Web hosting Custom Email SiteBuilder

---

Railfanning the L&C
The Kershaw District

On Sunday March 25, 2001, the L&C left it's shop with EMD SW900s 90 and 92 facing railroad west/south and SW900 91 facing railroad east/north. It accessed it's main tracks behind Skipper Lane, then headed toward the office. A crew member opened the gate that houses several passenger and dining cars and the engines proceeded on. Another crew member opened the next gate and the train crossed Main Street and into the old interchange with what was until recently the Norfolk Southern's SB line.

A moment later with a crew member walking ahead, the train crossed Market Street. The occasion was the first run on the newly acquired line into Kershaw. Earlier that week, Lancaster and Chester and Norfolk Southern entered a lease-purchase agreement that allows the Lancaster-based railroad to operate the SB line from the Lancaster side of the Catawba River to what is now the end of the line, the ADM plant in Kershaw. This doubled the route mileage for the L&C from 29 miles to almost 60 miles total. It was the first expansion of route mileage in the 105 year history of the L&C.

Before we get started, a little history of this line from Wateree to Kings Creek Norfolk-Southern.

The L&C currently connects with their Kershaw District about slam in the middle of the miles they now operate. This was at one time a busy interchange with the Southern Railway. I remember seeing long strings of brown Southern and golden yellow RailBox cars here ready to go to the Springs plants. Later, empty coal cars from Grace Water Treatment Plant were left on Friday evenings by L&C for pick up the following day. This got the cars back in Rock Hill on Saturday afternoon rather than Monday evening if delivered to the Chester interchange. However, since the late 80s the interchange had rarely been used.

In coming years, the railroad plans to build a new connecting track from the original line to the Kershaw District nearer Springdale Road. This will allow them to cross several roads protected as well as getting away from their wooden trestle over Cane Creek near the Springs Mills Lancaster Complex.

The L&C will mostly go south to the Archer-Daniels-Midland feed mill in Kershaw. This is the most photogenic end of the line too. So have some film ready and let's get started. After we get through with that part of the line, we'll come back to Market Street and start north.

Supposing you're on Market Street as the train heads out, go south. You'll miss the L&C passing through some neighborhoods and over one grade crossing, but the scenery isn't that pleasing, so don't worry about it. Go through the light on Market and now you're magically on the Kershaw-Camden Highway, which should also be marked as Business 521. (Should is emphasized as it may not really be marked.)

In your view now should be a railroad bridge crossing the road at an angle. Shots from here should turn out will little trouble. Just use your imagination and whatever sun there may be that day. You simply cannot go wrong here.

You may notice a longer trestle just out of your sight as the train continues south. Unfortunately, this one is not accessible from road. Don't fret too much though. Good photo ops are plentiful on this line. In fact, I'm going to have to leave some of them out. The fact is that you will see the track near 90% of the trip down. What I'll do is mention a few of the better ones and you can go from there.

I do recommend, as does Tony Hill, that you get off the main road. Not long after the road turns into US-521, take the second right. This road is not signed, but it is the old Camden-Kershaw road. While 521 is a busy 55 mile per hour zone, you can take it a little slower here, a welcome fact when you're chasing a ten mile per hour train. Just watch out for the stop signs which may sneak up on you, especially if you're keeping one eye in the rear view mirror.

Elgin is a few miles down the road. You should be far enough ahead of the train if you'd like to stop in for a drink at the Elgin Food Mart. If you have to, well, go, don't stop here. Last time I did, there were no public restrooms.

A shot from this area will work in either direction from either side of the track. Coming from the north, you will notice a fire department in the background. There will be a slight curvature of the track and a series of trees. I think it will work well. Coming from Kershaw, there is a good side angle shot near the small park. Work the store in the shot as well as the busy road in the background.

