ACL Spur from Green Pond to Ehrhardt

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I was hoping to get more details as to when the spur from Green Pond, SC to Ehrhardt, SC was built and which railroad built it? We have a station in Ehrhardt which was purchased by private individuals from csx sometime in the 80's. I was told that it was built to accommodate the large lumber business generated in Ehrhardt in the late 1800's. The New Encyclopedia Atlas and Gazetter of the World, NY Collier 1914 shows the spur when illustrating all of ACL's lines.

-- Frank Ogle (Ehrhardthall@yahoo.com), January 27, 2005

Answers

Frank,

The current brick depot at Ehrhardt replaced an earlier wood depot. I'm not sure when the current depot was constructed but I suspect it would have been in the 1920s based on the design. The original wood depot was likely destroyed by fire.

-- Buddy Hill (palmettoLTD@hotmail.com), January 28, 2005.


The first segment of the ACL's Ehrhardt's Branch, from Green Pond to Walterboro, SC, was constructed by the Green Pond, Walterboro & Branchville RR. The 12 miles were opened in March 1887. The Walterboro & Western RR was formed in 1894 and opened in 1896 from Walterboro to Ehrhardt's, 25 miles. Fourteen of the W&W's miles had previously been a logging railroad, which was purchased by the W&W. Both the GPW&B and W&W were, apparently, operated by the Savannah, Florida & Western ("Plant System"), who also controlled the mainline at the Green Pond junction. Both of the branch line companies were merged into the Plant System in September 1901, the Plant lines going into the ACL in July 1902. Passenger service on the branch was worked out of Charleston until the mid 1930's. In early 1938 the passenger service became a mixed train making one roundtrip. The branch went freight only about May 1942.

-- Tom Underwood (tlu1650@attglobal.net), January 28, 2005.

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