The Atlantic Tennessee & Ohio
The Atlantic Tennessee & Ohio was a railroad company with a name almost longer than the line itself. Running only 40-odd miles between Charlotte and Statesville, NC, the AT&O could have easily been forgotten in the annals of Tarheel history.
However, the majestically named railroad, which reached neither the Atlantic, nor Tennessee, nor Ohio, played a pivotal role in the cultivating the communities that it served. Charlotte, already a regional trading center, and Statesville, a point on the Western North Carolina Railroad, served as the two endpoints of the line. Villages such as Troutman's and Moore's Siding were mere wide spots in the road.
However, the majestically named railroad, which reached neither the Atlantic, nor Tennessee, nor Ohio, played a pivotal role in the cultivating the communities that it served. Charlotte, already a regional trading center, and Statesville, a point on the Western North Carolina Railroad, served as the two endpoints of the line. Villages such as Troutman's and Moore's Siding were mere wide spots in the road.
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Along its path of growth, the railroad proved fodder for corrupt politicians, financial reorganizations, and as a pawn between two of the most powerful railroads of the Nineteenth Century- the Baltimore & Ohio and the Richmond & Danville. After passing into the hands of the Southern Railway, the "O-line" has been used as a poker chip between railroad companies and the state of North Carolina twice in the past 120 years.
The AT&O was a little railroad with a big history. This is its story.
The AT&O was a little railroad with a big history. This is its story.
After spending the first thirty years of its life as an independent railroad, it became part of the Southern Railway system. Here, Ps-1 #1289 prepares for its run from Charlotte to Statesville.
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