Smith and Baggett Working to See N.C. Railway Connect to Mountains, April 28, 1923

Trunk Railroad Is Talked at Ashboro. . . Representatives of Fayetteville, Raeford and Other Places in Conference

Fayetteville, April 27—Winston-Salem, High Point, Pinehurst, Ashboro, Aberdeen, Randleman, Raeford and Fayetteville today sent their representatives to Asheboro to confer on the plan which Edward Smith has worked out for linking the seacoast and the mountains with a trunk line railroad.

Nine of these industrial leaders were delegated by the conference to formulate a definite plan of organization by which the road may be built.

Great interest was shown by the delegations present in all the communities mentioned and indications are that the project, nurtured by Mr. Smith, is going to be consummated. His idea is to build a railroad from Swansboro to Winston-Salem, to connect at that point with the coal carrying roads. J.R. Baggett of Lillington, who has had a similar vision since his college days and had it well on the way to realization when the war came on, was present at the request of Mr. Smith and talked the plan over with the delegates present.

From page 5 of The Concord Daily Tribune, Saturday, April 28, 1923