The railroad corridor was chartered before the Civil War as the Wilmington, Charlotte and Rutherford Railroad, completed to Rutherfordton in 1887, and the Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad also began construction, connecting Rutherfordton to Marion in 1892. In 1894 the railways consolidated into Southern Railway, which later merged with Norfolk and Western Railway in 1982 to become Norfolk Southern Railway. In 1989 Rutherford County and the NCDOT paid $100,000 to purchase this stretch of short line railroad from Gilkey to Alexander Mills, and in 1990 the rail corridor was deeded to Rutherford Rail Development Corporation, a non-profit local business group that used the railroad, while Southeast Shortlines, doing business as Thermal Belt Railways, was later contracted to manage operations. Rutherford County passed a 1998 resolution supporting preservation of rail corridors within the county. In 2001 a 7.87-mile section of the short line was railbanked to the Surface Transportation Board, preserving the corridor for future railroad use by graveling over existing rails and ties and creating a trail from Oak Springs Road in Gilkey to Oakland Road in Spindale, while a one-mile stretch of Norfolk Southern line in Alexander Mills also opened, and Rutherford Railroad Development Corporation received the right to operate the trail under county ordinance. In 2008 the county agreed to contract with Bechtler Development Corporation to manage the Thermal Belt Rail Trail. In 2013 local groups and foundations funded a compacted stone base, paving from Whitesides Road to Highway 64, and paving for 1.8 miles from Spindale Street to Whitesides Road. In 2015 Forest City entered a 99-year lease agreement with Rutherford Rail Development Corporation and made a one-time payment of $250,000 to Thermal Belt Railways for its corridor management rights. In 2016 Ruth, Spindale, Rutherfordton and Rutherford County, through Forest City, submitted a grant proposal for the common design of the full 13.58-mile trail system. In 2017 RHI Legacy Foundation granted $4.25 million to construct and develop the trail, and the Trail Partners approved an interlocal agreement and master plan for the Thermal Belt Rail Trail. In 2018 construction began on the 12-foot asphalt trail and greenway from Oak Springs Road at Gilkey Lumber to Forrest W. Hunt Elementary School in Forest City. In 2019 the RHI Legacy Foundation granted an additional $750,000 to Forest City for bridge improvements on Highway 74 and the CSX Railroad, and the fully paved 12-foot-wide trail officially opened, spanning 13.58 miles and connecting rural Rutherford County with Ruth, Spindale, Rutherfordton and Forest City.