NC Rail-Trails's news items
The Gallimore Road Multi-Use Path
There was NCRT input into the obtaining of $250,000 of NCDOT Safe Routes to School funds. Also, around $40,000 has been raised from private sources. The path will link up two schools, a Boys and Girls Club and a stadium used for the Brevard College¹s fledgling football team¹s games. This path is part of the proposed greenway network which would connect in part to the rail-trail components of the Transylvania and Henderson County network. The construction could be underway by summer.
- Login to post comments
Dunn-Erwin Rail-Trail
(Harnett County)
NCRT suggested to Harnett to include the paving of the DET as a "Shovel Ready" project for stimulus funding. It was to have been the 2nd phase of the original Enhancements Grant of 2005 but was never funded. Earth Share of North Carolina and NCRT continue to negotiate with Harnett County's Administration, including their new manager Scott Sauer, to include ESNC in the County Employees Work Place Giving Program. For more information visit Earth Share North Carolina.
Upcoming: The Fourth Annual Prayer Walk is Saturday May 2nd, from the Methodist Church in Erwin to Central Baptist Church in Dunn. Handouts include prayers and guided meditations for the 5 mile walk. Shuttles will return prayer walkers to Erwin. Being on a rail-trail can be heavenly.
- Login to post comments
Work to Start Soon on Greensboro Greenway
Ground breaking for the initial 1.3 mile link of the long-planned 4.8 mile Downtown Greenway was held on March 7. For pictures of the event see the Springboard. The western leg of this Greenway will be along the old A&Y (now NS) right of way. Until the RR stops operating (one "train" a week or so) on this section it could be called a "Rail with Greenway". To keep abreast of future efforts the Downtown Greenway website has frequent coverage of this and other trails and greenway projects in the Triad area. On April 30th Downtown Greenway released a Greenway Flyer on news of the groundbreaking.
- Login to post comments
If money flows, trails may grow
If money flows, trails may grow
Hikers are ready to compete for state's share of stimulus funds
- Login to post comments
NC GIS Conference - Capitalizing on Spatial Data in Raleigh, NC
(February 19th & 20th)
The use of GIS information in natural resource management for Cherokee River Cane, County Map Atlas to promote unique qualities of rural life for business recruitment, Preparedness for Disaster and Disease Outbreaks, Audit utility franchises fees for city revenues, GIS models and mapping tool to communicate land suitability and opportunities for sustainable land use. A model for NC economic development which integrate government and private sector information to focus economic and community development decision-making. Sponsored by the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis and the North Carolina Urban and Regional Information Systems Association. NCRT continues to promote digitized mapping of all North Carolina's historic (unused-abandoned) rail corridor for use in planning state and regional transportation futures.
- Login to post comments
Where N.C. could stand some stimulating - On trails
- Login to post comments
Appeals Court upholds full trail rights
The North Carolina Court of Appeals has unanimously affirmed a decision of a Rutherfordton County trial court which could help in establishing future rail--trails in North Carolina. The ruling found that the Rutherford County Thermal Belt Rail-Trail was held by defendant Bechtler Corporation, the nonprofit trail owner, in full ownership and not merely as an easement. The plaintiffs did not appeal the ruling up to the state Supreme Court and the decision stands as precedent.
As a consequence the adjoining landowners have no interest in the subsurface or aerial rights so as to collect fees from utilities, including revenues for possible fiber optic lines.
The trail was represented Bailey and Dixon, LLP, by David S. Coats and Michael Domonkos, the latter appearing as “of counsel.” Both attorneys are on the Board of North Carolina Rail-Trails.
Domonkos said that the plaintiffs at the trial level had originally challenged whether the trail had been properly railbanked under the federal program designed to protect abandoned rail corridors for possible future rail use. The program permits interim conversion to trails for recreation and non-motorized travel. The adjoining landowners gave up on the railbanking challenge but argued that they were the fee owners and that the rail-trail was an easement limited to trail uses.
The plaintiffs argued that even if there was proper railbanking, they were entitled to a declaratory judgment which would give them ownership of revenues derived for any fiber optic cables placed in the rail bed and damages for utility, sewage and other encroachments which allegedly had been wrongfully permitted by the trail owners and former railroad companies.
