The railroad was originally part of the
Norfolk Southern Railroad, which continued south, crossing the Albemarle Sound and on to Mackeys Ferry and Plymouth. The railroad was started as part of Norfolk Southern's
Thoroughbred Shortline Program, where low density lines were handed over to shortline operators. The current railroad began operations in 1990, was acquired by
RailAmerica in 2000, and subsequently acquired by the
Genesee & Wyoming in 2012. With the acquisition of the railroad by
Genesee & Wyoming, the railroad made the decision to lower track speeds from 25-35mph to 10-25mph. The railroad was fined around $15,100 for a spill of
diesel fuel in August 2010 after a derailment on 26 March 2010 spilled around of fuel into the
Intracoastal Waterway. In 2022 and 2023, the line was given money from the North Carolina government as part of a wider plan to help improve infrastructure on shortline railroads in the state. On June 17, 2024, the line was closed indefinitely following a train derailment in
Chesapeake. The line will be out of service for an unknown duration until the incident is handled, as the
National Transportation Safety Board was notified, and repairs are made. == Services ==