CAMPOBELLO, S.C. — The organizations seeking to turn the Saluda Grade, once the steepest rail main line in the U.S., into a 31-mile trail, has signed a contract with Norfolk Southern to purchase the right-of-way.
The Greenville Journal reports the Saluda Grade Trail Conservancy announced it signed the contract on Monday, Aug. 5. Terms of the sale are confidential at the request of Norfolk Southern, but the coalition of organizations making up the conservancy has 12 months to exercise due diligence and raise the remaining funding needed for the trail in North and South Carolina.
That due diligence includes surveying the property, conducting title searches and an environmental impact assessment, and developing a regional marketing plan, said Laura Ringo, executive director of PAL: Play, Advocate, Live Well — one of the three organizations that are part of the conservancy. (Others are Upstate Forever and Conserving Carolina. The latter group received a $450,000 federal grant in July toward trail development).
“That means for us, the clock is ticking,” Ringo said. She also told an economic development forum that U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) had secured $6 million in federal funding to help with trail construction.
More information on the trail project is available here.
I’m no English major, but doesn’t “Play, Advocate, Live Well” abbreviate to PALW?
Another lost transportation resource.
Based on its longtime operational difficulties, I don’t think it qualified as a resource anymore.
If the NS ROW is an easement, why are we spending money to buy it back? Shouldn’t it fall back into the hands of the public if the railroad abandons it?
Newswire has previously reported (from local news reports) SC Gov has allocated $15 million and NC Gov $12 million (so far) to purchase ROW from NS and build trail. A great deal for NS for a long dormant line that will never be used again anyway, no matter how much of the $27 million goes to NS. The rail, ties (what is left of them) and ballast are still there to salvage, but it may not be easy in some of the more remote parts of the line.
Too bad that the tracks are going to be torn out.
Wish that their was some way that they could keep the track in place and run some kind of excursion service on it as well as having a hiking trail along side of the tracks.. The 611 would be a perfect fit. Excursions on Friday’s, Saturday’s, & Sunday’s during summer vacation season; and Saturday’s & Sundays the rest of the year.
I don’t know anything about running excursions, but I would bet “The steepest mainline grade in the US” would scare off most insurance providers…