Railroad History
The Norfolk Southern Railway ran through Mackeys since the turn of the 20th century. The railroad ran from Mackeys to Columbia and from Mackeys to Belhaven. The trains used meet back in Mackeys and then go their ways towards Raleigh via Plymouth or Norfolk via Edenton and Elizabeth City. Prior to the Albemarle Sound Trestle being built, trains used to cross to Edenton via a ferry. In 1910 the Norfolk Southern Railroad built a wooden trestle bridging the 5.05mi from Mackeys to Edenton.
In the late 1980s Norfolk Southern discontinued use of the Albemarle Sound Trestle due to maintenance costs and subsequently dismantled it. This created a short-line from Plymouth to Mackeys. Agriculture products were loaded at the site where the train station used to be until 2004 when the tracks were removed. Today the tracks only run a mile outside the Plymouth city limits to the east into the industrial park.
Read more about this topic: Mackeys, North Carolina
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