Duke Beltline

36.003146, -78.904688

Durham
NC
Year built
1891
Use
Railroad bridge
Railroad
Building Type
Industrial
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Beltline_rrsiding_1957.jpg

1957

Built in 1891 primarily to bypass the control of the railroad tracks between Five Points and Dillard by the Durham and Clarksville railroad, the Duke Beltline provided passage north of and around the town, connecting to the main line adjacent to the Duke Factory, and connecting to the Timberline railway northeast of town, which then connected to the main line east of Dillard St.

Interestingly, the 1891 Bird's Eye view shows the beltline consistent with present-day on the north and east sides of town, but cutting a much wider path across later Trinity Park on the west side of town. I'm typically impressed by the accuracy of this map/drawing, so I do wonder whether this could have been done - but most likely, it was a projection of an unbuilt section

1891_BirdsEye_beltline.jpg

Below, a 1924 map that accurately shows the Beltline and the Norfolk Western line heading north into Person County.

beltlinemap_1924.jpg

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Comments

Submitted by John Goebel on Tue, 9/6/2016 - 3:00pm

Image removed.

Submitted by John Goebel on Tue, 9/6/2016 - 3:05pm

The above photograph is from the exact same location as the top picture in this post.  As you can see in the old photo, there were three main lines running through this area.  There is an addition side track to the right (east) of the one in this photo.  It ran back north to the Erwin or Pearl Cotton Mill.  To the left of the three main lines was the water tower and repair yard for the trails.  Some of the old ties and rails are scattered about in this space.  This area is just behind the existing Blue Note Grill and the red truck in the background belongs to Erwin Oil.  

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