Mid Atlantic

Company History: The MRR was launched in 1987 to purchase 76 miles of former Atlantic Coast Line routes in South Carolina from CSX. The mainline ran from a connection with CSX in Mullins to Whitehall. There was a branch from Chadbourne to Conway where they connected to Waccamaw Coast Line. The track was in poor condition at startup and required a small federal grant to make improvements. The locomotive fleet consisted of a trio of GP18’s. Traffic included aggregates, coal, feed, fertilizer and forest products. Mid Atlantic was merged into Carolina Southern in 1995.

Successor/Parent History: The CALA began in 1995 as a spin off from CSX operating portions of the former Atlantic Coast Line route between Florence, South Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. They also took over operation of the Waccamaw Coast Line between Conway and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In total, they had about 95 miles of line and 11 locomotives. The CALA ceased operations in 2012 when a number of bridges on the line failed inspection. The Pippen family still owned the line but they reportedly didn’t have the cash to fix the bridges, had been turned down for grants, and owed Norfolk Southern six figures for overdue per diem charges (for cars stranded on the wrong side of the troubled bridges.) After three years of hand wringing, in 2015 the Carolina Southern was sold to RJ Corman who then repaired the line and resumed service in 2016.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.