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110-563: In 1848 the North Carolina legislature authorized a railroad that would connect the eastern part of the state with the Piedmont . North Carolina Senate President Calvin Graves cast the deciding vote, ensuring that the railroad would be built, but ending his political career because it would not pass through his district. The North Carolina Railroad was incorporated January 27, 1849, by special act of

220-565: A single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lines were built as double-track because of the difficulty of co-ordinating operations before the invention of the telegraph . The lines also tended to be busy enough to be beyond the capacity of a single track. In the early days the Board of Trade did not consider any single-track railway line to be complete. In

330-532: A spiral . At Saunderton , England, what became the London-to-Birmingham main line of the Great Western Railway in 1909 was initially part of a single-track branch line from Maidenhead . Down trains follow the route of the old branch line, while up trains follow a more gently graded new construction through a tunnel. This scheme avoided the cost of a new double-track tunnel. Directional running

440-568: A biennial schedule to annual. African-American men were first elected to the state legislature in 1868, including Henry Epps , Abraham H. Galloway , and John A. Hyman in the Senate and Parker D. Robbins , Wilson Cary Nicholas , B. W. Morris, A. W. Stevens, John S. Leary , Isham Sweat , Henry C. Cherry, John H. Williamson, A.A. Crawford, Cuffie Mayo , W. T. J. Hayes , Ivey Hutchings , John S. W. Eagles , George W. Price , Thomas A. Sykes , James H. Harris, William Cawthorn, and Richard Falkner in

550-504: A body of freemen who selected 12 deputies to represent their interests. Together with the governor and his council, the deputies served as a provisional legislature for Albemarle County and eventually was named the General Court and Committee. It held its first meeting in the spring of 1665. When the governor and his deputy were absent, the assembly would designate a president or speaker to lead its sessions. Approximately two years later,

660-680: A body's respective rules committee before being brought before a full house for a vote. The constitution of North Carolina vests the state's legislative power in the General Assembly; the General Assembly writes state laws/statutes. Legislation in North Carolina can either be in the form of general laws or special/local laws. General laws apply to the entire state, while local laws apply only to specific counties or municipalities. The constitution requires that all effective laws be styled "The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:", with only

770-416: A double line might have to be shut down to avoid collisions with trains on those adjacent tracks. These are a form of crossing loop, but are long enough to allow trains approaching each other from opposite directions on single-track lines to cross (or pass) each other without reducing speed. In order for passing lanes to operate safely and effectively, trains must be timetabled so that they arrive at and enter

880-530: A government with a separation of powers divided amongst executive, legislative, and judicial branches, though the legislative branch retained the most power. The General Assembly was made a bicameral body, consisting of a Senate made up of one member from each county in the state and a House of Commons with two members from each county and one from each of several specially-designated towns. Property requirements stipulated that House members had to own at least 100 acres and senators at least 300 to serve. The assembly

990-520: A horseshoe curve at 1 in 75 gradient, while the shorter downhill track follows the original single track at 1 in 40 grades. A similar arrangement to Frampton could not be adopted between Rydal and Sodwalls on the Main Western railway line because the 1 in 75 uphill track is on the wrong side of the 1 in 40 downhill track, so both tracks follow the 1 in 75 grade. Another example is at Gunning . Between Junee and Marinna, New South Wales , Australia

1100-606: A major bottleneck. For Berlin Stadtbahn the two northern tracks are local S-Bahn and the two other for faster trains. The most notable example of quadruple track in the United States, and perhaps the only four-track section of mainline therein, was the Pennsylvania Railroad 's main corridor through the heart of Pennsylvania around the famous Horseshoe Curve . This line is now owned by Norfolk Southern. Other examples include

1210-465: A new constitution was crafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. The document provided for universal male suffrage and abolished all property requirements and religious tests for officeholders. It changed the name of the House of Commons to the House of Representatives. The constitution also created the office of lieutenant governor which was to be filled by popular statewide election. It replaced

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1320-576: A second tunnel. An exception is the Hoosac Tunnel , which was duplicated by enlarging the bore. To reduce initial costs of a line that is certain to see heavy traffic in the future, a line may be built as single-track but with earthworks and structures designed for ready duplication. An example is the Strathfield to Hamilton line in New South Wales , which was constructed as mainly single-track in

1430-403: A single speaker. Both houses appoint a principal clerk—who keeps their respective bodies' records, a reading clerk—who reads documents as required by the constitution, house rules, or the presiding officer, and a sergeant at arms —who maintains order in their house. Standing committees in each house consider introduced legislation, hold hearings, and offer amendments. All bills are examined by

