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Western Carolina
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Aiken, SC / Jul 2019 / RWH
Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation is committed to providing freight and transit rail services to the Carolinas through the next century and beyond. As our communities grow, this growth hampers the availability of right of way on which to build new railroad. It is for this reason it is imperative for our corporation to have the foresight to protect existing infrastructure and restore defunct infrastructure before the very growth that drives our economy is hampered by an inability to move goods and provide services in a given area.
Organized in 2003, the Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation is a privately-held South Carolina corporation created for the purpose of preserving, restoring, and revitalizing shortline rail service in South Carolina and the surrounding region. The corporation created and remains a parent company to two nationally-recognized shortlines in western region of the Palmetto State: the 13-mile Aiken Railway, based in Aiken; and the 13-mile Greenville & Western Railway Company, based in Belton. In addition, the company offers terminal switching services, railroad consulting services, and is a leader in area industrial real estate development. The corporation is privately held and run by Steven and Cheryl Hawkins, and is headquartered in the historic Piedmont & Northern depot in downtown Greer, South Carolina.
from TRAINS magazine
/ April 2019 / collection
Belton, SC / Oct 2019 / RWH
Railroads
Location
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Click to see the Greer depot area plotted on a Google Maps page
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
1955 Official Guide ad / collection
Dec 2019 / RWH
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Greer, SC / Dec 2019 / RWH
Dec 2019 / RWH
Dec 2019 / RWH
Press Release
Historic Greer Depot
June 1, 2017
Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation (WCRS) is pleased to announce that it will soon be calling Greer, South Carolina home. Effective July 1, 2017, the General and Administrative offices for WCRS and its subsidiaries, including Greenville & Western Railway Company, LLC (GRLW) and Aiken Railway Company, LLC (AIKR), will relocate to the Historic Greer Depot on Randall Street.
Constructed in 1913, Charles Christian Hook of Charlotte, North Carolina, designed the depot as a combination passenger station and freight warehouse for the Piedmont & Northern Railway, later used by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, Seaboard System Railroad and finally CSX Transportation, before facing potential demolition in 1984. Saved from the wrecking ball by Greenville County Redevelopment Authority, it was finally sold to Station One Partnership in 1987 and redeveloped as retail and office space by the Partnership. The depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is certainly a community landmark and historic focal point for the City of Greer worthy of continued preservation.
The upstairs of the two-story end of the historic structure was once used as Greer City Council Chambers, and the Corporation’s new offices in Suite A will occupy that notable space. It is the Corporation’s hope to preserve the building for generations to come by restoring it (as close as possible) to its original, as- constructed condition, and to make it a landmark that the citizens of Greer will be proud to call a part of their community through the rest of this century and beyond.
“We are excited to become a part of the building’s history by returning railroad offices to a building built for that very purpose,” stated Corporation President and CEO Steven C. Hawkins. “While it will take time and significant funding to complete the various stages of restoration to the building, we hope to work with various agencies to pursue all available financial options to make that restoration a reality sooner rather than later. Although a sizeable task, it is an exhilarating prospect to have the opportunity to preserve such a significant piece of railroad and community history.”
Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation is a privately held South Carolina corporation organized in 2003 for the purpose of preserving, restoring, and revitalizing rail service in both South and North Carolina. The Corporation is committed to providing freight and transit rail services to the Carolinas through the next century and beyond.
Links / Sources
- Western Carolina Railway Service website