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Private company

Laurinburg and Southern Railroad

Railway line in North Carolina, United States

The Laurinburg and Southern Railroad (reporting mark LRS) is a short-line railroad operating in North Carolina. The railroad has 28 mi (45 km) of track that runs south from Raeford to Laurinburg, North Carolina and industries to the south. However, much of the line is out of service, and sections at either end are used for car storage.2 It is part of Gulf and Ohio Railways.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1909Founded1

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LRS 4594
Photo: Matthew Zisi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Laurinburg and Southern Railroad (reporting mark LRS) is a short-line railroad operating in North Carolina. The railroad has 28 mi (45 km) of track that runs south from Raeford to Laurinburg, North Carolina and industries to the south. However, much of the line is out of service, and sections at either end are used for car storage. In the past, the Laurinburg and Southern controlled a number of other small railroads in North Carolina and Virginia. The railroad has been owned by Gulf and Ohio Railways since 1994.2

Corporate structure

Laurinburg and Southern Railroad is part of a group headed by Gulf and Ohio Railways. 5 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

The Laurinburg & Southern was formed on March 4, 1909 as the Laurinburg & Southern Railroad Company and began operations in July over a line from Laurinburg to Wagram. Additional trackage was purchased from the Aberdeen & Rockfish into Raeford in 1921.

In addition to rail services over the 28 miles (45 km) between Laurinburg and Raeford, the Laurinburg & Southern expanded to include several other shortline railroads in North Carolina and one operation in Virginia. Acquisitions included the Fairmont & Western and Red Springs & Northern in 1984, the Franklin County Railroad and Nash County Railroad in 1985, as well as the Saltville Railroad in Virginia from 1982. The Yadkin Valley Railroad would begin operations in 1989 under L&S control.

Upon the 1994 acquisition of the Laurinburg & Southern holding company by Gulf & Ohio the railroad had been reduced to owning only its namesake line and two others, the Nash County railroad and Yadkin Valley Railroad. The other railroads had been abandoned or were out of service. The Yadkin Valley railroad and the Laurinburg & Southern are still operated by Gulf & Ohio. The former Nash County Railroad was sold in 2011 and now operates under the CLNA reporting mark.

From Wikipedia’s article on Laurinburg and Southern Railroad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Subsidiaries and ownership

Parent company

From Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. 1909Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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