1540-536: A state constitutionally-prescribed oath of office. In the event of the vacancy of a seat, the governor is constitutionally obligated to appoint a person nominated by the previous incumbent's political party's respective district executive committee to fill the seat. The assembly is styled after the citizen legislature model, with legislating considered a part-time job. Members receive a base salary of $ 13,951 per year, supplemented by per-diem payments and travel reimbursements. Increases in legislative pay adopted by

1650-545: A third track signalled in both directions, so that two tracks are available in the peak direction during rush hours. Triple track is used in some parts of the New York City Subway and on the Norristown High-Speed Line to add supplemental rush-hour services. The center track, which serves express trains, is signalled in both directions to allow two tracks to be used in the peak direction during rush hours;

1760-412: A third track was opened between Whittingham and Branxton in 2011 and Branxton to Maitland in 2012 to equalize the headway in both directions for heavy coal traffic. Triple track could be a compromise between double-track and quad-track ; such a system was proposed south of Stockholm Central Station , but was cancelled in favor of Citybanan . In Melbourne and Brisbane several double track lines have

1870-428: A train failure, or for a fast train to overtake a slow train. Most crossing loops are not regarded as double-track even though they consist of multiple tracks. If the crossing loop is long enough to hold several trains, and to allow opposing trains to cross without slowing down or stopping, then that may be regarded as double-track. A more modern British term for such a layout is an extended loop. The distance between

1980-557: A transitional government for the state, superseding the authority of the General Assembly and making changes to state law on its own. After the president of the convention declined to convene it to discuss issues of wartime speculation and extortion, authority returned to the state's other civil leaders and institutions. During the Civil War the General Assembly continued to meet in regular biennial sessions, but also convened in seven extraordinary sessions to address wartime issues. In 1868,

2090-661: Is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the North Carolina House of Representatives (formerly called the North Carolina House of Commons until 1868) and the North Carolina Senate . Since 1868, the House has had 120 members, while the Senate has had 50 members. There are no term limits for either chamber. Both chambers have two-year terms and are currently controlled by the Republican Party , but only

2200-514: Is also replacing several other bridges along the corridor to improve safety, efficiency, and speed. Other improvements made by the NCRR since 2001 include rail and bridge upgrades between Raleigh and Morehead City , NC, at a cost in excess of $ 60 million. In 2010, the Company completed commuter rail investment and ridership studies for the segments between Goldsboro and Greensboro, through Raleigh. Since 2008,

2310-411: Is also responsible for drawing the districts of its own members and the districts of the state's congressional delegation after every decennial U.S. census . The legislative power of the assembly must be exercised by the whole body and not devolved upon a portion of the whole, and actions taken during one session of the assembly can be undone by a succeeding session. The governor signs bills passed by

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2420-415: Is an example of a duplication line that was reduced to single-track in most locations, but has since undergone re-duplication in many places between Baltimore and Philadelphia when CSX increased freight schedules in the late 1990s. Also: Some lines are built as single-track with provision for duplication, but the duplication is never carried out. Examples are: When the capacity of a double-track railway

2530-427: Is analogous to that in the Senate, except that in place of a president and president pro tempore , the body is led by a speaker and speaker pro tempore . The speaker is in charge of appointing the body's committees. Both officers are elected by the full house from among its members, with the rest determined by party caucuses. In the event of an even political divide in the House, co-speakers may be elected in lieu of

2640-955: Is called duplication or doubling , unless the expansion is to restore what was previously double track, in which case it is called redoubling . The strongest evidence that a line was built as single-track and duplicated at a later date consists of major structures such as bridges and tunnels that are twinned. One example is the twin Slade tunnels on the Ilfracombe Branch Line in the UK. Twinned structures may be identical in appearance, or like some tunnels between Adelaide and Belair in South Australia , substantially different in appearance, being built to different structure gauges . Tunnels are confined spaces and are difficult to duplicate while trains keep on running. Generally they are duplicated by building

2750-487: Is in excess of requirements, the two tracks may be reduced to one, in order to reduce maintenance costs and property taxes. In some countries this is called singling . Notable examples of this in the United Kingdom occurred on the Oxford–Worcester–Hereford, Princes Risborough–Banbury and Salisbury–Exeter main lines during the 1970s and 1980s. In all these cases, increases in traffic from the late 1990s have led to

2860-401: Is not in session. Both houses are empowered to temporarily adjourn for three days or less at their own discretion. The proceedings of each house are constitutionally-required to be reported in official journals and published at the end of each session. The records of individual lawmakers are not subject to the state's public records law. Each house chamber has a gallery from which members of

