How Did it all Happen?

How Did it all Happen?. . , 1827 The SC General Assembly charters the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company (SCC&RR)., 1828 William Aiken is appointed president of the SCC&RR Company., 1829 Col. William Howard and Col. J.B. Petitval complete surveys for the best route for the railroad. They each recommend a 150-mile route from Charleston to Hamburg, SC., 1830 Construction of the Charleston to Hamburg railroad begins at Line Street in Charleston. The company's first locomotive, The Best Friend of Charleston, makes its first trip in November., 1831 Locomotive The Best Friend of Charleston begins regular service on the 6-mile long SCC&RR line. Chief Engineer Horatio Allen finalizes a new route to Hamburg that shortens the railroad to 136 miles. Construction of the entire route begins., 1833 Construction of the railroad is completed in October. Installation of the stationary engines at the Inclined Plane is delayed. Hand cars are used to transport passengers and goods between Hamburg and Aiken. Hand winches are used to power the Inclined Plane., 1834 The first steam locomotive arrives at Hamburg. A stationary steam engine and associated machinery arrive at Aiken and are installed in the Engine House at the top of the Inclined Plane., 1835 The Town of Aiken is incorporated into the Barnwell District on December 19th., 1836 Due to delays and added costs, SCC&RR Co. President Alexander Black looks for alternatives to the Inclined Plane., 1840 In December, fire burns the Engine House and damages the stationary steam engine. In January 1841 it is replaced with a locomotive running on one of the Inclined Plane tracks., 1844 The SCC&RR Co. merges with the Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Rail Road co. to become the South Carolina Rail Road Co. (SCRR)., 1850 Directors of the railroad recommend bypassing the Inclined Plane by digging a deep trench for the tracks on the south end of Aiken. Work on the Aiken Cut begins. The rope cable used to haul trains up and down the Inclined Plane is replaced with a steel cable., 1852 The new Aiken Cut opens in May and the Inclined Plane is abandoned., 1860 There are approximately 30,000 miles of tracks in the eastern United States. The SCRR fleet grows to 62 locomotives, 61 passenger and baggage cars, and 718 freight cars., 1861-1865 Most of the SCRR's tracks and rolling stock are destroyed during the Civil War. Only four locomotives, five passengers and baggage cars, and 36 freight cars remain when the War is over., 1894 The Southern Railway is formed by combining a number of financially strapped railroads including the SCRR., 1899 A new Railroad Depot building is constructed at Aiken, reflecting its growing popularity as an important Winter destination for northern travelers., 1916 The number of miles of tracks in the United States peaks at 254,037., 1954 Passenger travel to Aiken is suspended and eventually the 1899 depot is torn down., 2017 Archaeologists working in Hitchcock Woods find remnants of the Inclined Plane including original tracks. The site is later listed on the National Register of Historic Places., Be sure to visit the Aiken Visitor Center and Train Museum and the Aiken County Historical Museum.