Mark's Photo Travels

Rail trails, and the abandoned railroads they go over, have long been an interest of mine. Rail trails are easy to walk and easy to bicycle since railroad grades were designed to be as small as possible. The closest rail trail to me and most famous (and well trafficked) in this area is the Swamp Rabbit Trail . Encouraged by the popularity of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, other rail trails have since been constructed in the area such as Doodle Trail  in Pickens County, Lyman Rail Trail in Lyman, the Mary Black Rail Trail in Spartanburg. I've visited all four of these rail trails before, and enjoyed them all. This time I chose to travel a bigger distance to visit a rail trail in Rutherford County, North Carolina in the process of being upgraded and expanded named the Thermal Belt Rail Trail . The Thermal Belt Rail Trail is a 7.8 mile rail trail located between Gilkey and Spindale in rural Rutherford County, North Carolina. The trail is currently in the process of being expanded sou...

A few days ago the Lyman Rail Trail in Lyman, SC  opened for public use , joining the growing number of rail trails in the area and the trend started by the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Lyman Rail Trail follows an abandoned spur to the old Lyman Mill between Lawrence Street and SC 292 (Spartanburg Highway). A future extension (phase 2) is being planned to extend the trail by Little Street and toward Groce Road. I parked near the recycling center in the parking lot of the old Lyman Mill, then through Lyman Park, then across the street to the trailhead. The newness of the trail is plain to see. After a only few minutes and a few street crossings I made it to the trail's end. The trail then connects to a sidewalk along Lawrence Street. What lies just beyond is what interested me. The rail was removed a few years ago, but I took some photos of the rail during my last visit in 2012: On the other side of the the street, the rail is still there. A railroad crossing sign...