2970-515: Is quadruple tracked in most portions south of New Haven, but also has a few triple-track segments. The Metra Electric District is quadruple-tracked on most of the main line north of Kensington/115th Street station , with local trains running in the center two tracks, and express trains on the outer two tracks. Outside the United States the Chūō Main Line is an example of a modern, heavily utilized urban quadruple track railway. Quadruple track

3080-685: Is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina . The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives . The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh . The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes . The General Assembly

3190-550: Is two separate lines operationally combined to act as a double-track line by converting each line to unidirectional traffic. An example is in central Nevada , where the Western Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads , longtime rivals who each built and operated tracks between northern California and Utah , agreed to share their lines between meeting points near Winnemucca and Wells , a distance of approximately 180 miles (290 km). Westbound trains from both companies used

3300-585: Is used in rapid transit systems as well: throughout the New York City Subway , the Chicago "L" 's North Side Main Line , and SEPTA 's Broad Street Line in the United States, and on the London Underground in the United Kingdom. The two tracks of a double-track railway do not have to follow the same alignment if the terrain is difficult. At Frampton, New South Wales , Australia, the uphill track follows something of

3410-650: The Boyne Viaduct , a bridge just north of Drogheda railway station in Ireland ). The bridge over the Murray River between Albury and Wodonga is double-track, but because of insufficient strength in the bridge only one train is allowed on it at a time. The bridge has since been singled as part of the North East Line Standardisation with the old broad gauge track now disconnected but remains in place on

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3520-541: The Canadian National main line in the Greater Toronto Area and Southern Ontario are triple track to facilitate high traffic density of freight services, intercity , and suburban passenger trains sharing the same lines. India, through its state-owned Indian Railways, has initiated the construction of a third track between Jhansi and Nagpur via Bhopal (approximately 590 kilometres (370 miles)) for reducing

3630-569: The Hudson and New Haven Lines, both of which are shared between Metro-North and Amtrak in New York and Connecticut. The New Haven Line is quadruple track along its entire length, while the Hudson Line is only quadruple tracked along the shared portion from Riverdale to Croton–Harmon and along the shared track from Grand Central Terminal to Yankees–East 153rd Street . Amtrak 's Northeast Corridor

3740-651: The Main Western Railway between Wallerawang and Tarana , and between Gresham and Newbridge were singled in the 1990s. A new passing loop was opened on part of the closed track at Rydal in the Wallerawang–Tarana section during 2019. A double-track tunnel with restricted clearances is sometimes singled to form a single track tunnel with more generous clearances, such as the Connaught Tunnel in Canada or

3850-580: The Southern Railway Company , for a 99-year period. Southern merged with Norfolk & Western Railway to form Norfolk Southern , which inherited the NCRR lease. Norfolk Southern retained control of the railroad until 1999, when NCRR and Norfolk Southern reached an exclusive trackage rights agreement for Norfolk Southern’s continuing freight and maintenance operations on the NCRR line for 15 years, renewable for 30 more years. In 1929, Governor O. Max Gardner appointed Fanny Yarborough Bickett as

3960-437: The lieutenant governor . In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house, but have little influence over its workflow. They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate. They appoint the body's committees. All other leadership positions are filled by the decision of party caucuses. The leadership of House of Representatives

4070-450: The signalling systems, especially where the signalling is mechanical (e.g. semaphore signals ). Where the signals and points (UK term) or rail switches (US) are power-operated, it can be worthwhile to provide signals for each line which cater for movement in either direction, so that the double line becomes a pair of single lines. This allows trains to use one track where the other track is out of service due to track maintenance work, or

4180-498: The "long session" and typically only makes modifications to it during the "short session". Typically the legislature adjourns shortly after June 30, the end of North Carolina's fiscal year , following the passing of a budget. The governor may call the General Assembly into extraordinary session after consulting the Council of State and is required to convene the assembly in specific circumstances to review vetoed legislation. A majority of

4290-426: The 1880s, with full duplication completed around 1910. All bridges, tunnels, stations, and earthworks were built for double track. Stations with platforms with 11-foot (3.4 m) centres had to be widened later to 12-foot (3.7 m) centres, except for Gosford . The former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) line between Baltimore and Jersey City , now owned by CSX and Conrail Shared Assets Operations ,

4400-541: The 1980s. As a result, the legislature hired its own research staff, created an independent judicial office to review administrative affairs in the state bureaucracy, and began appointing its own members to state board and commissions, though the latter practice was ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1982. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow for governors and lieutenant governors to seek second terms. Shortly thereafter,

