2007 Swamp Rabbit Bridge, Greenville, SC.
(Mike Burton's photo, licensed as CC BY-ND 2.0)
From the plaque at the bridge: The "Swamp Rabbit" Railroad
For 100 years the "Swamp Rabbit" railroad crossed the Reedy River at this site. The train trestle was demolished in 1990, leaving the old concrete piers which now form an integral part of this dam. Primarily a carrier of freight, the railroad was first known as the Carolina, Knoxville and Western and later became the Greenvile and Northern. It was nicknamed "Swamp Rabbit" by local Greenvillians who often rode it on picnic excursions to northern Greenville County.
GREENVILLE AND NORTHERN RAILROAD
The Greenville and Northern Railroad (reporting mark GRN) was a shortline railroad formerly operating between Travelers Rest and Greenville, South Carolina, 11.3 miles (18.2 km). The railroad was part of the Pinsly Railroad Company after 1957 before being purchased by RailTex in 1997. Operations ended in February 1998 and the railroad was abandoned in 2005.
History
The Carolina, Knoxville and Western Railway completed construction of the railroad north out of Greenville in 1887, reaching Marietta in November 1888 and River Falls in March 1899. The railroad was not successful and was abandoned until 1904 when the Greenville and Knoxville Railroad was formed to reopen the line. In 1914 the railroad once again reorganized as the Greenville and Western Railroad, and rechartered as the Greenville and Northern in 1920. After being cut back to Travelers Rest the remaining line was purchased by the Pinsly Railroad Company in July 1957.
Primary traffic included scrap, cotton waste, vermiculite, peat moss, paper, lumber, and chemicals, generating approximately 2,000 carloads in 1993. Annual carloads over the line declined from 1,642 in 1994 to 1,066 by 1996. The railroad interchanged with Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation at Greenville near the end of its life, as well as numerous predecessor railroads to both companies.
On April 24, 1997, the Carolina Piedmont Railroad acquired the entire line from Greenville to Travelers Rest and on May 28, 1999, Greenville County purchased the Greenville and Northern from the Carolina Piedmont Railroad. The railroad was abandoned in 2005 and was converted for use as the Swamp Rabbit Trail rail trail which opened in 2010.
The Greenville & Northern Railway: The Route of the Swamp Rabbit
Join us for our spring general meeting as local railroad historian, Joseph Hudson, discusses the Greenville & Northern Railway and it's predecessors, which would ultimately become The Swamp Rabbit Trail. For more information about the Travelers Rest Historical Society or how to join the society, please visit our website at http://www.travelersresthistoricalsociety.org/
Overview
Headquarters: Greenville, South Carolina
Reporting mark: GRN
Locale: Upstate South Carolina
Dates of operation: 1920–1998
Successor: None (Abandoned)
Technical
Track gauge: 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Length: 11.3 miles (18.2 km)
