Murphy Branch facts for kids
The Murphy Branch is an important railway line in western North Carolina. It was once part of the Western North Carolina Railroad. Today, it is owned by the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad.
This railway runs from Asheville, North Carolina in the east to Murphy in the west. It generally follows major roads like I-40 and US Route 74. The railway goes through mountains, so some parts are very steep.
Contents
History of the Murphy Branch Railway
The Murphy Branch was built between 1881 and 1894. People who were in prison helped build it. This railway was very important for the development of southwestern North Carolina. It connected the isolated mountain areas west of Asheville to the rest of the world. This made travel and trade much easier. Many people believe these tracks helped shape what Western North Carolina is today.
In the 1980s, the Norfolk Southern Railway decided to close part of the Murphy Branch. This was because fewer goods were being shipped by train. In 1988, the NCDOT (North Carolina Department of Transportation) bought the western part of the line. This was to help save the railway for future use.
The NCDOT then allowed the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) to use the tracks. The GSMR is a tourist train company that also carries freight. In 1996, the NCDOT sold a section of the railway to the GSMR.
In 2014, the Norfolk Southern Railway sold the Asheville-Dillsboro part of the Murphy Branch. It was bought by Watco, another railway company. A new company called the Blue Ridge Southern Railroad was created to run this section. They started operating on July 26, 2014.
The GSMR still owns and operates most of the Dillsboro to Andrews section. The NCDOT still owns the tracks between Andrews and Murphy. This part of the railway has not been used since 1985.
Towns and Communities Along the Railway
The Murphy Branch railway passes through many towns and communities. Here are some of them:
- Asheville (where the railway starts)
- Murphy Junction
- Emma
- Enka
- Hominy
- Candler
- Coburn
- Canton
- Clyde
- Waynesville
- Hazelwood
- Saunook
- Balsam Gap
- Balsam
- Willits-Ochre Hill
- Addie
- Beta
- Sylva
- Dillsboro
- Wilmot
- Whittier
- Ela
- Bryson City
- Almond
- Wesser
- Hewitt
- Nantahala (where the GSMR ends today)
- Topton
- Andrews
- Marble
- Murphy (the end of the line)
What the Railway Carries
The Murphy Branch is still important for businesses in western North Carolina. Trains on this line carry many different goods.
- It serves two paper mills in Canton and Sylva.
- Chemicals for making epsom salt are delivered to Giles Chemical in Waynesville.
- Small concrete companies receive sand.
- Woodchips are loaded onto trains at T&S Hardwoods in Addie.
- Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is delivered to a transfer station near Sylva in the community of Beta.
Images for kids
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A former Southern Railway depot in Bryson City, North Carolina, now the main office for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR).
