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1946 Statistics: C&WC Station #B-131, End of the Line Yard, 130.9 miles from Augusta, Train Order Office, Water Station
1914 Schedule:
Train #55 Daily - Westbound to Greenville - 9:45pm.
Train #52 Daily - Westbound to Greenville - 4:10pm.
Train #51 Daily - Westbound to Greenville - 9:55am.
Train #54 Daily - Eastbound to Laurens - 7:00am.
Train #53 Daily - Eastbound to Laurens - 12:20pm.
Train #56 Daily - Eastbound to Laurens - 4:30pm.
1946 Schedule:
Third Class #53 Mixed Daily - Westbound to Greenville - 8:30am.
Third Class #52 Mixed Daily - Eastbound to Laurens - 9:00am.
The railroads first entered Greenville in December of 1853. The Greenville & Columbia depot was built on some 22 acres between Pendleton and Augusta Streets. The G&C brought real prosperity to Greenville for the next ten years. After the Civil War, in 1872, the G&C was the only railroad in Greenville. The Atlanta & Richmond Air Line arrived next in 1873; this was the pre-cursor to the Southern Railway presence in Greenville.
The Greenville and Laurens RR arrived in Greenville in 1884. This is the precursor to the Charleston and Western Carolina, Greenville Branch. Originally, the G&L was to be built and interchange via a yard with the Richmond & Danville near the present Norfolk Southern yard. However, the Richmond & Danville was hostile to this competitor and bought key land areas to block this strategy. Instead, the G&L crossed over Washington Street and terminated in Greenville at Court and Falls Streets. The first C&WC depot was a wooden structure between Broad and Court Streets. A brick freight depot was located nearby. The following illustrates the locations:
The C&WC developed a bustling freight business on the east side of downtown. Many businesses and industries built in the area like coal companies, meat packers, and lumber yards. Passenger service grew as well. Over the C&WC, passengers could travel directly to Charleston in C&WC passenger cars. The growth lead the C&WC to build a new passenger/freight depot in the 1913 timeframe. The depot was located on the corner of McBee and Falls Streets. The following 1920 map illustrates the location:
Note on the above map the marked location of the current day US 29 (Church Street) viaduct through downtown Greenville.
By 1920, Greenville downtown had become a major rail center in the Upstate. The following illustrates the diversity of the rail lines in Greenville at that time.
The C&WC was indeed a major player at this time and its depot signified this. The following is a more detailed layout of the depot.
The front of the depot is the on the far left in the illustration above. It is a two story, brick structure with segregated waiting rooms with segregated rest rooms off the "white" waiting room. The waiting rooms opened into an outside sheltered platform. (The platform is in yellow in the illustration above). A supply and baggage rooms were located off the shelter behind the rest rooms. Next to these was a freight office then the freight room.
The picture below shows the front of the depot at this time.
An aerial view of Greenville in the early 1960's clearly show the C&WC rail complex.
The map below diagrams the location of the C&WC depot in modern Greenville. The photos noted in the map follow.
Photo 1 (1920's view) (The rails in this photo are trolley tracks, not C&WC trackage; the McBee Street side of the freight house is very visible).
Photo 2 (current view)
Photo 3 (current view)
Photo 4 (current view)
Photo 5 (taken in the late 1950's; the Woodside Building is in the background).
Photo 6 (Current View) This is a view under the bridge. The soot from the C&WC steam locomotives is still present!
Photo 7 (Current View) The old road bed is still in place and can be seen in this view from the bridge.
Photo 8 (Current View)
Photo 9 (Current View) A large shopping complex is being built on the site of the C&WC yard.
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