From the off topic section of Corvette Forum. Interesting thread.
http://www.corvetteforum.com/f...-railroad-track.html
posted a few photos of my old Rail Speeder in the Random Photo that You Took thread and got a few questions so I am going to try to tell the story for you. Actually, there are a bunch of stories involved and you will have to bear with me as I sort through photos, upload some of them and tell the stories. The original Rockton & Rion Railroad was 12 miles long and ran from and interchange with a major railroad in Rockton, SC hear Winnsboro, SC, west to Rion Quarry at the 4.5 Mile Post and then farther west to Anderson Quarry at Mile Post 12.0. The South Carolina Railroad Museum now owns most of the track and is located in Rockton, SC. The Museum runs tourist trains about 5 miles out and back on weekends.   Rion Quarry produced crushed granite. Here is a 10 year old aerial photo I shot.  Anderson Quarry produced "monument grade" granite and was called "Winnsboro Blue Granite" because it had a slight blue tint to the stone. The stone was cut to order and used for building constructions when buildings were built by stacking up chunks of rock. But when steel girders became the the common method of construction, sales of the cut stone dropped off and eventually the company that owned the two quarries and the railroad simply locked the doors and ceased operations. Here are two 10 year old air photos of Anderson quarry. Note the shape of the rock faces in the pits.   When the company ceased operation and turned off the pumps, the pits all filled with water. | |
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