Whistlestop at Company Shops

As farmers, merchants, and manufacturers in western North Carolina became conscious of the benefits of rail service, Governor John Motley Morehead became their spokesperson. In 1842 Morehead told the legislature that the state needed a network of rail lines if it was going to become independent of its neighbors. Democrat W. S. Ashe, of New Hanover County, took Morehead's lead in 1849 when he introduced a bill in the General Assembly to charter the North Carolina Railroad Company. The line would draw western trade to the east by connecting Goldsboro and Charlotte by way of Raleigh, Greensboro, and Salisbury.

Arguments in favor of the new road included an increase in land values, a decrease in freight rates, a variety of markets for farmers, an increase in manufacturing, and an increase in steamboat traffic on the Yadkin River. A majority of Whigs voted for the NCRR while a majority of Democrats opposed it. The final, tie-breaking vote was cast by Democrat Speaker Calvin Graves of Caswell County in favor of the NCRR. Chartering the North Carolina Railroad was the state's first true commitment to the railroad industry.

The total estimated cost of the road was 3 million dollars. The state promised to pay $2,000,000 after the sale of 1,000,000 dollars in stock to private individuals. Morehead began to assemble the 200-foot right-of-way in February 1851. Willing landowners who were anxious to enjoy the roadís benefits donated a majority of the property.

Surveying the Road

"What North Carolinian can survey this great State work without emotions of pride that Old 'Rip' has waked up and in her strength presumes to compete with sister States in the great improvements of the age?"
Hillsborough Recorder, June 9, 1855

Gwynn organized four parties to do the surveying. Each party was led by a principal assistant engineer to scout out the best path for the NCRR. Each party was charted with a different section of the road and was made up of two assistant engineers, draftsmen, rodmen, chainmen, and axe men. The survey began in August 1850 and took approximately eight months to complete. Gwynn submitted his final report on May 5, 1851. After experimenting with 1,494 miles of lines, the final route measured 223 miles.
After determining the route, Gywnn and the Board of directors contracted sections of the road’s construction directly to neighboring landowners who were paid with stock in the company. Men were divied into gangs of 30-50 men to grade the bed and lay the track. The initial grading took place at more than 20 sites at once.

Making the Grade

In the 1850s railroad construction was primitive and labor intensive. Grading the roadbed was the most difficult and dangerous step. First, the route had to be laid out with stakes by a surveyor. Then, stakes were notched to indicate their distance above or below the ideal grade.

Next, workers using shovels and wheelbarrows built or broke down the soil so that it would "make the grade" and create a level surface for crossties. Large rocks had to be cleared by digging small holes with a pick, packing them with a gun powder and blasting the rocks into smaller pieces before digging with picks and shovels. Injuries were common among workers. Disease was also a common problem. New and rare diseases were easily contracted in the isolated, agrarian regions of North Carolina.

Working on the road

Building the North Carolina Railroad consisted of hewing and laying crossties, laying track and building water tanks, stations, and bridges. Laborers kept the road in operation by working on train crews to maintain the roadway, and serving as station hands, brakemen, firemen, and shop workers. The most prestigious positions were that of engineer, conductor, foreman, machinist, and skilled shop worker.

Laying the tracks began in January 1853 at either end of the route. As small segments were completed, towns began celebrating the arrival of the NCRR. The celebrations ranged from a small gathering of 5,000 in Lexington to an elaborate party of 15,000 in Salisbury.
The two tracks were joined between Greensboro and Jamestown on January 29, 1856, and the following day the first train ran the entire route of the North Carolina Railroad. Soon NCRR locomotives began carrying passengers and freight, including tobacco, cotton, orn, wheat, bacon, lumber, coal, naval stores, iron, and machinery.
With the tracks complete, many construction chores remained. Water towers, warehouses, and stations needed building. Bridges need to be covered and culverts repaired. And above all, the repair shops had to be established.