The South Carolina Railroad was the direct successor of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company

South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company

Chartered in 1827, the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company ran scheduled steam service over its line from Charleston, South Carolina, to Hamburg, South Carolina. beginning in 1833. At that time it was the longest railroad in the world...

, which had operated its 136-mile line from Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, to Hamburg, South Carolina, since 1833. In 1843, the SCC&RR and the abortive Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad

Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad

The Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad was an antebellum railroad that served the Southeastern United States.The Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston was chartered in 1836 to construct a railroad from an intersection with the Charleston and Hamburg Railroad to a point on the Ohio River...

 reconsolidated to become the South Carolina Railroad.

In 1881, it was reorganized as the South Carolina Railway. After entering receivership in 1889, it was reorganized once again five years later as the South Carolina and Georgia Railroad, ending the SCRR's identity as a home-grown intrastate line.

Southern Railway

Southern Railway (US)

The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...

 (now Norfolk Southern Railway

Norfolk Southern Railway

The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...

) gained control of the line in 1899 and consolidated it into the Southern Railway – Carolina Division

Southern Railway – Carolina Division

The Southern Railway - Carolina Division traced its history back to one of the first railroad chartered in the United States.The South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company was chartered in South Carolina in 1827, eventually building a 136-mile line from Charleston, South Carolina, to Hamburg, South...

 in 1902.
After 10 years of full operation, and the breakaway and reconsolidation of the LC&CRR, the South Carolina Railroad was still obliged by its original charter to connect with Camden.