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The Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad (reporting mark AR) is a short-line railroad operating in North Carolina, United States. At one time, the AR was a Class 2 railroad. The railroad has 47 miles (76 km) of track between Aberdeen and Fayetteville, North Carolina.
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Aberdeen and Rockfish EMD GP7 No. 205 in the company's yard | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Aberdeen, North Carolina |
| Reporting mark | AR |
| Locale | North Carolina |
| Dates of operation | 1892–present |
| Technical | |
| Length | 47 miles (76 km) |
| Other | |
| Website | Official website |
The AR was incorporated in 1892 by businessman John Blue. He built the railroad to get his timber and turpentine products to market. On June 30, 1895, the first line was opened between Aberdeen and Endon. In 1898, the company added a line from Ashley Heights to Raeford which soon became the main line with the Endon line as a branch. Shortly thereafter, the Endon branch was extended to Juniper. The main line was extended to Dundarrach in 1900, Rockfish in 1902, Fenix in 1904, and a branch from Rockfish to Hope Mills was added in 1905. Aberdeen–Hope Mills became the main line for a while, with branches to Juniper and Fenix..
On November 14, 1909, another branch opened from Raeford to Wagram. In 1912, the company abandoned the Endon branch. It used the rails to construct an extension from Fenix to Fayetteville, which opened on December 23 that year. At the same time the line to Hope Mills was abandoned, as it became unnecessary with the new link to the main line of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in Fayetteville. Over the years, the railroad's traffic has shifted from lumber to agriculture products.[1] The Blue family still owns the AR and operates freight trains from Aberdeen to Fayetteville. The Wagram branch was sold to the Laurinburg and Southern Railroad in 1921.[citation needed] Passenger service ended in 1949.[2]
The Aberdeen and Rockfish fleet consists of 6 locomotives, all originally built by EMD:[3] 3 of the current 6 were bought new by the railroad.
The railroad also utilized a number of steam locomotives. One of the locomotive, Number 40, is now used on the Valley Railroad in Connecticut.
| Number | Type | Built | Notes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 | EMD F3 | 04/1947 | Bought new, traded to EMD as credit towards GP18 300. | Off Roster |
| 201 | EMD F3 | 11/1948 | Bought new, sold to RF&P(10/1952) as 1111 to pay for GP7 205 | Off Roster |
| 205 | EMD GP7 | 09/1951 | Bought new, last GP7 operated by original owner | Active |
| 300 | EMD GP18 | 08/1963 | Bought new | Active |
| 400 | EMD GP38 | 06/1968 | Bought new | Active |
| 405 | EMD GP38 | 01/1967 | Originally Erie Mining 700, bought from NIWX. | Active |
| 2486 | Santa Fe CF7 | 08/1951 | Originally EMD F7, almost completely rebuilt by AT&SF in 1975. | Active |
| 5830 | EMD GP38-2 | 1980 | Built as Southern 7033, GP50. Rebuilt by Juniata Shop to GP38-3 | Active |
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