Forgotten Taylors railroad history: the P&N railroad

The Piedmont & Northern railway or P&N, now CSX, was an interurban railway operating two disconnected lines in South Carolina and North Carolina and was chartered by James Duke of the Duke Power Company. The South Carolina railway line ran from Greenwood to Greenville, Taylors, Greer, and on to Spartanburg. The railway was electrified with 1500 volts DC, until 1954 when the conversion to diesel locomotives was completed and the electrification abandoned.

The Enoree viaduct, built in 1913, has been remarkably accident free except for that one derailment on February 9, 1919. A northbound train passing over the viaduct derailed at its highest point killing 4 passengers and injuring 1 employee and 23 passengers. An investigation into the accident [direct link] concluded poor track conditions and a tie-bar set too low caused the derailment.

An electrical substation used to be located downhill from the top of the Enoree viaduct supplying power for the Chick Springs segment on property now owned by Duke Power:



The Aiken Chapel Road railroad crossing is of historical interest for what was left behind.


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While most of the poles and lines have been removed after the conversion to diesel, the poles and lines between Aiken Chapel and Beeks Road have been left behind for some unknown reason.


I found a mostly intact insulator lying on the ground. It's bigger than it looks:


I've written before about the former P&N depot behind Taylors First Baptist Church, so I won't repeat myself about that. While I know the Southern Railway depot is currently a private residence in Greer, I don't know what became of the P&N depot. Torn down? Moved?

Location: Taylors, SC, USA

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