4510-636: The Atlantic and North Carolina with the NCRR were initiated in 1866, but it would take until 1989 to complete the merger and consolidate the railroads from Morehead City to Charlotte. The North Carolina Railroad was leased to the Richmond and Danville Railroad Company and its receiver from September 11, 1871, to June 30, 1894. From July 1, 1894, the North Carolina Railroad was leased to the R&;D's successor,

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4620-465: The Council of State can call the legislature into session to consider the governor's mental capacity to serve. A basic majority of the members of a house constitute a quorum to do business. When in session, both Houses of the legislature typically meet on Monday evenings and in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Legislative committees usually convene in the mornings and late afternoons. Committees sometimes meet when their house

4730-481: The General Assembly of which they approve into law and are empowered to veto bills of which they disapprove. A veto can be overridden by a three-fifths majority vote of the assembly. Local bills and congressional and legislative reapportionment decisions are not subject to gubernatorial veto. Aside from regular legislation, the two houses of the General Assembly can also issue joint resolutions which are not subject to veto. The assembly wields oversight authority over

4840-521: The General Assembly to provide for the filling of executive offices not already provided for in the constitution. The body is also empowered to resolve contested elections for state executive officers by joint ballot. Its advice and consent is required for the installation of some state agency heads. The assembly can also influence the bureaucracy through its power to create for dissolve agencies or countermand administrative rules by writing laws and by its decisions in appropriations. The constitution empowers

4950-405: The House and that all Senate districts were supposed to contain approximately equal populations, though the latter tenant was undermined by a constitutional requirement that no counties be split between different districts. As a result, by the 1960s, rural constituents were significantly overrepresented in the legislature. Following developments in federal jurisprudence in the early 1960s that led to

5060-496: The House of Representatives by the three-fifths majority necessary to override vetoes . In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter to eight lords proprietor to establish the colony of Carolina in North America. Under the terms of the charter, regular management of the colony was to be overseen by a governor and a council. An assembly consisting of two representatives from each county elected by freeholders

5170-434: The House of Representatives in 1969. The number of black legislators steadily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Henry Ward Oxendine became the first Native American member of the legislature. In the early 1970s, Democratic legislators, spurred in part by the election of a Republican governor in 1972, began an effort to strengthen the General Assembly's power and influence in state government which continued into

5280-410: The House of Representatives to impeach elected state officials by simple majority vote. In the event an official is impeached, the Senate holds a trial, and can convict an official by two-thirds majority vote and remove them from office. The General Assembly can also, by a two-thirds majority vote, determine the governor or a judge mentally or physically incapable of serving. The General Assembly has

5390-421: The House, feeling threatened by the strengthened positions of the governor and Senate leadership, broke from a decades-long trend and began electing speakers to successive terms. In the mid-1980s, the legislature ceased using multi-member legislative districts. In 1994, Daniel F. McComas became the first Latino elected to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has 170 elected members, with 120 members of

5500-455: The House. Despite efforts by Red Shirts and other white Democratic paramilitary groups to disrupt Republican meetings and suppress black voting in order to ensure the Democratic takeover, some African Americans continued to be elected in the 19th century, especially to local offices. Between 1868 and 1900, 113 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives. But shortly before the turn of

5610-556: The North Carolina House of Representatives and 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. Each represents a district. Each house has the sole power to judge the election and qualification of its own respective members. Legislators' are elected biennially in even-numbered years. Their terms of office begin at the start of the January following the year of their election. There are no term limits for legislators. All legislators swear

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5720-628: The North Carolina Railroad Company has been working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern to improve crossing safety on the eastern portion of the line by upgrading gates and crossing signals. The Company is also working with these parties to add or replace double track between Charlotte and Raleigh in an initiative to extend higher-speed passenger rail south to Charlotte from Washington via Richmond, Virginia . The North Carolina Railroad

5830-533: The North Carolina legislature. In 1851 Senator Graves was given the honor of lifting the first shovel of dirt as construction of the railroad began in Greensboro, North Carolina . Three years later, in 1854, the railroad's first president, businessman John Motley Morehead , dubbed the rail line "the tree of life" for the state. Approximately 130 miles of the 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm )- gauge railroad between Greensboro and Goldsboro, North Carolina ,

5940-458: The Privy Council's Board of Trade . The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt with nearly all aspects of colonial government. As they were produced by officials largely ignorant of the political situation in the colony and meant to ensure greater direct control over the territory, the instructions caused tensions between the governor and the General Assembly. The assembly controlled

6050-442: The Senate until 1835. Elections for senators were held annually. Due to the outbreak of hostilities, North Carolina's government met in various locations throughout the war. In September 1781, British forces captured the governor and several members of the General Assembly during a raid on Hillsborough . The war ended in 1783. Construction of a North Carolina State House began in the planned capital of Raleigh in 1792 and became

