Aiken Railway
| Reporting mark | AIKR |
|---|---|
| Locale | Southwestern South Carolina |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Headquarters | Aiken, South Carolina |
Launched in 2012, The Aiken Railway (reporting mark AIKR) is a Short Line Railroad operating 19 miles of track leased from Norfolk Southern in Southwestern South Carolina, in the United States. The leased track consists of 12.45 miles between Warrenville and Oakwood, SC, and 6.45 miles between Aiken and Seclay, SC. [1] The Aiken Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Carolina Railway Service Corporation which also owns the Greenville & Western Railway. [2]
History
The Aiken Railway has roots going all the way back to 1827 when the South Carolina General Assembly built a line to Aiken, South Carolina. The second line to North Aiken, South Carolina was built by the Edgefield, Trenton, & Aiken Railway in 1879. Becoming part of the Southern Railway system, the lines came under control of Norfolk Southern in 1982. Western Carolina Railway Service entered into a lease agreement with NS to create the Aiken Railway in 2012. The Aiken Railway owns two EMD GP30U Locomotives numbers AIKR 4201 and AIKR 4202 that are painted a special green paint scheme. They additionally lease one EMD SW1500 switcher Locomotive from Larry's Truck Electric leasing company LTEX 1543.
Route
Aiken Railway operates 2 lines:[3]
- Warrenville Line
- Runs from Warrenville, South Carolina to just east of Montmorenci, South Carolina
- North Aiken Line
- Runs from Aiken, South Carolina to North Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken Railway interchanges with Norfolk Southern at Warrenville, South Carolina.