Winston Salem (then Winston and Salem until 1913) was no different in its aspirations. The coming of the iron horse meant prosperity by means of developing commerce and a means to travel to points near and afar. Because of this obstacle, the possibility of through traffic on the L Line is eliminated and the operational base of its route shifted to Barber.Īs the American railroad network continued its expansion during the late 1800s, there was nary a city of any size that did not wish for the passage of a line through its limits. Ironically, the most densely populated sector of the route between Winston Salem and Clemmons was taken out of service due to a condemned bridge-NS to date has opted not to repair or replace it. Modern times under the banner of Norfolk Southern have witnessed the operation of the route as a branch line served by two dedicated trains by track authorities as the line is not signaled. Ultimately, the construction of this facility changed the traffic patterns of the Southern Railway not only on the L Line but other regional routes as well. The railroad continued its operation as a secondary main into the 1980s until after the completion of Linwood Yard on the Atlanta-Washington main north of Spencer.
Industrial development along the L Line was concentrated at Winston Salem and in the smaller cities along its course-in the rural reaches, it was sporadic. It was strategic as a passenger route connecting Winston Salem and Charlotte as two primary destinations as well as providing connections beyond those two endpoints. In addition, the completion of the railroad provided rail service to communities within the rural regions of Davie and Rowan Counties. With the more direct routing due south, the L Line was utilized in conjunction with the former AT&O route between Mooresville and Charlotte. The story of the L Line is that of a once secondary main line directly connecting Winston Salem and Charlotte presenting an alternate route to the Washington-Atlanta main via Greensboro. Further expounding the interest is the fact that this route-along with the AT&O-was my introduction and first marked exposure to the railroad scene in North Carolina. The topic of this piece, the NS L line-formerly a Southern Railway line between Winston Salem and Mooresville-falls into such a group. During the past fifteen years of a renewed historical interest, my exploration of rail routes is skewed with a lamentation of missing them from a past time.
Whereas my younger years experienced the pre-CSX and Norfolk Southern generation of West Virginia railroads, that opportunity was missed in North Carolina. Unlike the first phase of my life in the Mountain State, however, the arrival in North Carolina post-dated the era of when the flags of predecessor roads fell. My three decades of residing in the Tar Heel State have brought witness to the railroad scene there encompassing enumerable changes within the industry that continue to this day.
One score and twelve years ago I departed the native soil of West Virginia to set roots in my adopted state of North Carolina.
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