6160-704: The Southern Pacific's Overland Route , and eastbound trains used the Western Pacific's Feather River Route (now called the Central Corridor ). Crossovers were constructed where the lines ran in close proximity to allow reverse movements. This was necessary as while for most of this run the tracks straddle opposite sides of the Humboldt River , at points the two tracks are several miles apart and some destinations and branch lines can only be accessed from one of

6270-494: The State Senate in 1930. Female representation slowly increased in the following decades. The General Assembly began increasing the length of its sessions and hiring more support staff in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1959, the General Assembly organized a commission to design and fund a new, larger meeting place to accommodate the body, its staff, and improve the delivery of services to the legislators. Construction began in 1961 and

6380-725: The State were required to be used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation for improvements to the NCRR line. At that time, NCRR was a real estate investment trust . In 2013, the legislature rewrote this statute to provide that the dividends of the North Carolina Railroad Company received by the NCDOT may be used by NCDOT for the purposes set forth in the statute. Recently, the North Carolina Railroad Company added three new passing sidings over eight miles and centralized traffic control between Raleigh and Selma (30 miles) in order to increase capacity for both freight and passenger trains. The Company

6490-537: The Tickhole Tunnel in New South Wales , Australia. In the case of the Tickhole Tunnel a new single-track tunnel was built and the two tracks in the original tunnel were replaced by one track in the centreline of the tunnel. Another case where this was necessary was the Hastings Line in the United Kingdom, where the tunnels were eventually singled to permit the passage of standard British-gauge rolling stock. Before

6600-420: The assembly cannot take effect until after a succeeding election. Each house of the legislature has eight leadership roles. The Senate's leadership is made up of the president of the Senate, president pro tempore , majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, and minority caucus chair. Per the constitution, the office of president of the Senate is held ex officio by

6710-577: The bridge. Railways that become especially busy in wartime and are duplicated, especially in World War I, may revert to single track when peace returns and the extra capacity is no longer required. The Flanders campaign saw duplication of the Hazebrouck – Ypres line, amongst other works. Severe gradients can make the headway in the uphill direction much worse than the headway in the downhill direction. Between Whittingham and Maitland, New South Wales ,

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6820-528: The broad gauge declined, the lines were converted to bi-directional double track 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge lines. Quadruple track consists of four parallel tracks. On a quad-track line, faster trains can overtake slower ones. Quadruple track is mostly used when there are "local" trains that stop often (or slow freight trains), and also faster inter-city or high-speed "express" trains. It can also be used in commuter rail or rapid transit . The layout can vary, often with

6930-533: The century, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature (after a biracial coalition between Republicans and Populists had briefly held power) and passed laws to create barriers to voter registration through poll taxes , literacy tests and other devices. Applied subjectively by white administrators, these methods effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state. Black voters were eliminated by 1904. An estimated 75,000 black male citizens lost

7040-520: The choice of which side the driver should sit is less important. For example, the French SNCF Class BB 7200 is designed to use the left-hand track and therefore uses LHD. When the design was modified for use in the Netherlands as NS Class 1600 , the driving cab was not completely redesigned, keeping the driver on the left even though trains use the right-hand track in the Netherlands. Generally,

7150-400: The classic lines of the former German Alsace and Lorraine), Sweden (apart from Malmö and further south), Switzerland, Italy and Portugal for example, the railways use left-hand running, while the roads use right-hand running. However, there are many exceptions: Handedness of traffic can affect locomotive design. For the driver, visibility is usually good from both sides of the driving cab, so

7260-580: The colony's finances and used this as leverage by withholding salaries and appropriations, sometimes forcing the governors to compromise and disregard some of the Board of Trade's instructions. Particularly after 1760, the lower house increasingly viewed itself as the representative of the colonists' interests in opposition to the British Crown's interests as relayed by the governor and the council. Frequent tensions between Governor Josiah Martin —a firm supporter of

7370-457: The colony. There would be five provincial congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first constitution in 1776. This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected Richard Caswell , the last president of the Congress, as acting governor until the new legislature was elected and seated. Per the terms of the constitution, North Carolina had

7480-423: The creation of the principle of one man, one vote , in 1965 a U.S. District Court panel ruled that the state's legislative districts were unconstitutional. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s the legislature designed districts in a manner which significantly rebalanced the representation of the state in a more equitable manner. Henry Frye became the state's first black legislator in the 20th century when he joined

