South Carolina Canal & Rail Road
- Southern Home Page
- History | Maps | Locomotives
- Predecessors | SCC&RR | LC&C | ET&V | ET&G | V&T | ETV&G | VT&G Air Line | R&D | M&C | CNO&TP | V&K | BC&ING | SA&O | V&SW | BE&NC | HRR
- Passenger Trains | Asheville Special | Birmingham Special | Carolina Special | Crescent | Peach Queen | Pelican | Piedmont Limited | Ponce de Leon | Royal Palm | Southerner | Tennessean
- Cities: Bristol TN/VA
- Related Lines: Embreeville Branch | Johnson City & Carolina | Johnson City Southern
- Notable People: Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham | Samuel Spencer | W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
- Today: Norfolk Southern
- Railfan Guides: Virginia & Southwestern
- Resources & Sources: Books | Scholars-Authors | Museums | Associations | Website Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Rails Across the Appalachians | Clinchfield.org
South Carolina Canal & Rail Road
SCC&RR Stats
Informally known as the Charleston & Hamburg Railroad
- Founded/Chartered: 1827
- Operated: 1833 -1843
- Abbreviation: SCC&RR
- Initial Route: Charleston to Hamburg SC (SC city adjacent to Augusta GA)
- Length: 136 miles Charleston to Hamburg SC mainline, 66 mile branch to Columbia SC
- Known For: First American passenger train pulled by their first locomotive “The Best Friend of Charleston.’ One of the first railroads in the nation.
- Successors: South Carolina Railroad Company, South Carolina & Georgia Railroad Company, South Carolina & Georgia Extension Railroad, Southern Railway
- Cities: Charleston SC, Branchville, Hamburg, Columbia SC
- Key Individuals: William Aiken, Horatio Allen, Elias Horry
- Related Railroads: Louisville Cincinnati & Charleston Railroad
- Today: Norfolk Southern Railway
SCC&RR – Southern Railway Predecessor
The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road was one of the first railroads in America and had the first regularly scheduled passenger service in the nation. The first locomotive was named ‘The Best Friend of Charleston.’
More Southern Railway information will be added to this page and others in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the railroads, the region, or model railroading.
Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
- Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
- Book – Graybeal: The Railroads of Johnson City
- Book – Harshaw: ‘Trains Trestles & Tunnels, Railroads of the Southern Appalachians’
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Reisweber: ‘Southern Railway Power’
- Book – Scales: Natural Tunnel, Nature’s Marvel in Stone’
- Book – Stout: ‘Southern Railway: Through Passenger Service’
- Book – Ward: ‘Southern Railway Varnish 1964-1979’
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wiley & Wallace: ‘The Southern Railway Handbook’
- Book – Withers & Sink: ‘Southern: A Motive Power Pictorial’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – Hawkinsrails.net
- Website – Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net
- Website – Multimodalways.org: Norfolk Southern Track Charts
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – TheDieselShop.us
- Website – VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the Southern or Model Railroads.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
