Does anyone have information about the Coast Line hospital at Rock Mount? History, size, where in Rocky Mt (and is building still there), perhaps pictures, reputation, whatever. My father (clerk-stenog. for ACL Frt Traffic in NYC) had rather serious surgery there (- early 1950s?). I'm a railfan up here in NJ, and I still have a warm spot for 'my father's railroad' even tho I only rode it once. Thanks.

-- John C. Strole (strolej@aol.com), May 08, 1998

Answers

Actually there was another ACL hospital at Scotland Neck N.C. My friends father was a CoastLine doctor there for years.

-- Greg Kissel (kfirestar@aol.com), March 10, 2002.

The old ACL Hospital was on the west side of South Church Street (business US 301) at the corner of a street whose name I cannot recall, but by turning east on it, and going one block, you found yourself facing the main building of the Emerson Shops beside the main line at the switch leading to the East End Subdivision (to Portsmouth).When I worked freight Richmond to Rocky Mount, the building was still standing, but was been torn down for at least as long as I have been with Amtrak (since 1986). It was a two-story stucco structure with a front that ran the length of the front side. I remember a wooden handicap ramp and the words "Atlantic Coast Line Hospital" in three diminsional letters about one foot high across the porch's roof line, visible when we drove by on the way to and from South Rocky Mount Yard in the 1970s. I have seen pictures of it published, but cannot recall where.

-- Doug Riddell (railroaddoug@erols.com), May 17, 1998.

The Coast Line had two company hospitals that I am aware of. One was in Waycross, GA, and the other was the one you mention in Rocky Mount, NC. I believe the one in Waycross was inherited from the Plant System, but cannot swear to this.

Both hospitals were closed in the early 1960's - 1963 sticks in my mind - when the company went to more conventional medical coverage using outside health care facilities.

Somewhere - everything I own is "somewhere" - I have a copy of the ACL news from the early 1960's with an article on the closing of the Rocky Mount facility. If you'll send me your snail mail address I'd be glad to photocopy it for you - once I locate it, that is.

Not much help, but trying anyway.

Bob Hanson

-- Robert H. Hanson (RHanson669@aol.com), May 09, 1998.