Mackey's Ferry, North Carolina, on the N&W ?

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#yiv5779391998 -- p {margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0px;}#yiv5779391998 ​How close did the train go to the OBX?  Jack:At one time, NS had a branch that ran from the south shore of theAlbemarle Sound to Columbia, including a draw bridge across theScuppernong River.  Sometime probably in the late 1940s, L. Q. Spruillwas conductor on the last Columbia Turn.  Most likely after the 5.05 mile trestle across the Albemarle Soundwas completed, the station's name was changed from Mackeys Ferryto just plain Mackeys. The private road leading to the south shorefrom Greater Metropolitan Mackeys had been the Columbia Branch. In 1961, I was the agent-operator there for five days. The primary traffic was limestone arriving and wood chips departing.  The wood chips weremoved from a lumber mill to Weyerhaeuser 10 miles to the south atPlymouth.  Great revenue ! About the 5.05 mile Albemarle Sound trestle.  Towards the middle of thesound, piling could not be driven to a solid footing.  Instead the pile driver would place weight on the pile until it reached the correct height.The pile driver would hold the piling in that position for several minutesuntil the sound floor filled in around the piling.  Until the GP-18s came,speed limit across the sound was 25 MPH for passenger trains and15 MPH for freights.  After the GP-18s, the speed limit was lowered to7 MPH and it took 55 minutes to make a crossing. Crossing the Sound on a Baldwin, I was asked to sit in the cab'smiddle seat, and close my eyes.  It made me want to throw-up becauseonly then could  I detect the Baldwin listing from port to starboard andstarboard to port.                                 Harry Bundy 
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