Continuing south on Old Camden, you will soon come to Thomas & Betts. This facility is the best opportunity the L&C has to immediately put more cars on the rails. There is a siding accessible from both directions and no less than four spurs into T&B. But the company has not taken rail in many years. In fact, I cannot recall ever seeing cars on the spur. Though a decent side angle shot is possible, I feel the best opportunity is more of a head-on shot getting the siding into the frame. Work with it here. You'll have time.

Getting back onto Old Camden and going south, you will soon come to a Road Closed sign. Luckily, you'll be able to take a left here and cross the tracks. Hwy 521 is immediately after the tracks. Take a right and you will soon enter the not-so big town of Pleasant Hill, South Carolina.

On your right will be a road that leads to a wooden bridge crossing the tracks. This is the road that was closed, forcing you onto 521 a minute sooner. The bridge is barricaded and may likely soon come down. While there are decent photo ops of the train from both directions, I cannot recommend it if for no other reason than you'd be trespassing to get there. Not to mention the inherent danger. In South Carolina, if a bridge is closed because the state has deemed it to be unsafe, then it has to be very unsafe. Also, there is a mobile home nearby with a yakety-yak dog, so chances are you wouldn't be able to sneak on and sneak off without detection.

So stay on 521. By now, you should have noticed a really big water tower up ahead on your right. The tracks cross the street near here and should be a good photo op. I made the mistake the first and only time I shot here by being on the wrong side of 521. Thus, I had to work around a big, metal railroad box. But the water tower in the background should lend itself well to shots. (As a side note, this tower was recently just put back into service and repainted by Lancaster County.)

Between the water tower and Heath Springs, pay attention to the speed signs as well as the school zone signs. Do not speed through here and watch for big, slow yellow boxes full of school kids.

Next stop is the old station in Heath Springs. The best shot is as the train comes from Kershaw. But a south bound train lends itself to good shots as well. Keep a look out for the siding just before the SB train reaches the station. The L&C has used this siding as storage for ADM a time or two in spite of the condition they appear to be in.

Play around with framing in this area. See if you can work in the water tower with the name of the town written on it. Go a block over from the station and look at that possibility. It would be hard to muck up a shot from this location.

From here, there are a few straight on shots that you can get to with minimal trouble. But my suggestion is that you get back on 521 and head toward Kershaw. To do this, you will turn left at a very unusual intersection where traffic in only one direction has a stop sign. In a few moments, you will see the track behind some trees. And in another mile or two, there will be a railroad crossing. This crossing is not that spectacular and is not recommended.

However, there is a road to the right just before you reach the crossing. This is Baxter-Kennington Road. Now I must add a disclaimer here. If you go this way, you will come to a narrow dirt road. It is not suggested you take this road when the road is wet or, if you have an aversaion to dust on your car or truck, when the road is dry. Skip down a paragraph to continue this tour without going on a dirt road.

Now, it is assumed that if you are reading this section, you don't mind the dirt road. From Baxter-Kennington, take the first road to the left. This is Harold Faulkenbury Rd and it is very narrow. Go straight on this road and it will take you around some curves, will turn into a dirt road and catch up with the Kershaw District as well. The best shot seems to be in winter months as the train heads north back toward Lancaster. I have yet to shoot from here. It should be noted that there is no room to get off to the side of the road. What is suggested is that you time it so that you know the train is coming soon.

From the railroad crossing on 521 just after Baxter-Kennington, keep going straight on 521, You are about to pass two schools. Pay attention to speed zones as well as a cop directing traffic. There is no need to rush anyway. The tracks will be on your right the whole way into town. Some crossings are better than others, but none really stand out.

Keep going to Kershaw. We're almost there. If possible, plan to get to Kershaw a few minutes before the train does especially if this is your first trip on the Kershaw District. If you need film (print film, that is, sorry to you sliders out there) or batteries, there is an Eckerds. If you're hungry for fast food, there is a Bojangles and Subway standing side by side. A Hardees across the street recently closed down. The only other two eating places to speak of are a Gus' Family Restaurant and a convenience store that sells greasy fried chicken and taters. Gus' has good food but the service, while friendly, has always had a reputation of being slow. This is not a time for sit down food anyway. We're chasing a train!

