Upstate construction crew finds old trolley line

Construction crews have found old trolley lines from the early 1900s.

Crews putting down new water lines in Spartanburg found the track for streetcars, the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports.

Crew chief Wes Arrowood said some asphalt was being removed by a backhoe when about 8 inches down, it hit the original brick street surface, a wooden railroad tie and the cast-iron trolley tracks. Workers have removed some of the bricks and rail. There are no immediate plans for the materials, but they will be stored.

Spartanburg Water spokesman Chad Lawson said crews have exposed parts of old trolley lines before, and workers are always looking for anything unusual.

“Crews recognized it is of an age where things found might be historically significant,” Lawson said.

The intersection where the track was found has been closed for several weeks while the city upgrades a century-old 10-inch water line that will serve a new hotel when it opens.

 

Spartanburg Railway street car lines map in 1915./ Courtesy of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries

The city is replacing old water lines in the downtown area with new and stronger materials.

“This allows us to help position for more growth for the future,” Lawson said. “It may be 100 years before this type of project happens again.”

Trolley service ended in Spartanburg in 1936 as bus service increased.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 11:44 PM with the headline "Upstate construction crew finds old trolley line."