Railroads Across the Appalachians
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- Appalachian Railroads: AT&O | B&O | BR | C&O | Chessie | CNO&TP | CRR | LC&C | L&N | NC&StL | N&C | N&W | OR&C | SOU | VGN
- Charleston Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad – 3Cs: History | Locomotives | Maps | Mileposts | John T. Wilder | Boomtown | Railfan Guide
- ET&WNC: History | Maps | Locomotives | Timetables | A. Pardee | G. Hardin | T. Matson
- Appalachian Railroad Cities: Asheville | Cincinnati | Erwin | Johnson City | Knoxville | Lynchburgh | Roanoke | Spartanburg | and many more
- Railfan Guides
- Abandoned Lines & Railroads
- 3Cs Model Railroad: Alternate History | Layout Plan | Passenger Trains | Gallery
- Sources & Resources: Scholars & Authors | Books | Museums | Organizations | Links
- Appalachian-Railroads.org: Site Map | Editor
- Related Websites: Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Bridging the Ohio River and the Atlantic Ocean
The Appalachian Mountain region of Kentucky, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and the Virginias has a rich heritage of very successful and legendary Railroads. The beautiful mountains provide great untapped natural resources and financial opportunities. But it was not always this way. In 1870, the Appalachians were virtually void of railroads and thirty years behind the rest of the country. From northern Virginia to the middle of Tennessee, over 600 miles, no railroad had traversed across the mountains.
The transcontinental railroad had given our country a vision, a fever, of what the potential of rail transportation could be. For the Appalachian region, the vast coal, iron, timber, textile, and agricultural goods could be reaped and sold bringing much needed commerce to the depressed Appalachian area after the Civil War. In addition to the natural resources, the region was also the most direct route for the grand vision of laying rails from the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean, creating new commerce, and replacing very slow, indirect, and inefficient canals, rivers, and wagon roads. But, building and operating a railroad across and through the mountain ridges was challenging at best.
Photo: Roger Puta, Chessie System at Moss Run VA 1981
This website will chronicle the Appalachian railroads and their visionary entrepreneurs that tried, failed, and eventually succeeded in traversing the mountainous region. Much of our focus will be on the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago (3Cs), Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O), Clinchfield (CRR), Louisville & Nashville (L&N), Norfolk & Western (N&W), Southern Railway (SOU), and their predecessors and related lines. As a testament to the opportunities of building across the Appalachians hauling manifest freight and coal, these railroads were extremely profitable and did not experience the financial calamities most railroads experienced.
We will also highlight the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina (ET&WNC), the beloved narrow gauge that ran between the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
Today, these early rail lines are now primarily owned and operated by CSX or Norfolk Southern Railroads, with some short line operators profiting by keeping the secondary routes operational. Over the months and years ahead, we will add much more information about the railroads and the region as it was yesterday and as it is today.
Conspicuously Void of Railroads
Map: 1932 Atlas of the Historical Geography of the United States
In 1870 the great Transcontinental Railroad had reached the west coast, but no railroad had made it across the Appalachian Mountains between Washington DC and Nashville TN, a distance of over 600 miles. The northern United States had extensive rail lines, the south had some, but the middle of the Eastern U.S. was void of this new and efficient means of transportation and economic development.
The lone railroad line running east to west, through the valleys of the Appalachian Mountains was what we now know as the Southern Railway. In the 1800s, it was a congruent amalgamation of smaller railroads. Without this one rail line, the central and southern Appalachians would have been ‘railroadless.’
The people, the states, the cities and towns, and the businesses of the Appalachian region were all well aware they would be left behind if they did not aggressively take action to bring railroads to their region and their towns.
Great Rewards, Great Challenges
So, the concept was simple: run a rail line through the middle of the Appalachian Mountain region which was rich with natural resources such as coal, iron, and timber…..then transport the resources to either the Ohio River and the industrial northern United States, or to an Atlantic ocean port for export. It goes without saying that rail transportation of goods across the mountains would be quicker, lucrative and more efficient than rivers or canals.
Conversely, the task was hard: building railroads across the mountains was initially expensive and then costly to operate.
Baltimore & Ohio: The First to Reach the Ohio River
In the 1850s, the Baltimore and Ohio reached the Ohio River with a rail line through Maryland and West Virginia utilizing the banks of the Potomac River. However, this railroad would have little benefit for Virginia, Tenneessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas. The B&O was also a key Civil War rail line for the Union, so it was not until the late 1860s that the railroad could continue its expansion, finally reaching Ohio and beyond.
Southern Railway: The Region’s First Railroad
Collectively in the 1850s, the predecessors of the Southern Railway were the first railroads to span the region east-to-west ‘through’ the great valley (no mountain crossings). These early railroads were also important supply lines during the Civil War. The railroads which would eventually be merged to form the Southern Railway, were uniquely positioned to help rebuild the South after the war. They connected the population centers of the northeast with the southern cities such as Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Birmingham, and New Orleans. Southern-Railroads.org
Skirting the Mountains: NC&StL Railway
To the west, the Nashville, Chattanooga, & St. Louis Railway in 1852 and the Louisville & Nashville in 1859 had avoided the mountains by routing through Nashville. Even with the B&O, Southern, and NC&StL, the non-existence of trans-Appalachian railroads remained between northern Virginia and Nashville TN, There were virtually no rail lines crossing America’s mid-section. Traveling from Charleston SC meant you had to detour through Nashville or Washington DC to reach Cincinnati or points north or west.
Appalachian Railroads Interactive Map
This interactive Google Map shows
- The formidable barrier and ridges of the Appalachian Mountains
- B&O (black/gray) and NC&StL (purple), the only two railroads by the early 1870s to cross the mountains at 90 degrees
- The east-to-west collection of railroads (green)
- that took the easy route through the great valley parallel to the mountain ridges
Click here to better view the Google Interactive Map.