Kershaw, South Carolina.

521 is also Kershaw's main street. Look for the road that road the bypasses the city to veer off to the right. Take this and you will see the tracks immediately. ADM will be on your left. Take a look down the tracks and familiarize yourself as best you can while not holding up traffic too much.

Go a few tenths of a mile and take the first left you come to. This will take you a little closer to the plant. Here you will be able to see the north end of the ADM yard as it were. If they're doing some switching, you'll have a front row seat from the parking lot of a small grocery store. Otherwise, go south. Navigate yourself through the neighborhoods because I'm not doing it for you. It's easy enough. Just look left.

The best shots in my opinion are from the south end of the plant looking northward. Work the sidings in and play around with how you want to frame the shot. Look for a small locomotive ADM uses to spot cars. Then e-mail me if you know what make and model this puppy is so I can put it on here and appear to know what I'm talking about.

South of this spot by about a mile is what is now the end of the line. There's a run-around track in such a state of disrepair that I'm not sure they'll even use it. Too bad if they don't for this is a scenic area, especially if you could work in the water tower that has "Kershaw" in big black letters facing the tracks.

One thing to keep in mind while shooting ADM, be prepared to get in your car and drive from the south end of the yard to the north end and back again to get head end shots. This is not a place where one can stand near the tracks and shoot.

But now, let's head back to Market Street and finish the tour.....

As stated earlier, the L&C will mostly go south to the Archer-Daniels-Midland feed mill in Kershaw. But with an AmeriSteel factory on Riverside Road in Lancaster north of downtown as well as South Gas now receiving propane tanks from time to time, there is reason to check that part of track out. This segment of the line is less photogenic than the south end. But there are some good places to set up for shots.

Remember that the entire Kershaw District is set at ten miles per hour. The Original 29 will seem like a Class 1 main in comparison.

The first ideal location is on Main Street as the train heads north. The interchange will be in the background, but it will be a head-on shot. From here, get on Main, then turn left onto Elm Street. No nightmares here, but it may not be the best neighborhood in town either. The L&C will cross several roads to your left, but none of them are entirely interesting with the possible exception of French Street. French Street leads to the L&C shop, which will be almost directly in front of you, though with Builders Supply in between.

You will realize by now that you're not in the best part of Lancaster. While I feel safe here, those of you with out of state tags may not want to come to complete stops. Get back on Elm Street and go straight until it comes to a stop sign. You will now see what's left of the Lancaster Complex of Springs Mills, which was once the largest cotton mill under one roof.

Work the complex into your shots if you can. The L&C has run on the same side of this complex since 1896. Now in 2001, they run on both sides.

Work your way back toward the main road which is now locally called Midway. If I was Tony Hill, I'd have a couple of maps out to find the true name of this road. Take a left, of course, and in a moment, the tracks will cross Cane Creek above the road via a steel trestle. Power lines and over growth -- esp. in the summer -- clog the view from this side of the road however. So you can do one of two things:

• park your car, making sure it's locked, in the parking lot of what once was Old Mill Grocery, cross the road and under the tracks. I only suggest doing this if you know the train is close as hanging around in this area may cause you to be liberated from your camera and your wallet.
• or go to the light and turn left. This is Sringdale Road, but don't get too attached to it because you're about to take an immediate left onto Ashley Way. Follow this road until you're under the trestle. This is an ideal shot. However, I'd again suggest not coming here until you know the train is close. I would also park with the car pointing the way out. Stay in it with the windows up, the doors locked and the engine on.

From here, go back to the light on Springdale and take a left onto Old Landsford. The track will be immediately to your left for two tenths of a mile at which point they will cross at an angle. This is a decent photo location no matter which direction the train is coming from.