7590-492: The different tracks is called the "six foot". It is not safe to stand in the gap between the tracks when trains pass by on both lines, as happened in the Bere Ferrers accident of 1917. When one track of a double-track railway is out of service for maintenance or a train breaks down, all trains may be concentrated on the one usable track. There may be bi-directional signalling and suitable crossovers to enable trains to move onto

7700-520: The earliest days of railways in the United States most lines were built as single-track for reasons of cost, and very inefficient timetable working systems were used to prevent head-on collisions on single lines. This improved with the development of the telegraph and the train order system. In any given country, rail traffic generally runs to one side of a double-track line, not always the same side as road traffic. Thus in Belgium, China, France (apart from

7810-499: The first woman president of the railroad. She was succeeded by Cora Lily Woodard Aycock in 1933. One year prior to the establishment of the new lease with Norfolk Southern, in 1998, the State of North Carolina agreed to buy out the remaining 25% private shares of NCRR stock. While the NCRR is still nominally a private company, all of the voting stock is held by the state. In 2000, the North Carolina legislature established by statute that North Carolina Railroad Company dividends paid to

7920-433: The governor with the consent of the lords, and an elected assembly. It also stipulated that the assembly's consent was required for taxes to be levied and that vacancies in the assembly were to be filled by elections called by the governor and his council. A new royal charter for Carolina was granted in 1665 and required the forming of an assembly. After receiving his commission, Carolina Governor William Drummond summoned

8030-517: The left/right principle in a country is followed mostly on double track. On steam trains, the steam boiler often obscured some of the view, so the driver was preferably placed nearest to the side of the railway, so that it was easier to see the signals. On single track, when trains meet, the train that does not stop often uses the straight path in the turnout, which can be left or right. Double-track railways, especially older ones, may use each track exclusively in one direction. This arrangement simplifies

8140-696: The legislative services officer. Every legislator is assigned at least one legislative assistant or clerk, who manage legislators' schedules, relay communications with constituents, and offer advice on policy issues. Some legislators employ additional staff. The General Assembly's members and facilities are guarded by the North Carolina General Assembly Police . 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W  /  35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W  / 35.7832028; -78.6389556 Double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to

8250-490: The length and width of trains is contingent on the minimum railway curve radius of the railway. Increasing the width of track centres of 6 metres (20 ft) or more makes it much easier to mount signals and overhead wiring structures. Very widely spaced centres at major bridges can have military value. It also makes it harder for rogue ships and barges to knock out both bridges in the same accident. Railway lines in desert areas affected by sand dunes are sometimes built with

8360-423: The lines. There is a grade separated crossover of the two lines in the shared track area near Palisade, Nevada , which results in trains following right hand traffic in the eastern half of the shared track area, but left hand traffic in the western half. The Union Pacific Railroad has since acquired both of these lines, and continues to operate them as separate lines using directional running. Amtrak also runs

8470-523: The local train stations, the express trains can pass through the station at full speed. For example on the Nuremberg-Bamberg railway , which is quadruple track for most of its course, the inner two tracks are used by the S-Bahn Nuremberg whereas the outer tracks are used for regional express and Intercity Express trains. The section in northern Fürth where the line is "only" double track creates

8580-548: The loop with close time tolerances, otherwise they will need to slow or even be brought to a complete stop to allow the oncoming train to pass. They are suited to lines with light to moderate traffic. An example of where passing lanes have been installed in order to improve travel times and increase line capacity is the 160-kilometre (100-mile) section of the Main Southern railway line in Australia between Junee and Albury . This

8690-610: The lords. The lords could refuse to ratify laws and let them expire. From 1692 to 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were organized as one Province of Carolina . The colony had one governor but North Carolina retained its own council and assembly. After 1731, the members of the governor's council were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British king. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from

8800-416: The meeting place for the General Assembly in 1794. It was enlarged in 1820 and burnt down in 1831. The North Carolina State Capitol was completed in 1840. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 retained the 1776 Constitution, but made several amendments to it. Going forward, the governor would be elected by the people, but the legislature elected all other officials, including US Senators. Amendments set

8910-510: The number of senators at 50 and the number of commoners (representatives to the House) at 120. Senate districts were no longer required to be limited to individual counties, but instead be coterminous with which counties were to be included in it and based on a judgement of approximate wealth measured by tax receipts. Sessions for the legislature were changed from annual to biennial. The terms of senators were also changed accordingly. In May 1861, at

