Murphy Branch facts for kids
The Murphy Branch is a special train track in North Carolina. It runs from Asheville, North Carolina in the east all the way to Murphy in the west. Over the years, different railroad companies have owned and operated this line. Today, the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad uses part of it.
This railway line roughly follows major roads like I-40 and US Route 74. Some parts of the track are very steep, like climbing a big hill!
Contents
The Story of the Murphy Branch
Building the Railway
The Murphy Branch was built a long time ago, between 1880 and 1891. It was a huge project that helped connect the isolated mountain areas of western North Carolina to the rest of the world. Before the train, it was hard to travel or trade goods in these mountains. The railway made it much easier for people to move around and for businesses to grow. It truly helped this part of North Carolina develop.
Changes Over Time
In the 1980s, the Norfolk Southern Railway decided to stop using the western part of the Murphy Branch because not many goods were being shipped there anymore. To save the railway, the NCDOT (North Carolina Department of Transportation) bought a section of the track in 1988.
Later, a fun tourist train company called the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) started using some of these tracks for scenic rides and also for moving freight. In 1996, the NCDOT sold a part of the line to the GSMR.
In 2014, Norfolk Southern sold another section of the Murphy Branch to a company called Watco. This led to the creation of a new railroad company, the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad, which began operating that part of the line in July 2014.
Who Owns What Today?
Today, the GSMR owns and operates a large section of the Murphy Branch. The NCDOT still owns the very last part of the track, between Andrews and Murphy. However, this section has not been used since 1985. Another connecting line that went further southwest into Georgia was removed in 1986.
Towns and Communities Along the Way
The Murphy Branch passes through many interesting towns and communities. Here are some of them:
- Asheville (where the line begins)
- Canton
- Waynesville
- Balsam Gap (a place where US 74 and the Blue Ridge Parkway meet)
- Sylva
- Dillsboro
- Bryson City (home to the Bryson City Depot)
- Nantahala (the current end point for the GSMR)
- Andrews
- Murphy (the original end point of the line)
What Travels on the Tracks?
The Murphy Branch is still important for businesses in western North Carolina.
- It helps transport materials for Jackson Paper Manufacturing Company in Sylva.
- Chemicals used to make epsom salt are delivered to Premier Magnesia in Waynesville. This company is a major supplier of epsom salt in the Americas!
- Several small concrete companies receive sand using the railway.
- Woodchips are loaded onto trains at T&S Hardwoods in Addie.
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is delivered to a special transfer area near Beta.
See also
- Blue Ridge Southern Railroad
- Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
- Southern Railway
