Towns Along the Line  ·  Milepost CF 82.2

Climax, NC

Guilford County  ·  Altitude 824 ft.

History

This community in southeast Guilford County is at an altitude of 824 feet above sea level. It was established in 1853 and named for its location on high ground. In the days of the A&Y, the town was on the CF line where it curved from its southeastern direction out of Pleasant Garden to head directly east for a short while before turning southeast again to Liberty. Just after the turn east, Climax was located near the junction with the CR line to Ramseur. In 1934, the A&Y employee timetable indicated that Climax trackage could hold 19 cars.

The 1916 ICC valuation recorded Climax’s depot as a standard Type 3 combination station, “same in all respects to other type 3 depots on this valuation section,” with a metal-shingle roof and a platform lit by a Dietz “Pioneer” oil lamp. Its chert passenger platform, about 529 square yards, was one of the largest on the southern half of the line — fitting for a junction, where the Ramseur Branch left the main line and where the survey also logged a separate telegraph-and-telephone building alongside its own cluster of branch structures. The oil house followed the standard plan dated November 1905, and a brick-lined well ran 31 feet deep.

Climax station, ICC Valuation photograph, 1918
Climax station, ICC Valuation photograph, 1918. Click for full size.

The ICC Valuation documents included this photograph of the Climax station.

Track Diagram

ICC valuation map of Climax track and depot layout
Track and station layout from ICC valuation blueprint v27-22. Click for full size.

Industries

A Southern Railway Shippers Guide from 1916 indicates the following industries in addition to LCL shipments, passengers, and mail were located in Climax and used the A&Y for delivering and receiving products by rail (although some may have used the station or team track rather than having a dedicated siding). I will add other industries as I receive information about them:

IndustryGoods Shipped/Rec’dCompany Name
cotton gincottonM. L. Allred & Bro.
sawmilloak, pine, poplarGreyson Lumber Co.

Odds and Ends

Some of the buildings from the A&Y era still exist.

Building that housed the Climax post office and M.L. Allred and Son, facing the tracks
The Climax post office and M.L. Allred and Son building, facing the tracks.

Here’s a photo I took of the building that housed the Climax post office and M.L. Allred and Son. This building, as you can see, faces the tracks.

Security Feed Mills, Climax, view A
Security Feed Mills, Climax.

Here are a couple of photos of the Security Feed Mills, another of the ubiquitous feed mills in the region. At first I thought this mill was abandoned, but the vehicles parked in front made me rethink that conclusion. The state of the rail spur suggests that NS does not serve it anymore, though the A&Y and maybe the Southern probably did.

Security Feed Mills, Climax, view B
Security Feed Mills, Climax, second view.
Track scene at Climax on a rainy day, showing the countryside through which the A&Y ran
Track scene at Climax on a rainy day.

I am including this shot at Climax to help modelers get a feel for the countryside through which the A&Y ran. Remember this was a rainy, cloudy day. You’ll have to look at the shots of towns north of Greensboro to see what the countryside looks like on a sunny day.