But.....

You may want to go a little further on the road and take a look back in your rear view mirror. Here you will see the road dips down, then comes back up to allow the tracks to cross. In the background will be the towers of the Lancaster Complex that will rose above the train as it crosses.

As an aside, the founder of Springs Mills and the original owner of the L&C, Leroy Springs, is said to be buried under one of those towers. He died in 1931 before these towers were erected. A few years later, the plant underwent an expansion with his son, Elliott White Springs, at the helm. When asked by the contractor if he wished to have his fathers remains moved elsewhere, he said no.

But back to the tour.....

The Kershaw District will go off to the right, but you'll keep heading in the same direction on Old Landsford. In a moment, you will come to a stop sign at Memorial Park Road. Directly to your left will be the original L&C line. From here until Hwy. 9, you will be on the same road as you would if you were railfanning this line.

Take a right onto Memorial Park Road and go until you come to a stop sign. This is Meeting Street. Take a right up the hill. Southern Gas Company is directly under the bridge. Bundrick Contracting recently replaced an old spur here and in early August, Southern received their first tank of propane. You will literally be right above the train as the crew switches the spur out.

The view looking south is better than the view from the north. But you may as well run across the bridge and take a gander.

Now that the excitement is over, hop in your car and go north on Meeting Street. In a moment, the road will turn into a two lane and you will cross a bridge. The L&C KD is to your right and in the winter months, you may be able to catch a glimpse of the trestle. I'm not sure it's photo-worthy though, but depending on the time of year, a shot through the trees as the line climbs a slight grade may be. When the trees are barren, you'll be able to blue through the grey and brown. If it's photo-worthy probably depends on your point of view more than anything.

Perhaps a mile from the bridge will be Partridge Hill Road. Take a right and you will already see the crossing. A shot of a north bound train will probably be better than a south-bound, especially with a telephoto lens as the train pokes it's head around a bend.

The next shot is nearly a mile ahead. But now you have a decision to make. Do you want to get an overhead/straight-on shot? If so, take the ramp that leads onto Hwy. 9 and into Lancaster. Stop on the bridge and take a look. You'll have to shoot under some power    lines, so I'm not certain I'd suggest this shot.

Instead of getting on the #9 ramp, I'd suggest going under the highway and take the next road to the right, S Lake Drive. You'll immediately see a stop sign for the railroad tracks. The shot of a train coming from Lancaster should be ideal. Watch the shadows coming of the road bridges and snap away!

Getting back on the main road (which is now called Riverside) and taking a left, from here on out, the tracks will be mostly visible the whole way. There's a church nearby (Catawba Baptist) that may work well in some shots. Across the road from the church is a lot of land just begging to be used. Keep this tucked away for future use. This could well be an industrial sight at some point if current Lancaster County Economic Development Corporation President Ray Gardner gets his wishes.

The most ideal piece of land for development would seem to be a few miles behind us. Hwy. 9 crosses in front of the land and the L&C crosses on the other side. But Gardner was not optimistic about this tract for reasons still unclear to me at this time.

Picking up our tour once again, two miles away, there's a great side angle shot. There won't be anything in the frame to show where you are, but the green grass and leaves against the light blue engines should be enough.

AmeriSteel is another mile or two away and by the time you reach it, the tracks will be in perfect visibility. L&C put in a new connection to the spur so that they can work both sides of this plant. This cuts down having to shove the cars back to Lancaster after switching.

OK. You've made it this far. You'll now notice that the tracks continue north. There are one or two photo ops here on out, but don't worry about them now. This is as far north as the L&C will go in Lancaster.

Well, maybe not.

Ray Gardner has expressed much interest in developing the 1400 acre Foster Industrial Park north of here. Also, it is my hunch that the L&C wants across the river to interchange with both Class 1s in Catawba. But all of this is in the future. So until then, it's back to Market Street.