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An Unofficial Railfans Guide to the Lancaster and Chester Railway
Railfanning the L&C
(updated 06/18/2002)

Some information from this page was gleamed from Tony Hill's self-guided railfan tour, Lancaster & Chester Railway. The opposite is also true as he got some of his information from this page. While some of the information is repeated here and there, both stand alone from the other for their own reasons. He goes into more detail on each road that the L&C crosses while I tell you in depth some of the things you might expect to see at some of these places. I'll also spend some time telling you what used to be somewhere as well as telling you what might pop up somewhere else.

These sites are the best that I have found for watching or photographing the L&C. If, by chance, you are in the area and decide to take my advice on these spots, please keep in mind that you should always keep out of the way of the train -- of course -- and if should someone tell you that you are on private property, please leave. But there are many areas that provide excellent sights of the train easily visible from public roads.

The L&C, as well as all other railroads, is an independently owned business, of course. Some railfans have been known to forget this in their enthusiasm for that perfect shot and have been prone to trespass on private property. Please keep in mind that trespassing is a punishable offense as you are trainspotting, no matter what train you are spotting, and stay on public property.

Let's get started with an overview of the tracks in the Lancaster and Chester area.

Clicking on the map will get you to its own page where you can view it in a larger format.

On March 25, 2001, the L&C doubled it's route mileage when they took over operation of the former Southern Railway's SB line into Kershaw. As such, I have divided this page into four parts:

This page will tell you of the sights in Lancaster around the office and shop areas while the others will start in Lancaster and go west or south. The Kershaw District, in fact, will go south and north. Most of the traffic will head toward Kershaw, but one cannot ignore the route north through Lancaster.

Before you get started, Lancaster, though small, does have its share of eating places and grocery stores to fill up on ice and drinks for the cooler. While the Original 29 has a lot of convenience stores and places to grab a quick bite to eat while still railfanning, the Kershaw District is just the opposite. Also, gas is normally cheaper in Lancaster and you may want to remember this. On the north side of town, gas is more expensive than the south side. Some places to look for are near the L&C interchange includes Gateway and Crenco. On Riverside Road, on both the L&C tours, Riverside Express offers good prices. Riverside Grocery is usually a cent or two higher, but offers a public restroom and a grill open from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Additionally, there is a Wal Mart Super Center on Hwy. 9 for your film. Chik-Fil-A, Taco Bell, Jack In The Box, Subway, Burger King, Bojangles, Wendys, Arbys and McDonalds all have establishments nearby. There are also some good sit down places to eat in town including, but not limited to, Twin Dragon, which is a block from the L&C interchange downtown, JoMars, Ryans Family Steak House and Grinders.

The L&C is based out of Lancaster. The Office/Depot is located on South Main Street. On the second floor is a museum devoted to the 105 year old L&C as well as other railroads of interest in South Carolina, including many fallen flags. There are hundreds of pictures and artifacts as well as an HO scale layout of the line. Admission is free, although donations are greatly appreciated. Two L&C employees are usually there at all times and are most courteous and informative.

Two bay window cabooses sit near the Depot on a siding that was recently put back in service to clear up room for the connecting track., one a refurbished Southern caboose and the other a disused L&C caboose. Also, an old Clinchfield office car, now privately owned, rests near the depot as well as a few other passenger and dinning cars, some of which are used on L&C excursion runs. A time or two a year, one will run into the J. Pinckney Henderson car in Lancaster. However, she spends most of her time in Charlotte at the CSX yard or in revenue service on Amtrak.

(Here is another shot of the depot with the Clinchfield and J.P. Henderson cars in the picture.)

Recently, the L&C fenced in the track that leads from the interchange to beside the office and now keep the passengers cars inside. Well it is not as aesthetically pleasing, one could guess the owners of the cars appreciate this. Of course, this means now the crew has to take the train through two fences to access the Kershaw District.

In the past two or three years,  Mid-State Packaging and US Strapping has been receiving plastic pellets in Lancaster. They had been using the tracks near the depot/offices to store covered hoppers of plastic pellets. A few times a week, they pulled up in their 18 wheeler and transfer the load directly. These cars now find a home on the recently refurbished siding near the interchange. Seven cars can be held here. Additionally, an entirely new spur has been laid off the interchange track that can hold five cars. However, they have now run out of room, so cars are being placed at the depot again. In the past month or two, I have counted 21 pellet cars in Lancaster on four different tracks. In time, they may move the transfer to another location, perhaps somewhere on the Kersahw line. (That last part was idiot railfan speculation, by the way.)

Sitting across Main Street on a spur to a now-defunct business near the connecton track are two 40 foot box cars that were bought by the L&C in the early 1950s, though neither are used to haul freight, #1013 and 1011. 1013  was repainted a few years ago but is already starting to fade and peel. Two more are on display at the South Carolina Railroad Museum in Winnsboro, South Carolina.

Market Street is one block over from Main and is almost the exact spot where the original L&C connects with what used to be Norfolk Southern's Rock Hill to Kerhsaw line, what is now the L&C's Kershaw District. The railroad recently blocked public access to this area. Until, you could ride through on a very bumpy dirt road. Since the area is clearly marked now, we'll have to get our shots elsewhere.

The L&C Shop is near the Depot and is visible from an all-access road two blocks over. On the weekends and evenings, there may be an engine or two sitting outside the shop in view as well as the odd freight car in need of repair. On the track above the shop will be where the empty cars from the last run sit, if any were pulled this far down track. Mostly, they will be uncovered hopper cars from the Grace Water Treatment Plant. Steel coil cars from Thyssen and a sand car or two from Guardian may also be here. Gondola cars are now a part of the scenery as they are often stored here for AmeriSteel. CSX and ancestor gons are common place, with SBD, PC and Canadian Pacific reporting marks making frequent appearances.

It is interesting that while the L&C has been based out of Lancaster for its 106-year history, most of the route mileage (22 of the 29 miles) as well as business, was across the Catawba River in Chester County. This is no longer the case. Out of almost 60 route miles currently, close to 37 of them are within the borders of Lancaster County.

Lancaster, SC

This gives you a broad picture of L&C trackage near downtown Lancaster. The Kershaw District runs through town basically from the northwest to the southeast, even though you couldn't tell it in this image. The Original 29 meets up with the Kershaw District at Market Street and runs west to Chester.

To the left of the map, the two lines diverge near Old Landsford Rd. They have run side by side to a certain extent for a few miles, though there are only a few places where you can see one line from the other.

Carolina Rails
The Lancaster and Chester Railway Home Page
The Blue Blazes: A Brief History of the Lancaster and Chester
Outlook: A Look Ahead for the Lancaster and Chester
Hinson's Railroad Photography: Shortlines of the Carolinas
Hinson's Railroad Photography: Class 1 Carriers
An All-Time Diesel Roster
Other Railroads in Lancaster and Chester
Carolina Shortlines Guide
Bibliography and Acknowledgment Page
Hinson's Interchange Page

Joseph C. Hinson
ICQ# 20186233