WNC railroads among recipients of NCDOT grant program
Hat tip, the Virginia DRPT newsletter
Posted on August 7, 2021 — Community Bulletin
Press release from the N.C. Department of Transportation:
Twelve short line railroads and the North Carolina Ports Authority will soon be making improvements to their rail infrastructure thanks to approximately $10.2 million in matching grant funds being awarded as part of the N.C. Department of Transportation’s Freight Rail and Rail Crossing Safety Improvement program (FRRCSI).
FRRCSI supports rail infrastructure health, safety and performance throughout the state, enabling NCDOT to partner with rail companies on improvement projects to move freight more effectively. This partnership helps railroads meet customer needs efficiently and in cost-effective ways while preparing them for growing service demands and partnerships with new businesses and industries.
The grant funds contribute to nearly $20.4 million (total including funds from those below) in rail infrastructure improvements statewide. Funds awarded are as follows:
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In New Hanover county during the Lumina Pavilion days, it was a three-story, 25,000-square foot dance hall that served as the hub of the East Coast social scene from 1905 to 1973. My mother used to go there with her high school friends on the weekends to dance. You could take the train almost all the way to the shoreline. Where the train stopped, the trolley cars took over the route.
More about Lumina Pavilion here:
Lumina Pavilion Wrightsville Beach
Back in 1905 a brightly lit pavilion in south Wrightsville Beach known as the “Fun Spot of the South” opened for the first time.
It was referred to by many names, “The Pleasure Palace of the South,” “The Fun Spot of the South,” and “The Palace of Light.”
Lumina Pavilion in Wrightsville Beach NC
In June 1905, Hugh MacRae who owned Consolidated Railways Light & Power Company, Wilmington’s electric utility, opened Lumina in a location near the last stop of Wrightsville’s electric trolley line.
His motivation for creating Lumina was to promote beach tourism, encourage folks to ride on the trolleys and start to use electricity.
He lit up Lumina with over a thousand incandescent bulbs lighting up his three story, 25,000 square foot dance hall.
The Lumina building was bright enough for sailors to navigate their ships by it.
The ground floor of Lumina featured dressing rooms, a promenade, a bowling alley, refreshment stands, a movie theater and other amusements.
The second level had a ballroom/dance floor with a restaurant with a fireplace for cold nights and a balcony and band shell for orchestras and big bands, like Cab Calloway’s or Louis Armstrong’s.
More
https://islandlifenc.com/lumina-pavilion-wrightsville-beach/
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