Lucky Strike Plant
Durham, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here is the Lucky Strike Plant, located in the town of Durham, NC.

See more of the Lucky Strike at this Spotlight From the Road feature.

Cramerton Bridge
Cramerton, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here are some photographs of the railroad bridge at Cramerton, NC. It is one of the largest bridges I have seen in North Carolina, actually one of the biggest concrete bridges I have seen anywhere. For scale check out the locomotives passing overhead. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 02-08

Constructed during the great railroad building era of the early twentieth century, this massive reinforced concrete arch bridge carried the Southern Railway across the river and continues to serve the same purpose today under Norfolk Southern. Its thick concrete piers, graceful arches, and solid construction have allowed it to handle generations of freight traffic with little change to its appearance. Standing beneath it gives you a real appreciation for the scale of railroad engineering from that period.

Cramerton Bridge
Cramerton, NC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The bridge has watched the history of Cramerton unfold below it. It overlooked the rise of the town's famous textile mills, decades of busy rail traffic, and the changes that reshaped the surrounding communities. Even as nearby industries have come and gone, trains still roll across the bridge every day, making it a living piece of North Carolina railroad history rather than simply another preserved relic.

For railfans, photographers, and anyone who appreciates historic engineering, it's worth slowing down for a closer look. The massive arches reflected in the river create one of the most memorable railroad scenes in the region, and it's easy to see why Richard Weiss stopped to photograph it.

UPDATE: More than a century after it was built, the Cramerton Railroad Bridge remains an active part of Norfolk Southern's main line and continues to stand as one of the largest and most impressive concrete railroad bridges in North Carolina. 07-26

Gulf Gas (Gone)
Emporia, VA
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

Long before Interstate 95 became the main route up and down the East Coast, travelers headed for Florida followed U.S. 301 through towns like Emporia. Back then, the highway was lined with family-owned gas stations, diners, motels, and roadside attractions competing for the attention of passing motorists. This abandoned Gulf Gas station is one of the few survivors from that earlier era. 03-08

When Rick Ibsen photographed the station in 2008, it had already been sitting empty for many years. The faded Gulf sign still stood above the property, rusting quietly while vines and trees slowly closed in around it. The building itself was already well on its way back to nature, with its weathered walls and collapsing roof giving it the look of a place that had simply been forgotten after the traffic disappeared.

Gulf Gas Sign and Station (Gone)
Emporia, VA
Photo courtesy Rick Ibsen

It's easy to imagine what this station must have been like during its busy years. Families would have stopped here to top off the tank, clean the windshield, and ask for directions before continuing south toward the beaches or north toward home. Thousands of similar stations once served America's highways, but very few remain standing today.

The arrival of Interstate 95 changed everything. As the faster four-lane highway drew travelers away from U.S. 301, businesses that had depended on passing traffic slowly disappeared. Some found new uses, while others, like this Gulf station, were simply left behind. Today the site is heavily overgrown, with the woods reclaiming what was once a busy roadside stop.

UPDATE: The old Gulf sign that still stood when this photo was taken has since disappeared, leaving only the deteriorating remains of the station itself. It's another reminder of how quickly these once-familiar roadside landmarks can vanish, making photographs like this an important record of a disappearing piece of highway history. 07-26

Coca-Cola Bottling
Union, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here is the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Union, SC. This one is no longer used and was for lease. Its last occupant appears to have been a tanning salon that had moved to another facility. The Coke bottles for some reason have been chiseled away. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 03-08

The old Union Coca-Cola Bottling Company building still stands along Highway 176, although it doesn't look quite the way it did during its bottling days. A closer look at the entrance reveals where decorative Coca-Cola bottle designs were once built into the facade before being chipped away sometime later. Even with those details missing, it's easy to recognize the building as one of Coca-Cola's classic small-town bottling plants.

Coca-Cola Bottling
Union, SC
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

For years this plant bottled and distributed Coca-Cola throughout the Union area as part of the company's network of locally owned franchises. Like many bottling plants across the South, it eventually outlived its original purpose as production moved to larger regional facilities. The building found a few new tenants over the years, including a tanning salon and later an antique and classic car business, but neither stayed for long.

Today the old brick building sits vacant, waiting for another chapter. While the familiar Coca-Cola script and decorative bottle reliefs have disappeared, the structure itself remains a recognizable landmark along Thompson Boulevard and a reminder of the days when nearly every town had its own bottling plant.

UPDATE: The building remains standing but vacant, with the historic Coca-Cola details long gone. Despite the changes, it continues to be one of Union's most recognizable reminders of its local bottling history. 07-26