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EXMORE
RAILROAD DEPOT |
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Exmore lies in the path of The Eastern Shore Railway which was opened in 1884 by the New York, Philadelphia & Norfolk Railroad. The railway ran for some 60 miles in an almost straight line southwards from the Virginia border on the Eastern Shore until reaching the outskirts of Cape Charles, when the line took a 90 degree turn westwards to the centre of the town and the port. At the port of Cape Charles freight wagons were shunted onto special barges and towed by tugs across 26 miles of the Chesapeake Bay to Norfolk. Passengers completed their journey by luxury steamer. Regular daily passenger services were operated from New York and Philadelphia to Cape Charles and Norfolk, with considerable goods traffic also on the line. Traffic continued much as previously in the late 1940s but as the 1950s progressed, as with all railways, both passenger and goods custom was being lost to road transport. The last passenger train ran from Cape Charles northwards on 11th January 1958. Exmore was one of 18 station stops between the Virginia Border and Cape Charles, in a distance of just over 60 miles. The station building currently at Exmore is not the original; that was destroyed by fire. The building seen in the photos below was brought from Belle Haven, the next station north. Mike Smith, August 2009. These photographs were taken in June 2009. |
Photo courtesy of Jacky SmithThe station building currently at Exmore is not the original; that was destroyed by fire.
The building seen in the photo above was brought from Belle Haven, the next station north.
Clearly it has been freshly painted, and inside there appeared to be various artifacts.
However, at the time of writing, the group responsible for the maintenance is unknown.
The building is set back a few yards from the track.
This caboose or guard's van was
resting nearby,
but rather than being on a short length of track, was just sitting on the grass.
Photo courtesy of Jacky Smith
Crossing sign and the Caboose
The railroad company
"Norfolk & Western" no longer exists, having merged with the
Southern Railroad
in the early 1980s to form the "Norfolk & Southern".
The single track looking
north. During the first half of the 20th century, the line was double
track.
Another Caboose can be seen in the background.
The single track looking south.
Also on the general station or
depot area, there are these railroad wagons, sitting by what would
appear to be a former freight shed.
Exmore station.
.
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© Copyright M J Smith, 2009
No photographs to be reproduced elsewhere without permission.
