Franklin County

Company History: The FCTR was launched in 1985 as a subsidiary of fellow North Carolina shortline Laurinburg & Southern. FCTR took over operation of a 10 mile line between Franklinton and Louisburg from Seaboard System. Sadly, the hoped-for traffic did not develop and the line was abandoned in 1988.

Successor/Parent History: The LRS opened in 1909 with a line from Laurinburg to a connection with the Aberdeen & Rockfish in Wagram, North Carolina. In 1921, they bought the Aberdeen & Rockfish branch from Wagram to Raeford, resulting in the 28 mile line that they operate today. In 1982, LRS launched their own shortline group, taking over operation of some local routes no longer wanted by the owning Class One line. The Saltville Railroad was the first to appear followed by Fairmont & Western, Red Springs & Northern, Franklin County Railroad, Nash County Railroad and finally the Yadkin Valley. These lines shared LRS’s red and white paint scheme but used their own names on the locomotive flanks. The Laurinburg & Southern and their remaining subsidiary lines were sold to the Gulf & Ohio Railways shortline group in 1994. LRS continues to operate today as part of the G&O family. Traffic, which includes chemicals, feed, fertilizer, glass, lime and soda ash, averages about 112 cars per week.

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.