| Posted by Tony King on March 8, 2007 | |
A private individual was working to get this stretch of railroad, formerly the Yancey Railroad and Black Mountain Railroad before that, reopened as a tourist line. Local residents were not happy with this venture since they claimed the railroad property went back to the land owners after the railroad had been abandoned. Several attempts were made to stop reopening the line. The final attempt proved successful when the thru truss bridge was brought down by either a fire or dynamite. The speeder car has been here ever since.
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| Posted by Dana M. on January 6, 2019 | |
What a shame! I wish I could go in and "rescue" that little Speeder. It needs a loving new home! :-(
I love how people always yell and raise a fuss about railroad lines when they become unused. "The railroad property reverts back to the landowners should the railroad cease operations!" they always "cry" and "spout"! Well, I've got two words to say to that..."Prove it!" If a landowner doesn't have documented proof - either a deed, contract, or anything else officially recognized - and there is no information or documentation with the State, County, or City Records - then the landowner is out of luck and the railroad line is still private property of the railroad - bankrupt or not! If a railroad ceases operations - and they still own the right-of-way, then the landowners have no legal claim to the property - and if someone else comes along and buys the right-of-way from the previous railroad owner, that property is now the new buyer's land/property. That person or entity can do whatever they want with the property and if they want to start a tourist railroad - by law they have the right to do it, now matter how many people hate it! I agree that the through truss bridge was deliberately sabotaged so the person wanting to start a tourist line, couldn't! The lengths people will go to just to get their own way! Grrrr!
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