This rail line was originally built between 1849 and 1853 as part of the Wilmington & Manchester Railroad (W&M). This railroad extended from Wilmington, NC, to Manchester, in southwestern Sumter County, SC, then across the Wateree River to Kingville on the South Carolina Railroad (later Southern, now NS). The railroad was never financially stable, and was reorganized several times. Around 1870, it was reorganized as the Wilmington, Columbia & Augusta (WC&A), and was associated with the Wilmington & Weldon (W&W). These two roads formed the core of the railroad that became the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, which was financially stable. This route continues in South Carolina as the Sumter to Mullins segment.
This entire section of railroad from Wilmington through Whiteville to the SC state line formed a key part of the ACL until the Florence to Wilson cut-off was completed in the 1890s. This section was still an important part of the ACL for much of the 20th century. This route was the entry route from the south to Wilmington for the ACL. After the merger with SAL in 1967, it was determined that the SAL line from Pembroke to Wilmington was a better route and that this route was not needed. The section from Whiteville to Malmo, just W of Wilmington, was abandoned in the late 1970s (37 miles). This was the first section of the old WC&A to be abandoned. The section from Mullins, SC, to Whiteville was sold to the Mid-Atlantic Railroad, and it is now operated by the Carolina Southern Railroad. Carolina Southern also operates the former ACL/SCL branch down to Conway, SC, which leaves the old SCL line at Chadbourn, NC. The US Army operates a portion of this line from Wilmington out to Malmo in order to access the government rail line down to the Marine Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point south of Wilmington along the west side of the Cape Fear River.
Towns on the abandoned section include Hallsboro, Lake Waccamaw, Wananish, Bolton, Byrdville, Delco, and Maco. You can learn about the ghost story surrounding the "Maco Light" here. It is still possible to make out the abandoned ROW in many places.
The end of the line at Whiteville, NC. On the east side of Whiteville, looking east, the railroad line has been abandoned from here to Malmo, just west of Wilmington. The line is operated to this point by the Carolina Southern Railroad.
