Pickens Railway

The Pickens Railroad had a foreboding start. On its very first revenue run to Easley in 1898, the train derailed due to local kids wanting to see if placing spikes on top of the rails would cause something to happen. It did. The railroad, already in a precarious financial situation, would not turn a profit for another seven years in 1905. A few years later, in 1910 the railroad was briefly taken over the Southern -- although by the 1920s it returned to private ownership. The biggest change for the Pickens Railroad at the time occurred in 1939 when the Singer Manufacturing Company purchased the railroad to ship its product. What resulted in the purchase began as early as the 1920s when the sewing giant decided to build a large plant near Pickens. Over the years the company used the railroad increasingly to ship its finished products (as well as receive materials) and eventually decided it would be a very important asset.

American Rails.com

Tucked in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the City of Pickens offers residents and visitors a wide array of interesting, fun and exciting activities, from shopping and eating, to biking, to enjoying the natural resources, community events, and cultural activities that abound. Here you will find people who value family, friends and a relaxed lifestyle. In Pickens, you become part of the community.

City of Pickens

Anderson was named for General Robert Anderson, a Revolutionary War hero who was born in 1741 in August County, Va. He came to South Carolina to help his good friend, Andrew Pickens,in surveying some land that had been given to the English Colony by the Indians. The City was founded in December 1826 and incorporated by an act of Legislature, December 19, 1833. Anderson was the first city in the south to have an unlimited supply of electric power. The first cotton gin in the world to be operated by electricity was in Anderson County in 1897.

City of Anderson

Belton was chartered in 1855 soon after the Columbia & Greenville Railroad was built. It soon became a junction point of the C & G, the Piedmont and Northern, and the Blue Ridge (Southern Railway) ... with 36 passenger trains serving the town. The city is still served today by two railroads: the Greenville & Western Railway and the Pickens Railway.

City of Belton

The Belton Depot is significant for its historical association with the railroad’s role in the development of Belton. It is also architecturally significant as an example of the prevailing turn of the century genre for depot design. This one-story brick depot, constructed ca. 1910, remains the focal point in downtown Belton. Situated on the west side of the Belton Public Square, the Belton Depot was built by the Southern Railway to replace earlier station facilities housed in several small buildings.

The original plans credit the design to the company’s Office of Chief Engineer in Washington; however, the specific architect remains unknown. The rectangular plan features a prominent tin shingle hip roof with flared eaves supported by massive wooden diagonal brackets. The section housing the freight area is topped by a lower profile hipped roof. Brick walls are laid in common bond with stringcourses and segmented arch window and door openings. The depot was designed for a combination of passenger, office and freight storage uses. The railroad played a principle part in the development of Belton, which was incorporated in December 1855. The land was surveyed for rail use in 1849, and in 1853, the first train passed through Belton. The present railroad depot provided facilities for the textile industries which were located in and near Belton in the early twentieth century. Listed in the National Register August 13, 1979.

South Carolina Department of Archives and History

The 28.5 mile line in Anderson County (PKHP) interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Anderson and receives CSXT freight in Belton. Pickens hauls over 4,000 railcars per year replacing over 16,000 trucks on Upstate roads. Our customers include a combined employment base of over 3,100 people. Commodities shipped and received include limestone, synthetic rubber, rubber processing oil, plastics, silica, paper, scrap paper, wood pulp, farm supplies, and electrical equipment.

Pickens Railway also specializes in safety. The railroad has annually earned the "Jake With Distinction" Award for Safety--the industry-wide recognition of a no accident, no injury workplace. Pickens Railway is a member of the American Shortline Railroad Association, as well as the SC Association of Railroads.

Pickens Railway