Completed in 1879 by prison labor, the tunnel helped bring trains to the Blue Ridge Mountains and open up Western North Carolina.
Norfolk Southern will soon send trains up the Old Fort Loops, which climb the Eastern Continental Divide in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
A song performed for decades by white musicians began as a work song by Black men building the Western North Carolina ...
ASHTON — A fire continues to burn inside the historic Bear Gulch Railroad Tunnel near Ashton. The U.S. Forest Service reported the burn on Monday and has personnel keeping an eye on the burn. There ...
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. Read our AI Policy. The remnants of Hurricane Helene demolished tracks belonging to three railroads in Western North Carolina in 2024. Soon, trains will ...
NC used prison labor, mostly Black men (and some women), to first build Swannanoa Tunnel About 3,000–3,500 inmates worked the railroad under coerced, harsh conditions. RAIL Project and memorials ...