9020-659: The other track expeditiously (such as the Channel Tunnel ), or there may be some kind of manual safeworking to control trains on what is now a section of single track. See single-line working . Accidents can occur if the temporary safeworking system is not implemented properly, as in: From time to time, railways are asked to transport exceptional loads such as massive electrical transformers that are too tall, too wide or too heavy to operate normally. Special measures must be carefully taken to plan successful and safe operation of out-of-gauge trains . For example, adjacent tracks of

9130-442: The outer tracks use bi-directional running and serve local trains exclusively in one direction. During service disruptions on one of the two outer tracks, trains could also bypass the affected sections on the center track. The Union Pacific Railroad mainline through Nebraska has a 108-mile (174 km) stretch of triple track between North Platte and Gibbon Junction, due to a high traffic density of 150 trains per day. Portions of

9240-695: The partial reinstatement of double track. In New Zealand the Melling Line was singled to the Western Hutt Railway Station in Lower Hutt in 1958 after it became a branch line rather than part of the main Hutt Valley Line . Kirkby railway station (until 1977) and Ormskirk railway station (until 1970) were double-track railway, when they were converted into single-track railway with cross-platform interchange . In New South Wales, Australia,

9350-401: The power to levy taxes and adopts the state budget. The constitution enumerates a unique procedure for the passing of revenue legislation; all revenue bills must be read three times with each reading occurring on a different day, journal records of votes must include the name of each legislator and how they voted, and all revenue bills must appropriate money for a specific purpose. The assembly

9460-606: The public can attend and observe sessions. Administrative support of the General Assembly is overseen by the Legislative Services Commission, a panel comprising five members of each house. As of October 2023, the assembly relies on over 600 support staff who work in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Daily operations of the legislature's facilities are directed by

9570-557: The secret instructions—and the Assembly in the 1770s led the latter to establish a committee of correspondence and accelerated the colony's break with Great Britain. In 1774, the people of the colony elected a provincial congress , independent of the royal governor, as the American Revolution began. Inspired by the structure of the lower house of the general assembly and organized in part by House Speaker John Harvey , its purpose

9680-543: The singling, narrow-bodied stock, specially constructed for the line, had to be used. As part of the Regional Fast Rail project in Victoria, Australia , the rail line between Kyneton and Bendigo was converted from double- to single-track to provide additional clearance through tunnels and under bridges for trains travelling at up to 160 km/h (99 mph). A similar process can be followed on narrow bridges (like

9790-456: The sole power to propose amendments to the state constitution. If a proposed amendment receives the support of three-fifths of the House and the Senate, it is scheduled for ratification by a statewide referendum. State constitutional amendments and state legislative votes on the ratification of federal constitutional amendments are not subject to gubernatorial veto. The General Assembly's sessions are convened according to standards prescribed by

9900-428: The speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant. Property qualifications for holding office were abolished in order to enlarge opportunity. Finally, the legislature made executive officers and judges subject to popular election rather than appointment by the legislature. It also reverted legislative sessions from

10010-472: The state constitution and state statute. The General Assembly meets in regular session—or the "long session"—beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered year for what is called the "short session". Though there is no limit on the length of any session, the "long session" typically lasts for 6 months, and the "short session" typically lasts for 6 weeks. The legislature crafts its biennial state budget during

10120-457: The state's administrative bureaucracy. It can alter gubernatorial executive orders concerning the organization of state agencies by joint resolution. Its Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has the authority to seize state agency documents and inspect facilities of agencies and contractors with the state. All legislative committees are empowered to subpoena the testimony of witnesses and documents. The constitution allows for

10230-454: The temporary assembly divided the county into four precincts: Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. The freemen in each county were to convene at the beginning of every year to elect five representatives for the permanent assembly. The first election occurred on January 1, 1668. While required to abide by the Concessions and support the interests of the lords proprietor, the assembly

10340-441: The total impact on North Carolina economic output is $ 338 million annually. In 2005, in counties bordering NCRR tracks, industries using rail freight services accounted for $ 143 billion in output, more than 24% of North Carolina’s total economy. NCRR freight transportation also has environmental advantages, conveying $ 65.7 million in external benefits . North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly

10450-626: The tracks' centres makes a difference in cost and performance of a double-track line. The track centres can be as closely spaced and as cheap as possible, but maintenance must be done on the side. Signals for bi-directional working cannot be mounted between the tracks, so they must be mounted on the 'wrong' side of the line or on expensive signal bridges . For standard gauge tracks the distance may be 4 metres (13 ft) or less. Track centres are usually further apart on high speed lines, as pressure waves knock each other as high-speed trains pass. Track centres are also usually further apart on sharp curves, and

10560-400: The traffic load and delays in passenger train arrivals. The construction between Bina and Bhopal and between Itarsi and Budhni had been completed by April 2020. The Melbourne to Albury railway originally consisted of separate 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) gauge and 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge single track lines, but when traffic on

