Pickens Railroad in Anderson
by Joseph C Hinson
Title
Pickens Railroad in Anderson
Artist
Joseph C Hinson
Medium
Photograph - Digital Photography
Description
Pickens Railroad Belton Job comes into downtown Anderson to exchange trains with the Anderson Job through tunnel under Hwy. 76 on former Southern Railway track. In 1991, Norfolk Southern Railway leased the Belton-Honea Path line to the Pickens under the "Thoroughbred Shortline Program." This line was built in the 1840s by the Greenville & Columbia, eventually becoming part of the Southern. in 1994, the Pickens expanded further by leasing the Belton-Anderson line from Norfolk Southern. This line was built in the 1840s as part of the Blue Ridge Railway. Included was former Anderson trackage that had belonged to CSX previously owned by the Piedmont & Northern and Charleston & Western Carolina.
Pickens U18B #9508 was built by GE in 1973 for Seaboard Coast Line as SCL 344. After that railroad was merged with several other lines, it became CSXT 1932. CSX later renumbered it to 9508, gave it an orange paint scheme and assigned it to work train service. When Pickens bought it, they kept the number and repainted her orange again.
The six U18Bs on the Pickens are among the last operating units of their kind in America making them rare and a treat for railroads everywhere.
Uploaded
September 17th, 2019
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