I recently wrote here about some of the outstanding, historical architecture in my hometown, Asheville, NC. But, unfortunately, one piece of history is going the way of the wrecking ball. I speak of the railroad roundhouse that once serviced the locomotives of Southern Railroad, which has since merged with Norfolk and Western Railway and is now known as Norfolk Southern. The roundhouse was built in 1924 and employed over 200 workers. The peak of activity at the roundhouse was in the 40’s but with coming of diesel engines the repair and maintenance operations became automated and roundhouse workers lost their jobs. And once this one’s gone, only one will remain in North Carolina. But it is no longer in service, having been converted into an exhibit space at the North Carolina Transportation Museum.
The roundhouse has been idle since the mid-80’s but in the latter months of 2014, Norfolk Southern announced plan to demolish the structure due to it being asbestos-riddled and unsafe. There has, however, been a public outcry and The Preservation Society of Asheville and Buncombe County staged a rally in front of the roundhouse and a publicity series called This Place Matters, which was created to highlight good stewardship of historic environments, has taken up arms to try to help preserve the place. I too feel a sadness at the possible loss of this historic structure. It was always a thrill to just ride by it when I was a little boy, just imagining what it would feel like to be inside with all the locomotives and watching them being worked on.
The disappearing roundhouse.
There is no longer any passenger service here in Asheville, but there is still much freight service on a daily basis. But the following photo shows the area behind where the Asheville Depot used to stand before passenger service was discontinued and it was razed in the name of progress. And it was here that I had my first true railroad experience. When I was in the fourth grade, our class took a field trip, riding a passenger train from Asheville to Old Fort, a roughly 25-mile trip, climbing a 1,000 feet in elevation from Asheville to the Eastern Continental Divide at 2,535 feet, traversing many loops going around the mountain, going through several tunnels, one of them 1,832-foot-long, and rolling over numerous bridges. Once reaching the top of the mountain, then came the glide down a 2.2% grade with the grand vista of a beautiful Appalachian forest backdrop outside the windows. A trip I’ve never forgotten.
The area behind where once stood the Asheville passenger depot before it was taken down.
The following two photos show the staging area around the roundhouse which are constantly busy dealing with all the freight arriving or going through Asheville.
1880 saw the coming of passenger service to Asheville, and they arrived at the Biltmore Depot. But the town of Biltmore and its surrounding village was purchased by George Vanderbilt in 1895 and the depot was refurbished by Vanderbilt and became the hub of arrival for his visitors and deliveries for the huge mansion he built nearby, now known as the Biltmore Estate. Since the end of passenger service in 1972, it has now been renovated into a restaurant.
The Biltmore Depot Restaurant, once the arrival spot for the distinguished guests of George Vanderbilt.
Decked out and ready to roll, what Santa uses when Rudolph’s red nose burns out.
But my most nostalgic railroad memories have their origin not a half mile from where I sit at this very moment. I can step out on my front porch and gaze down at a railroad crossing. It’s a simple one with only a warning sign, no automatic cross bars or flashing lights. It has been there since long before my birth, a leg of the Craggy Mountain Railroad Line. But back in my little-boy days, I could always hear the train blow a warning as it approached the crossing, sometimes a lonesome wail in the middle of the night, a sound seldom heard anymore…until over the past few years, that is.
A local entrepreneur who has a love of the railroad has created his own rail system, offering rides on old rebuilt cars, traveling over the last three remaining miles of the Craggy tracks. They even had a Trolley Train Ride this past Christmas season, all the cars lit up and decorated. We’ve yet to take advantage of this piece of history, but as soon as the weather warms up, we’ll certainly go take a ride into the past and experience what once was before the coming of the automobile and the interstate system. Sometimes what’s old becomes new again, and that isn’t bad. Here’s to riding the rails!
I’m in love with railroads and old trains. They have such a feel of history and weight to them.
There really is something magical about riding the train, isn’t there? I’m happy that we still have the railroad around at all 🙂
I love the railroad system. I have always had a love for trains. My great grandfather worked for the railroad.
This place looks like a historical hotspot. Every time I hear about railroad systems, I remember great memories.
It’s so sad when pieces of history go. A train car at our library was moved to a train depot just 1/2 a mile away, but even seeing it moved felt like history was going with it.
There’s something so special and nostalgic about trains,so I hope that it somehow gets restored over time. I hate to see wonderful US history like this go by the wayside.
I think it is fun riding on the railroad. Specially with a child. It’s too bad that piece of history is going to be going away.
Train rides are cool. I love taking train rides that go around the countryside. There are so many sights to enjoy, and time seems to slow down to a peaceful pace when riding trains like these.
It is always hard to see a piece of history disappear. There is something so special about historical buildings that connects past and present..
This looks like a really neat area!! I love older homes and buildings, they just have so much history!!
Old trains and railroad track always has a charm for me. We also live near a railroad track and my kids just love watching when they come and go.
It is to bad they want to tear down the old building. I love to take the train. It is fun going to see all the old locomotives.
It’s sad when historical places are gone. My son loves everything trains! There is so much history in the rail roads. I love these photos!
I feel bad that this won’t be around much longer. Trains and railroads are a special part of history.
The railroad looks so amazing! Very old and rustic, so unique. I hope they will keep them in a good condition
It is funny how taking the train somewhere years ago was a nice way to travel. And nowadays it is no longer availale in many locations.
It’s always sad to hear about old building being torn down. Sounds like the building was in a bad shape. I hope they make good responsible use of the space.
I love trains. There’s something so romantic about them. Sad to hear this piece of history is getting torn down.
It’s too bad that they have to demolish that. I love anything that has to do with history. Thanks for sharing.
I think it’s kinda sad that they are going to demolish a piece of history. After all, those rail lines were responsible for helping settlers move to other parts of North America as well as transporting those goods. Maybe they can figure out a way to keep the history alive.
There’s always something about trains and railroads that touches my heart. The rust, the dust and that kind old feeling. I’m sorry to learn that this place has to go. 🙁
What a cute little spot with so much history. We have a railroad station in a city nearby and it is so amazing to visit.
This is so sad!! I hate seeing places with history getting torn down. That’s how people learn by visiting these kind of places.
I think someday or other many of those good old places become a history. I remember having so much fun on such railroads & these pictures bring back all those golden memories again.
These railroad scenes look so familiar to me. I used to live in coal country and seen a lot of the railroad cars that look like this. It’s odd the stuff you don’t really miss until something reminds you of it.
Those photos have a very cool vintage feel. What a great place to look at and can’t believe it won’t be around soon.