10670-419: The two outer tracks carrying the local trains that stop at every station so one side of stations can be reached without staircase; this can also be reversed, with express trains on the outside and locals on the inside, for example if staffed ticket booths are wanted, allowing one person for both directions. At other places two tracks on one half of the railway carry local trains and the other half faster trains. At

10780-481: The two tracks are at different levels, with the original southbound and downhill track following ground level with a steep gradient, while the newer northbound and uphill track has a gentler gradient at the cost of more cut and fill . At the Bethungra Spiral , Australia, the downhill track follows the original short and steep alignment, while the uphill track follows a longer, more easily graded alignment including

10890-404: The two tracks separated, so that if one is covered by sand, the other(s) are still serviceable. If the standard track centre is changed, it can take a very long time for most or all tracks to be brought into line. On British lines, the space between the two running rails of a single railway track is called the "four foot" (owing to it being 'four foot something' in width), while the space between

11000-565: The urging of the governor, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a convention to consider seceding from the United States. Later that month the convention met in Raleigh and adopted an Ordinance of Secession and adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States . The convention met several times from then until November 1862, during which time it served as

11110-483: The vote. African Americans were closed out of politics in North Carolina for decades, with most not regaining the ability to vote until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and federal overview and enforcement. Lillian Exum Clement became the first female member of the General Assembly when she joined the House of Representatives in 1921. Gertrude Dills McKee became the first woman to be elected to

11220-451: The words following that phrase being legally operative. The legally valid language of each passed bill is punctuated by the ratification certificate, consisting of the obligatory signatures of the presiding officers of each house. Most laws have an "effective date" which stipulate the time they go into effect. Those that do not have an explicit stipulation go into effect 60 days after the assembly's adjournment sine die . The assembly has

11330-410: Was built as a single track line in stages between 1878 and 1881, and was partially duplicated between 2005 and 2010 by the construction of four passing lanes each 6 km (4 mi) long. In this instance, this was accomplished by extending pre-existing crossing loops of either 900 metres (3,000 ft) or 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) in length. The process of expanding a single track to double track

11440-441: Was completed by early 1963. The General Assembly held its first session in the new North Carolina State Legislative Building on February 6. In 1968, the General Assembly, in tandem with national trends towards state legislative professionalization, hired its first legislative services officer. For hundreds of years North Carolina's legislative representation was apportioned such that each county had at least one representative in

11550-570: Was instrumental in encouraging the economic development of North Carolina in the 19th century, helping to define new markets, new industries, and new cities. Today NCRR continues to contribute to the state’s economy. The North Carolina Railroad carries over one million carloads of freight each year and about 300,000 passengers. Based on a 2007 study by the Research Triangle Institute , the North Carolina Railroad saves North Carolina industries $ 198 million in transportation costs annually, and

11660-498: Was opened for operation on December 13, 1855. Approximately 94 miles of the railroad between Greensboro and Charlotte was opened for operation on January 30, 1856. In early 1856 the first train traveled along the entire route, from Goldsboro to Charlotte. In 1858 the Atlantic and North Carolina Railroad was completed, opening 96 miles (154 km) of rail between Goldsboro and Shepard's Point, now Morehead City . Efforts to consolidate

11770-414: Was powerful and largely left to manage itself. It decided the length and locations of its own sessions, when it adjourned, and its own quorum. It wrote laws, levied taxes, created courts, incorporated towns, determined the sites of ports and forts, regulated the militia, allotted land, and granted citizenship. Laws passed by the legislature held effect for 18 months and were sent to England for ratification by

11880-485: Was responsible for electing the governor, other executive officers, and all judges. The first North Carolina General Assembly was convened on April 7, 1777, in New Bern, North Carolina. It consisted of Senate with one member from each county and a House of Commons with two members representing each of the existing 38 counties, plus one member from each of some select "borough towns". Districts continued to be represented in

11990-527: Was to chose delegates to send to the Continental Congress . In addition to this, the congress adopted punitive measures against Great Britain for its Intolerable Acts and empowered local committees to govern the state as royal control dissipated. A second congress in April 1775 adopted additional economic measures against Great Britain, leading Governor Martin to dissolve the colonial assembly before fleeing

12100-405: Was to have the power to write laws with the approval of the governor, his council, and the lords proprietor. This system of government was ultimately never implemented in the area which eventually became North Carolina. In early 1665 the lords proprietor promulgated a constitution for Carolina, the Concessions and Agreement . The document provided for a governor, a council of six to 10 men chosen by

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