Greenwood, SC rolling stock gets upgrades

The Railroad Historical Center in Greenwood, SC was established in 1970 as a privately owned museum. It features six pieces of rolling stock, three of them notable. The Adams family ran it until 2005, when ownership passed to The Greenwood Museum, a non-profit that has grown dramatically over the last few years.

The collection is partially sheltered under open sided canopies, but the years had taken a toll. However, that is changing thanks to a $100,000 National Heritage Corridor grant that was approved in 2012. The first project, completed in June 2015, is the cosmetic restoration of Rockton & Rion 2-8-2 #19 (Baldwin 1906. Originally built for Alabama’s Woodward Iron Company, it was sold to R&R in 1936. The restoration work included asbestos removal and repainting.

sGreenwood 19

The last passenger train on the Piedmont & Northern interurban ran in 1951 on the 89 mile Southern Division and terminated in Greenwood. Its consist was motor #2102 and business car Carolina, both built in 1914. Both wound up in the museum.

Business car Carolina was built as the parlor-observation Saluda. It was rebuilt as the Carolina. In the process its rounded rear platform was squared off and it received six-wheel trucks, making it look much more like a steam railroad car. This restoration was far more extensive than for #19. Asbestos was removed, the roof replaced along with deteriorated steel and half the windows. All the mattresses in the sleeping compartments were replaced and most of the furniture reupholstered. And it was repainted. The car will be unveiled on Oct. 24th.

sGreenwood carolina

Next in line is interurban 2102. Built as a coach trailer, it was motorized in 1919, reconfigured as a combine, and eventually carried a pantograph. When the wires came down, it stayed on the property, eventually passing into the ownership of Seaboard Coast Line. With its motors removed, it served as a training car, an unlikely survivor.