Breaking the Mountain Barrier
After the Civil War, many railroad efforts were undertaken to build into, and across the Appalachian Mountains. Coal, timber, and iron were the incentives. Many of these antebellum railroad initiatives were unsuccessful, and millions of dollars were lost. However, four railroads were successful at bridging the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River.
1873: The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway from Richmond, through Charlottesville, to Huntington WV. Goods could be placed on boats at Richmond to reach the Atlantic. By 1881, the C&O had completed a line to Newport News VA, now a large Atlantic Ocean port.
1880: Cincinnati Southern from Cincinnati to Chattanooga TN. Near Knoxville TN, and at Chattanooga, connections with affiliated railroads were made for freight headed to the Atlantic ports. In 1893, the Cincinnati Southern and others were merged to create the Southern Railway, making the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean a seamless rail network.
1892: Norfolk & Western Railway from Norfolk VA, through Petersburg and Roanoke, to Kenova WV.
1902: Louisville & Nashville Railroad from Cincinnati OH and Louisville KY, through Knoxville TN to Atlanta. Connections with partner railroads would move the freight to various Atlantic ports.
3Cs Railroad – Initial Vision of Crossing Through the Middle
Crossing the Appalachians at their widest might look like a questionable venture. However, this routing also had one of the nation’s largest coal reserves, and was the most direct route from the Mid-West to the Southeast. The Charleston, Cincinnati, & Chicago Railroad, the 3Cs, created a grand vision that eventually succeeded. The railroad started construction in 1886. Johnson City TN served as the company’s headquarters with much speculation that the city would become a railroad boomtown. Unfortunately, the 3Cs was sold in foreclosure due to an economic downturn in 1893. Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad – 3Cs
Clinchfield Railroad – Eventual Success
Thankfully, that early vision was completed by the Clinchfield Railroad and George L. Carter in the early 1900s. His effort bridged the Southeast and the Midwest with a well-designed railroad to efficiently transport natural resources and goods across the mountainous region. With connections to the C&O and the Atlantic Coast Line, and cooperation between the three, a successful and very profitable Chicago to Charleston manifest freight and rail line was achieved in 1915. Click here for information about the Clinchfield at Clinchfield.org.
Photo courtesy of Dan Robie wvncrails.org
ET&WNC Railroad: Beloved Narrow-Gauge
The second railroad in Johnson City was the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina. It’s narrow-gauge and mountain charm has always made it a perennial favorite with railfans world-wide. Even into the mid-1960s as a small portion of the railroad survived as a standard gauge short-line, we could watch their 2-8-0 steam locomotives perform switching duties in downtown Johnson City. The railroad’s legacy and one of its original narrow gauge engines live on today as part of the Tweetsie Railroad theme park in Blowing Rock NC. ET&WNC Front Page
Railroad Cities of the Appalachians
Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia certainly had its share of cities with a major railroad presence, Several towns, such as Johnson City TN were actually born from a railroad’s arrival. The Appalachian region’s rail hubs included: Appalachia VA, Asheville NC, Bristol TN/VA, Chattanooga TN, Cincinnati OH, Corbin KY, Erwin TN, Johnson City TN, Kingsport TN, Roanoke VA, Salisbury NC, and Spartanburg SC. Appalachian Towns and Cities and their Railroads: Front Page
Johnson City: Thoroughfare of Three Railroads
With the Clinchfield’s completion, Johnson City did become an important rail hub, but never achieved boomtown status. The Southern Railway, ET&WNC, and the Clinchfield all ran through the middle of town, side-by-side, with 30 or more trains per day.
This thumbnail of a Ted Laws painting captures the thoroughfare so well. Southern left, ET&WNC center, and Clinchfield right. Johnson’s Depot which is hosted on StateOfFranklin.net has an extensive collection of history of Johnson City and a wonderful gallery of Ted Laws paintings.
(Painting by Ted Laws)
ET&WNC Remembrance by Ron Flanary:
“This is a fresh scan of an old favorite of mine. ET&WNC No. 208 (ex-Southern 722) was spotted up beside the “bloomer factory” (where they made ladies’ underwear) at Elizabethton, Tennessee on November 7, 1964. The crew was having “beans” (lunch) at that moment. In 1964, this was just everyday steam, still working in revenue freight service. (Photo and narrative by Ron Flanary)
3Cs Model Railroad: What Might Have Been
My 3Cs n-scale model railroad is being designed and built to portray what success might have looked like if Johnson City had become a railroad boomtown. This website and the layout will work in tandem to bring that vision to life. The layout will include the 3Cs, Clinchfield, Southern, and the ET&WNC. 3Cs Model Railroad Front Page
3Cs Website and Layout: A Work In Progress
This website is under construction with content being added daily. Concurrently, the layout is progressing and evolving. Pardon the mess, but please come back often in the coming months and years. My simple goals for this website are:
- create new railfans
- preserve and further explore the stories and the history of the Appalachian Railroads
- share the new information and stories we find, and link you to the information that exists
- highlight the individuals and organizations who have those same goals, and honor those who have already given so much of their time in decades past to preserve the legacy of our railroads
- enjoy and share the hobby of model railroading
Appalachian-Railroads.org Sources and Resources
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts
- Archives of Appalachia
- Book – Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
- Book – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country’
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazine – ‘Trains‘
- Magazine – ‘Classic Trains‘
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – Tennessee Encyclopedia.net
- Video – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1
- Video – Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Articles – ‘Johnson City Comet‘
- Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the railroads or model railroading.