The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-07-22
Bv JAMES MacCLAMROCH
Greensboro, N. c.

Deen accused VI 1ldVlie3 oO1AiS w
sign in the matter it is probably
accurate to say that Greensboro S
and in general North Carolina
handicapping lack of adequate
east-west railroad transportation
facilities is an accident of history.
At any rate North Carolina is the
only state on the Atlantic seaboard
which does not have direct trunk
line rail communication with the
Midwest. There is a great void Of
longstanding in our rail system
westward'y and enthusiastically,
and now it appears that the gap
left by the missing rail links is
to be perpetuated in both the fed
eral inter-regional super highways
system and the airlines systems to
he built and established after the
war. But not only should we have
adequate direct instead of made
quate roundabout rail communica-
ton through the ccalfields to the
Midwest, we should also have a
federal inter-regional super high
way from Wilmington and South
port, and probably from Morehead
City-Beaufort as well, through
Greensboro northwestwardly to
the Midwest and a trunk-line air.
line in the same direction.
Rail Lines
Fash of our three rail lines
westwardly out of Greensboro
dead-ends the Southern southwest
wardly from Greensboro through
!Ashevilie Gead-ends at Murphy,
the Southern westWardly fr m
Greensboro through Winston -Sa-
lem 6ead-en6s at North Wilkes
Doro and the Atlantic & Yadkin
ENTHUSIASTICALLY from Greensboro
cead-en6s at Mount AIRY The
Asheville branch Of the Southern
should oe extended the approx
r2a-ely 70 miles from Murphy to
Chattanooga. Tennessee, the North
Wilkesbo-o branch Of the Southern
should De extended the approx
r1a-ely 50 miles Fl o m North
Wilkesooro 10 Mountain City, Ten
lessee. or some other connecting
point in that general area. and the
Atlantic Yeckin should be ex-
tended the approximately 80 miles
from Mount Airy through the coal
fields 10 Eluef ED. West Virginia,
or some other connecting point in
that general area.
The Atlantic & Yadkin is part
of the old Cape Fear Yadkin
Valley which was built in the
eighties from Wilmington to Mount
Airy, and was supposed to con
time on to the coalfields of south
west Virginia. southern West Vir.
GINA and southeast Kentucky and
a direct connection with Cincinnati
which could have been made al
Bluefield with the main line of the
Norfolk & Western. The road 60
into financial difficulties before
the last link enthusiastically out
OF Mount Airy was built and was
taken over by the Southern and
the Atlantic Coast Line. The lower
end of the old Cape Fear Yad-
kin Valley from Sanford to Viii.
mington was taken over by the
Coast Line and is now an integral
part of that system. The upper
end from Sanford to Mount Airy
was taken over by the Southern,
is separate corporation known
as the Atlantic 4 Yadkin and is
though all of the stock is owned
by the Southern.
While it is true that generally
speaking we are overbuilt on rail-
roads in this country and with the
development Of bus and truck lines
and air transportation of passenge
and freight there is probably little
likelihood OF much more railroad
building, nevertheless it is still
highly urgent, it seems to me, that
certain missing links in our raj
systems be closed. l have in mind
in particular the three links l have
mentioned watch l think are vital
to North Carolina and 1 Under.
stand there is great need for a
Ene in northwest Florida so that
passengers and freight may be
hauled directly northWestWardly
cut Of Florida without having 10
10 away roundabout through Jack
sonville. | understand that to build
the approximately 30 miles from
Mount Airy to Bluefield would cost
only from 100000 to $4,000. 900
depending upon the type of tarrain
encountered and | take it that the
Murphy Chattanooga link and the
North Wilkesboro- Mountain City
link could be built for comparable
sums. At least as far as the North
Carolina rail gaps are concerned
the mountainous terrain was IN
doubtedly formidable barrier 10
the westward extension of our rail
lines when they were built nearly
century ago, but with the pres.
ent development of engineering
techniques and methods as well as
excavating and tunneling machin
cry these rail extensions shoulo
1Ut prove to be unduly Difficult,
20 build.
North Carolina has never de
veloped a great part and it hardly
ever will until we have adequat,
direct rail lines to and from tn,
coalfields and the Midwest to feet
such port. With the addition O
the rail link now missing the raj
haul from most any point in tn
Midwest to Wilmington and South