Who We Are
The Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway Company is the largest privately held shortline or regional railroad in North Carolina. The ACWR is a dual-served shortline, which means we interchange with Norfolk Southern in Charlotte, NC, and CSX Transportation in Aberdeen, NC. This valuable feature offers our customers access to the entire national railroad network in the US. Our central Mid-Atlantic and North Carolina location with close access to Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh is another advantage the ACWR offers to shippers looking for access to industrial manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers.
You may be asking what a shortline railroad is. Shortline railroads focus on the short haul (first mile/last mile), while the Class I railroads focus on the long haul. The Class I railroads are the large railroads that you are more familiar with. There are currently six Class I railroads in North America: Norfolk Southern, CSX, Canadian National, CPKC(Canadian Pacific/Kansas City Southern), BNSF(Burlington Northern Sante Fe), and Union Pacific). This collaboration provides shippers and customers with the best in what railroad transportation offers.
The Aberdeen, Carolina and Western is primarily a freight railroad. We haul a wide range of commodities from feed ingredients, lumber, aggregates, sands, cement, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum products, and plastics. In addition, we provide trans- loading services for all types of commodities, whether you require railcar-to-truck or truck-to-railcar services. We offer unique passenger and train enthusiast excursion opportunities for the public throughout the year. We provide locomotive and railcar repair services at our Candor shop, as well as construction and maintenance services for our rail line and customer operations. We are uniquely equipped to offer solutions for both logistics and maintenance obstacles.
The Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway is also an active North Carolina Economic Development team member. We market industrial greenfield sites along our line. Some of these sites are railroad-owned, and others are privately owned. We work closely with each of the six-county Economic Development professionals we serve to provide prospects with the exact needs required for their projects.
The Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway is here to serve you! Please allow us to earn your business and become a part of your logistics and supply chain team!
ACWR History
Our story begins in June 1987. Robert Menzies purchased 35 miles of track connecting Aberdeen, NC, and Star, NC, and the Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway was born. Also included in the purchase was the company’s first locomotive, ACWR 896.
In May 1989, the company participated in Norfolk Southern’s “Thoroughbred” program, adding 104 miles to the system through a lease agreement from Charlotte, NC, to Star, NC,
continuing to Gulf, NC. In December 2022, the ACWR formally purchased the 104 miles from Norfolk Southern to consolidate its holdings. With nearly 140 miles of track, the ACWR cemented its place as the largest shortline railroad in the state of North Carolina.
Since its beginning, Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway has been in a constant state of growth and improvement. In September 1987, Perdue Farms came online and became the first major customer of the ACWR. In August 2000, Mountaire Farms came online to become the second-largest customer, followed by Texon/Sunoco in 2006.
In April 2020, ACWR Transload opened its first operation in Oakboro, NC, followed by
Midland Logistics Park in August 2022. Our latest partnership occurred in September 2023 when Charlotte Pipe and Foundry opened their state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Oakboro, NC.
The Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway is a 24/7 operation serving over 20 customers across the great state of North Carolina. And what became of our original locomotive
ACWR 896? The storied locomotive stands outside our Candor headquarters offices, connecting us to our humble past and welcoming guests to our exciting future!
History Prior to the ACWR
The Atlantic Carolina and Western Railway began as a logging railroad organized in 1882 as Page’s Railroad, with Mr. A. F. Page as owner. The road ran from the station at Aberdeen on the Seaboard Airline to Pinehurst, a distance of six miles. The operation started in 1887 and ran for two years.
On February 6, 1889, the line was sold to the Aberdeen and West End Railroad, still controlled by the Page interest but chartered by the State of North Carolina on February 6, 1889, Chapter 71, Public Laws of North Carolina. A new road was extended to West End, adding seven miles of track, then completed through Biscoe to Star, for a total of 33 miles. A seven and one-half mile Branch Line was constructed from Biscoe to Troy.
The Asheboro and Montgomery Railroad was also constructed by the Page interest from Star to Asheboro, twenty-three miles, and chartered by the State of North Carolina on April 17, 1896, obtained under the provisions of Chapter forty-nine of The Code of North Carolina (filed in Secretary of State’s Office). The Aberdeen and West End Railroad and the Asheboro and Montgomery Railroad were merged to form the Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad and chartered by the State of North Carolina on February 20, 1897, Chapter 105, Public Laws of North Carolina, with the Page interest still in control.
In 1901, the Jackson Springs Railroad Company, organized under Chapter 49 of the Code of North Carolina (Filed in the Secretary of State's Office), constructed four miles of road from West End to Jackson Springs and controlled by the Page interest.
The Pages encountered certain legal difficulties concerning the corporate status of the Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad. On March 8, 1907, the Aberdeen and West End Railroad Company, the Asheboro and Montgomery Railroad Company, and the Jackson Springs Railroad Company were merged and re-chartered by the Public Laws of North Carolina, Chapter 415. On March 7, 1911, the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Southern Railway Company was chartered (as a dummy corporation for Norfolk Southern Railroad) in Chapter 428 of Public Laws of North Carolina. On January 1, 1912, the Aberdeen and Asheboro Railroad was leased to the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Southern. On February 1, 1912, the two railroads merged to become the Raleigh, Charlotte and Southern. On July 25, 1912, the Raleigh, Charlotte, and Southern were sold to Norfolk Southern Railroad, a railroad chartered in Virginia in 1906. Norfolk Southern Railroad was reorganized by court order and became Norfolk Southern Railway on December 29, 1941.
The Carolina and Northwestern Railway was incorporated on March 11, 1895, and the predecessor was the Chester and Lenoir Narrow Gauge Railroad.
On January 1, 1974, the Norfolk Southern Railway merged with Southern Railway and became a part of Carolina and Northwestern Railway as a subsidiary of Southern.
On June 1, 1982, Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway merged to form Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation.
On December 29, 1983, Carolina and Northwestern Railway, a Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation subsidiary, sold the line between Aberdeen and Star to Aberdeen and Briar Patch Railroad, which was incorporated on August 20, 1982.
On May 11, 1987, Aberdeen and Briar Patch Railroad sold the line from Aberdeen to Star to the Aberdeen Carolina and Western Railway, which was incorporated on June 19, 1987.
We are the largest privately held regional railroad in North Carolina. We provide locomotive and railcar repair services and more.
- 967 NC Hwy
- 211 ECandor,
- NC 27229
