The Atlantic & Carolina ran from the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad pass track just North of the ACL station at Warsaw through Kenansville to near Chinquapin. North of Chinquapin, across Muddy Creek, an old map in the Courthouse shows the A & C, the Kinston Carolina RR (Rowland Lumber Company) and Ropper Lumber Company line to New Bern using a common "Y". The A & C was standard gauge. Ropper Lumber used standard for their main lines and narrow for the feeder lines. At Warsaw the A & C logs were transferred to ACL RR flat cars. The logs went to Goldsboro Lumber Company. More than likely, the log cars cars were not fit for interchange, as they had no air brakes, grab irons, etc. Many of the logging companies had no money for babbit bearings, so they made wood bearings from rock hard maple and dense oak - soaked in oil for weeks - they worked and would carry the load. At Kenansville the A & C station was behind the new bank, built in the late 60s or early 70s, across from the courthouse near the west side of the new shopping center. The station was on one leg of the "Y", and the main line used the other two legs of the "Y". Trains pulled in/backed out or backed in/pulled out. The A & C crossed NC 50 south of Persinnom Branch going southeast. In Capt. Henry Bridger's book East Carolina Railway - the Route of the Yellow Hammers, he says that the A & C either contemplated buying or briefly owing the EC RWY G-17, a gas powered motor car and coach 400. It is noted that the G-17 and coach 400 lived out their days on the EC RWY. Later in 1915, a picture shows Yellow Hammer EC RWY built units Motor 100 and Coach 200 being delivered to the A & C. It is not known how long the Yellow Hammer hauled passengers and mail.
One other bit of info on the A & C RR from the TWENTY-FIRST REPORT of the CORPORATION COMMISSION of the STATE of NORTH CAROLINA - BIENNIAL PERIOD 1921-1922, page 123:
The Atlantic and Carolina Railroad Co, was a common carrier from Warsaw to Kenansville, NC, some 10 miles.
A list of Officers as follows
- A R Trunbull, Pres., Norfolk, Va
- James E Jerritt, Gen. Mgr. & Supt., Kenansville, NC
- Wm. J. Jones, Sec'y & Tres., Norfolk, Va.
- T. A. Hefty, Vice. Pres., Kenansville, NC
All of the above were Directors plus as follows
- L. A. Beasley, Kenansville, NC
- H. D. Williams, Kenansville, NC
- R. D. Johnson, Warsaw, NC
In 1920, some 12,451 passengers were carried, a year later in 1921 the number dropped to 8,360 @ .0356 cents per mile - up .0038 cents per mile over 1920. A book, Glover Steam Locomotives, by Richard Hillman, shows that a new Glover Locomotive, standard gauge was shipped on 4-6-1917 to the Appomattox Box Shook Co. at Kenansville, NC. The locomotive was a 2-6-0 with a serial number of 121632. Appomattox Shook had mills all over several states. Who knows about the Kenansville mill? Please advise Railroad Tom.