Rutherford County Superior Court Judge Laura J. Bridges held June 28, 2005, that the predecessors to the defendant Bechtler Corporation obtained the rail bed outright and not not just by easement. The plaintiffs disagreed with the decision and appealed to the state Court of Appeals
The original title obtained in 1855 provided that the railroad owned the property "so long as" it was used for purposes of the railroad. North Carolina statutes in 1973 voided such old and remote limitations unless the adjoining landowners timely file notice to preserve such limitations. For old deeds, the filing had to by October 1, 1976. There was no such filing by the plaintiffs.
Domonkos predicted that the decision would be a significant precedent. It could provide helpful to establishing rail-trails on rail beds long thought to be abandoned and lost. He said :“…take another look at those old deeds and transfers to the railroads”
The importance of this ruling is that it is similar to rulings in many other states which hold that a limitation in a deed to "railroad purposes" or “so long as it is used for railroad use” and similar language does not create a mere easement but nearly full ownership by the railroad which ripens into full ownership after the statutory period. The court also affirmed that use of the term “right of way “ in a deed is neutral term and could mean a fee interest or an easement.
Domonkos believes that in North Carolina a significant number of rail beds thought to having been easement and thus having been reverted to adjoining landowners may actually still be viable for future rail use or conversion to trails.
It has been held in North Carolina that if the railroad owns the property in fee, no adverse possession or encroachment by adjoining land owners or others will divest the railroad of ownership, no matter how long the absence of railroad use and the railroad's failure to police its property. In short, there are no “squatter’s rights” against a railroad.
- Login to post comments
Rail Lines Newsletter (October & November 2007)
North Carolina Railroad Company to study costs to add tracks for commuter service The North Carolina Railroad (NCRR) has announced a study to determine the costs to build track for commuter rush hour rail service on its existing line from Goldsboro to Greensboro. HNTB, a national engineering firm experienced in both freight and commuter rail, was awarded the study contract. The study will be based on adding four commuter trains in the morning and evening rush hours and one midday train to the existing traffic. Specific station stops have not been determined, but they are likely to be 5-7 miles apart. HNTB will be assisted by the California-based Woodside Group, Inc., a leader in the development of capacity models for rail operations and EcoScience Corporation, a Raleigh based firm with expertise in the evaluation of environmental requirements for railroad tracks and bridges. The study is expected to be completed by June 2008 and the results will be shared with communities, universities, Chambers of Commerce, the public and transportation-related organizations along the corridor. For addtional information about the study view the news release.
Railroads need to invest in new infastructure, capacity Cambridge Systematics recently completed the National Rail Freight Infastructure Capacity and Investment Study commissioned by the Association of American Railroads (AAR). The study determined that $135 billion will need to be spent to address rail capacity constraints for the next thirty years. More track, bridges, tunnels, signals, terminals, and other facilites are needed to accommodate the increasing demand for freight transportation, as well as for Amtrak passenger trains and commuter trains. Without this investment and increased capacity more freight and people will be shifted to already overburdened highways. Progressive Railroading, "U.S. railroads need to invest $135 billion over next 30 years" 19 September 2007.
Rail re-regulation being considered in the House The U.S. House of Representatives is currently considering a bill that may re-regulate the rail industry. The bill, the Railroad Competition and Service Improvement Act of 2007, was brought to the House by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Jim Oberstar. Oberstar hopes the bill will eliminate "regulatory impediments to competition in the railroad industry that drive up costs for users of the railroads, which he argues are controlled by two regional duopolies." The bill would force the Surface Transportation Board to eliminate restrictions placed on short-line railroads and force railroads to establish service rates and service points. The American Association of Railroads (AAR) argues that the bill would have a devastating effect on a currently profitable industry, which does not receive subsidies from taxpayers. Prior to the 1980 Staggers Rail Act, which deregulated the industry, many railroads were bankrupt and many rail lines abandoned. Also, according to the AAR, American shippers pay less than anywhere else in the world. The Hill, "Rep. Oberstar: Railroad bill has chance when Bush leaves office" 28 September 2007.
Public transportation ridership continues to increase in 2007 The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) announced recently that Americans took 78 million more trips on public transportation during the first six months of 2007 than during the first six months of 2006. The 10.1 billon trips taken in 2006 had been the highest in 49 years; 2007 should be another record-setting year. Commuter rail had the highest growth rate of all modes at 5.5%. Light rail (modern light rail, streetcars, trolleys) saw the second highest increase in ridership at 4.1%. Heavy rail (subways) increased ridership by 2.8% and bus ridership increased nationally by 0.6%. Read the complete report here.
