a single entity. The result was a 341miles railroad network covering most of western South Carolina. In 1897, the Atlantic Coast Line took control of the C&WC and operated the railroad as an independent company.
The C&WC operated passenger train service between Augusta and Port Royal, with a major transfer stop at Yemassee, South Carolina. At the Yemassee passengers could transfer to ACL trains to Savannah and to Charleston.[3] Passenger service ended between 1954 and 1957.[4]
The ACL formally absorbed the C&WC in 1959. From there, the trackage of the former C&WC moved through the merger tree, first to the Seaboard Coast Line in 1967, followed by the Seaboard System in 1983, and finally CSX Transportation in 1986. Most of the original C&WC system survives under CSX Transportation, which includes the Augusta Subdivision, McCormick Subdivision, and the Spartanburg Subdivision. The remains of the former Laurens to Greenville branch survives as the Carolina Piedmont Railroad.
| SC | AMJ 468.1 | Port Royal | Port Royal | |
| AMJ 463.8 | Beaufort | Beaufort | ||
| AMJ 462.1 | Burton | |||
| AMJ 455.2 | Seabrook | |||
| AMJ 453.9 | Coosaw | junction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Charleston Subdivision | ||
| AMJ 450.0 | Sheldon | |||
| A 443.3 | Yemassee | Yemassee | junction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Main Line | |
| AMH 449.0 | Early Branch | |||
| AMH 453.4 | Cummings | |||
| AMH 459.9 | Varnville | Varnville | ||
| AMH 461.9 | Hampton | Hampton | junction with Hampton and Branchville Railroad | |
| AMH 462.6 | Mauldins Mill | |||
| AMH 468.4 | Brunson | Brunson | ||
| AMH 471.9 | Fairfax | Fairfax | junction with Seaboard Air Line Railroad Main Line | |
| AMH 477.3 | Allendale | Allendale | junction with Carolina Midland Railway (SOU) | |
| AMH 485.6 | Beldoc | |||
| AMH 489.2 | Martin | |||
| AMH 492.7 | Millett | |||
| AMH 501.2 AK 431.2 | Robbins | junction with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Florence—Robbins Line | ||
| AK 438.6 | Ellenton | |||
| AK 445.2 | Jackson | Jackson | ||
| AK 448.4 | Kathwood | |||
| AK 454.3 | Beech Island | |||
| GA | AK 459.5 | Augusta | Augusta Union Station | junction with: |
| AK 461.5 | Broad Street | |||
| AK 468.2 | Martinez | |||
| AK 472.0 | Evans | |||
| SC | AK 472.6 | Griffin | ||
| AK 476.8 | Woodlawn | |||
| AK 483.5 | Clark Hill | |||
| AK 488.4 | Modoc | |||
| AK 492.3 | Parksville | Parksville | ||
| AK 497.7 | Plum Branch | Plum Branch | ||
| AK 502.9 | McCormick | McCormick | junction with Anderson Branch | |
| AK 509.5 | Troy | Troy | ||
| AK 513.8 | Bradley | |||
| AK 523.3 | Salak | |||
| AK 524.8 | Maxwell | |||
| AK 527.8 | Greenwood | Greenwood | junction with: | |
| AK 534.3 | Coronaca | |||
| AK 542.1 | Waterloo | |||
| AK 553.8 | Irby | |||
| AK 554.7 | Laurens | Laurens | junction with: | |
| AK 561.6 | Ora | |||
| AK 566.7 | Enoree | |||
| AK 570.1 | Kilgore | |||
| AK 574.4 | Woodruff | Woodruff | ||
| AK 580.2 | Switzer | |||
| AK 582.8 | Moore | |||
| AK 586.7 | Roebuck | |||
| AK 592.7 | Spartanburg | Spartanburg | junction with: | |
| AKH 502.9 | McCormick | McCormick | junction with Main Line |
| AKH 510.8 | Bordeaux | ||
| AKH 515.1 | Willington | ||
| AKH 519.2 | Mount Carmel | ||
| AKH 527.6 | Calhoun Falls | Calhoun Falls | junction with Georgia, Carolina and Northern Railway (SAL) |
| AKH 537.8 | Lowndesville | Lowndesville | |
| AKH 545.5 | Iva | Iva | |
| AKH 551.2 | Starr | Starr | |
| AKH 553.1 | Deans | ||
| AKH 561.4 | Anderson | Anderson | junction with Blue Ridge Railway |
| AKJ 554.7 | Laurens | Laurens | junction with Main Line |
| AKJ 558.9 | Doubling | ||
| AKJ 561.8 | Barksdale | ||
| AKJ 565.1 | Gray Court | Gray Court | |
| AKJ 566.8 | Owings | ||
| AKJ 572.6 | Fountain Inn | Fountain Inn | |
| AKJ 577.3 | Simpsonville | Simpsonville | |
| AKJ 582.9 | Mauldin | Mauldin | |
| AKJ 590.7 | Greenville | Greenville | junction with: |