The Maryville Southern is a freelanced N scale Model railroad based on a combination of a few short line railroads and Norfolk Southern's presence here in North Carolina. I decided to take my favoirte parts from them all and combine them into a small module layout that can be taken down and stored easily. You can follow its current construction in my blog.
The MS, located in the piedmont of NC, was originally constructed as a branch line of the former Southern Railroad.( Now Norflok Southern) It served the towns of Marybille and Henrey starting in 1906. At the time much of the goods transported were timber, grain, and textiles. The line ran passenger and mail service from 1910 until the late 1950's. In 1982 Norfolk Southern petitioned to abandon the line as business had dropped dramatically due to textile mill closeings. However, local business and community leaders saw this as an opportunity and negotiated with NS and the North Carolina DOT to buy the line and charter a new railroad. The following year the Maryville Southern Railroad Company was born. Today the railroad still going and serves the area. An interchange with NS allows local and foreign goods to flow in and out. As the local economy is rebounding the MS looks foward to a strong and bright future.