Norfolk Southern operates nation's first train with new braking system On October 11, 2007, Norfolk Southern operated the first train in the United States to be equipped exclusively with electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes. ECP brakes can potentially reduce train stopping distances by as much as 60% over conventional air brake systems. ECP brakes use electronic signals to simultaneously apply braking throughout the length of the train. Conventional brake systems use air pressure, forcing each car to brake individually. The Federal Railroad Administration has authorized Norfolk Southern and BNSF Railway to equip and test these brakes on certain locomotives and freight cars. If the brakes are successful in shortening stopping distances, they will improve safety, capacity, efficiency, fuel savings, and equipment maintenance.
Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Company appoint new president The Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad Company recently appointed Garland Horton as president of the 47-mile short line railroad, which operates in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina. He succeeds Edward Lewis, who is retiring after serving as the railroad's president for the past 20 years. Horton has previously served as the southern region vice president for sales and marketing for Genesse & Wyoming, Inc. and as vice president for sales and marketing for Rail Management Corp. Progressive Railroading, "Horton to succeed Lewis as Aberdeen & Rockfish's president " 25 September 2007.
Working on the Railroad Al Capehart (AL) has played Santa Claus for the past 17 years. During his off-season AL is President of North Carolina Rail-Trails (NCRT), a statewide all volunteer organization seeking “To Preserve Rail Corridors and to Promote Rail-Trails." He was born in Richmond, VA, 70 years ago. AL came to North Carolina to attend Pfeiffer College and Duke Divinity School. He has a Master’s degree from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Ph. D. from NC State. As a bicyclist in 1983, AL was asked to serve on the new Durham Urban Trails and Greenway Commission. Soon there was a Bicycle Committee, looking for a commuter route to the Research Triangle Park, which discovered the unused Durham and South Carolina (NS) rail spur into the American Tobacco Factory. The American Tobacco Trail now extends through Durham, Chatham and Wake Counties. The rail line crossed the city limits, the county line, and there was an increased interest in a statewide corridor preservation organization. In 1990 NCRT was incorporated as a 501(c)(3). There are now 78.2 miles of rail-trails. In 1998 NCRT became a land trust specializing in Federal Railbanking. Ed Lewis, then President of the Aberdeen and Rockfish Railroad, Federally Railbanked the Dunn-Erwin Railway with NCRT in 2000. With the local trails group, the railbed was converted into the 5-mile Dunn-Erwin Trail. AL Capehart is an experienced rail-trail consultant. NCRT provides free technical assistance to local governments and trail groups, has proposed legislation to achieve the best use of the state’s inactive rail corridors, facilitates the Rail Corridor Round Table, and advocates rail corridor retrieval for trail and future transportation alternatives.
Did you know? NCRR's oldest bridge will get improvements The North Carolina Railroad Company is replacing the span on a bridge structure over Old US Hwy 70 in Clayton. The bridge, constructed in the early 1900s, is the oldest existing bridge on the line. Its current vertical clearance is only 13 feet 9 inches and it has been struck by trucks. The new span is being built in Clayton by Structural Steel Products Corporation. After completion, the highway/vertical clearance will be 15 feet 6 inches. The bridge's age and low clearance restricts rail operating speed (speed is restricted to 49 mph). By replacing the existing span, current bridge design standards for both rail and highway infrastructure will be met. The project is expected to be completed early next year. Published by the North Carolina Railroad Company Volume 1, Issue 5 Comments or questions? Catherine Campbell or Kat Christian at (919) 954-7601 | 2809 Highwoods Blvd. Suite 100 | Raleigh, NC 27604
- Login to post comments
Board member spends weekends on the rails
John Morck can't resist a train.
"It's partly the romance. I also like big mechanical things that move," says Morck, a land use planner for the state Department of Commerce and a North Carolina Rail-Trails board member.
The first Sunday of each month, May through December, Morck, 45, is an engineer at the throttle of a 1942, 65-ton GE center cab or a 1953, 80-ton GE center cab diesel locomotive owned by the New Hope Valley Railway. The locomotive pulls five cars, three of which are filled with families and train enthusiasts, on the 45-minute, eight-mile roundtrip outside of Bonsal, a crossroads town 20 miles southeast of Raleigh on old U.S. 1.
The railroad or "museum railroad" is the last operating remnant of the rail line that ran north through Chatham and Wake counties to plug into Buck Duke's American Tobacco Co. in Durham. Today 6.5 miles are paved and most of the 22 miles of the American Tobacco Trail are usable by bicyclists, walkers and equestrians. (See "American Tobacco" on page 3 for an update.)
As a NCRT member, Morck works to preserve and return to public use the 2,800 miles of railway abandoned in North Carolina. He knows the sound and culture of railroads and the importance of corridor preservation.
The Chicago & Northwestern commuter and freight line run by his childhood home of Arlington Heights, Ill., to Chicago. His relatives worked for The Rock Island railroad. As a teenager he volunteered at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Ill.
"When I moved here, it was natural to find another place to volunteer," says Morck, who has been a volunteer with the New Hope Valley Railway for 13 years, six of those years as an engineer.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduate in city planning worked in Guilford County and Monroe before settling in Raleigh six year ago for his second stint with the state Department of Commerce.
To sit on the engineer's bench, hit the throttle and hear the forged iron couplings clank means starting at the bottom of the railroad hierarchy. Morck began as a car host and moved up to brakeman and assistant engineer while remaining a regular on the track crew.
"The toughest thing is to try to operate smoothly so passengers don't feel any changes with brakes or the throttle ... so you're not jerking people around," he says of being an engineer.
The train travels 15 mph. Rain or oil on the tracks make braking difficult. Deer are a potential hazard, but Morck has never hit one. On a typical Sunday last year, Morck was scheduled to work as an engineer for one of the five trips the three engineers divide.
That's not a lot of engineering glory for the effort and hours. The 100-member organization is a team effort with 25-30 hardcore members spending parts of each weekend clearing trash from the rail line, shoring up ballast or replacing crossties, 600 of which were replaced last winter. Morck works on the railroad one weekend day two weekends a month.
"She likes it when I get out of the house," Morck jokes of his wife, Debbie, who runs the museum's gift shop.
Increased marketing and a feature on WUNC television resulted in over 10,000 riders last year. "The ridership has really soared in the last three years," Morck says. One Sunday in June, 1,200 people rode the train. The increased interest led to the addition of a third passenger car for the holiday season the first two weekends in December, which pushed the train's capacity to 250 passengers. Result? During the four days of the two holiday weekends, 3,700 people rode the train.
N.B. John is serving as the President of NCRT effective 1/1/2009. New Hope Valley Railway's Web site is: www.hvry.org.
- Login to post comments
Jacksonville rail-trail underway
Jacksonville marked the start of an ambitious program Dec. 13 when it officially launched a rail-trail that connects with the Camp Lejeune Marine Base. It is part of a 172-mile trails plan.
The city of Jacksonville will host a formal ribbon cutting ceremony and dedication of its path from Marine Boulevard to Camp Lejeune's main gate at 10 a.m. June 28 at the Camp Knox entrance off of N.C. 24.
The five-mile trail - the first phase of a proposed 172-mile, citywide trail network - converts old railroad tracks into pedestrian- and bike-friendly paths. Built on old railroad routes, the project’s first phase consists of a 5.2-mile trail along Marine Boulevard, continuing down Bell Fork Road and over Lejeune Boulevard, stopping at Camp Lejeune’s main gate.
Subsequent phases will continue the trail onto the Marine base, which donated 54 miles of its own paths to the trails system. Congressional authorization was needed to transfer 50 acres to the trails system.
The city council awarded a $4.1 million construction contract to Rea Contracting from Charlotte. The cost was $2.6 million more than originally anticipated. Engineers have estimated construction prices for the pedestrian bridge over Lejeune Boulevard alone as falling in the $2 million range.
The commission will then set its sights on funding grants in 2008 and extending the trail along Lejeune Boulevard into downtown. The project also holds a more operational purpose, as well, said Nick Irrera, one of the city’s Trails and Greenways Commission’s members. Irrera hopes the trails will get more people out of their cars and onto their bikes. Like Irrera, city ouncil member Fannie Coleman has also seen the rails-to-trails project in its infancy and was just as eager to see it materialize.
“When my first term on the council started in the early ’90s, this started up,” said Coleman, the council’s liaison to the Trails and Greenways Commission. “This is one of the things I’ve looked forward to the most in my tenure on the council.”
Rhonda Parker, former Jacksonville planning administrator, was an essential player. North Carolina Rail-Trails began working with Jacksonville and Onslow County in 1990. The process included identifying stakeholders and financial resources.
- Login to post comments
Featured Rail-Trail
Site Map
View a listing of quick links to get around our website.
Donate Now!
Support NCRT
North Carolina Rail-Trails is a proud member of Earth Share of North Carolina. Look for us in your workplace giving campaign.
North Carolina Rail-Trails is now a member of NCATA.