- Clinchfield Railroad Home Page
- History | Battle of the Breaks | Design | Surveys | Construction
- Predecessors | 3Cs | OR&C | S&W | CC&O | CRR | CRRR
- The Clinchfield: Maps | Mileposts | Stations | Connections | Branches/Spurs | Yards | Sidings | High Line | Bridges | Tunnels | Grades | Loops
- Locomotives | Diesels | Steam | Challengers | Clinchfield No. 1
- Operations | Freight Trains | Passenger Trains | Timetables | Wrecks
- Key Individuals: George L. Carter | M.J. Caples | John B. Dennis
- Mergers | Family Lines | Seaboard System | CSX | Closure/Reopening
- CSX | Kingsport Sub | Blue Ridge Sub
- Railfanning CRR/CSX | CRR Restaurant Guide | CRR 800
- Destinations | Elkhorn City | Breaks | Haysi | Dante | St Paul | Speers Ferry | Kingsport | Johnson City | Erwin | Nolichucky Gorge | Spruce Pine | Marion | Spartanburg
- Clinchfield Model Railroads
- Sources & Resources: Books | Scholars & Authors | Museums | Organizations
- Clindchfield.org: Website Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Clinchfield Railroad: The Quick Service, Short Route
(Photo by Dan Robie https://www.wvncrails.org/)
The Clinchfield Railroad is a story of more than just one railroad. It is a realization of a century long dream, a new standard in engineering design and construction, a very successful business venture that enabled a multitude of other businesses, and of numerous smart and visionary individuals who risked it all. These stories of dreams and grand visions, risk-taking, competitive corporate battles, initial failure, and eventual success make the Clinchfield truly compelling and iconic. Today, its rails are part of CSX.
The last of the Class I railroads to be built east of the Mississippi River, the Clinchfield was 277 miles in length, stretching from Elkhorn City, Kentucky to Spartanburg, South Carolina. Not only was it successful at its original purpose of hauling coal, but it also became a major bridge route for manifest freight. In partnership with the Atlantic Coast Line, Seaboard Air Line, and the Chesapeake & Ohio, it connected the Mid-West with the Southeast, and became a major rail corridor.
Connecting the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean
The Clinchfield Railroad was a realization of a 1830s dream of one day connecting the Ohio River with the Atlantic Ocean. The goal was to create a connection, a transportation backbone, and a means of commerce for the Appalachian Mountain region, trade and business for the eastern seaports, and the Ohio River valley ports. It was a win-win venture for all parties.
Originally, the Charleston Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad (3Cs: 1886-1893) was the first to attempt the crossing of the Appalachian Mountains at their widest point, tapping into all the natural resources that lay within. A second attempt, albeit half-funded, and maybe half-hearted, was the Ohio River & Charleston Railroad (OR&C: 1893-1902)
There were multiple ventures that attempted the Appalachian crossings through various routes as far west as Nashville and as far east as the Virginias. But, the most challenging and direct route was via East Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Western North Carolina. Here’s an overview at other railroads that both succeeded and failed at bridging the Ohio River Valley to the Atlantic Ocean in the 1800/1900s via various routes to the east and west of the Clinchfield.
George L. Carter
After the 3Cs and the OR&C, as if third-time-is-a-charm, George L. Carter had the right vision, the right funding, the right design, and the right business plan. Carter’s primary goal was to mine and transport coals from his substantial land holdings in Virginia.
He bought a portion of the Ohio River & Charleston, and then proceeded to build a railroad that would eventually connect Elkhorn City KY to Spartanburg SC. Johnson City was originally going to be the mid-point and headquarters, but due to available land, Erwin TN became the business and operations center. Helping to guide Carter were two very talented individuals: M.J. Caples the designer and Chief Engineer and John B. Dennis who was the key to the investment funding and later commercial and industrial development.
Vision Realized: Clinchfield Railroad
Carter originally called his endeavor the South & Western Railway (1902-1908) to disguise his route and business plan. He changed its name to the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad (CC&O) in 1908. Even though his first intent was to connect Elkhorn City to Charleston SC, he eventually settled on Spartanburg as the southern endpoint.
The CC&O connected to three railroads at Spartanburg, the most important of which was the Atlantic Coast Line. To the north at Elkhorn City, the Clinchfield linked with the Chesapeake and Ohio. Collectively, these three railroads made a direct manifest rail line between Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, and other cities to the north, and to Charleston and the major cities of Florida to the south. This route carried multiple manifest trains each day that delivered perishable food, auto parts, autos, chemicals, and much more.
Carter’s primary financial interest was to transport the black gold from his coal holdings in Southwest Virginia. He wanted to own both the natural resource and the means of transportation. On all counts, his investments were very profitable over many years to come. The Clinchfield was a minimal 277 miles in length, but eventually its revenue and profit were comparable to railroads that were much larger.
Clinchfield as a railroad:
- Engineering marvel
- Most expensive (per mile) railroad ever built to-date by the early 1900s
- Highly efficient at carrying coal, natural resources and manifest freight
- Last class I railroad built east of the Rocky Mountains
- Fierce, smaller, scrappy, and successful competitor with larger east coast railroads
The two photos below are great examples of how the Clinchfield soared higher and dug deeper when it came to building a superbly engineered rail line.
Clinchfield as a business venture:
- Highly profitable
- Achieved some of the best railroad industry financial and operational metrics
- Catalyst and foundation for enabling many other business ventures in the region such as coal mining, mineral mining, timber and wood products, chemical manufacturing, ammunitions manufacturing, paper/printing, and many more
(A Clinchfield SD-45, photo by Ron Flanary)
Clinchfield Railroad and its legacy:
- Realization of the dream to bridge the Ohio River and the Atlantic Ocean across the mid-section of the Appalachian Mountain barrier
- George L. Carter, a visionary and entrepreneur who had holdings in many businesses, especially thousands of acres of coal and natural resources
- Fierce competitor with the larger C&O and Southern Railways to fight for passage along rivers.
- Benefactor for the establishment of a regional University and eventually a medical school
- Creator of a Model City that supported many industrial companies and plants
- Birth of the East Chemical Company
- Development of the largest ammunitions plant in America
- Many more details and stories that we will chronicle on these pages
Clinchfield’s No.1 by Ron Flanary
Photos and Narrative by Ron Flanary
From 1968 to 1979 the Clinchfield Railroad and CSX used the refurbished #1 as a very successful promotional and community outreach effort.
Saturday, November 27, 1976: “Clinchfield Railroad Ten-Wheeler No. 1 has just arrived at Kingsport, Tennessee with the annual Santa Claus Special from Elkhorn City, Ky.
One half of the famed Hatcher brothers who always handled the “One Spot”–fireman George Hatcher–is leaning over from the engine’s deck to catch a question coming from a railfan (who is unfortunately standing atop the rail!). George was quite a guy–a POW from WWII who kept in shape for this hard firing duties on No. 1 by riding a bicycle around Erwin. He died a few years ago but lived long enough to see Clinchfield’s first F-unit, No. 800, restored and placed on the point of the 2017 train.”
“No. 1 resides in the B&O Museum in Baltimore these days, still looking exactly as she does here, except for the absence of the spit and polish and shiny copper trim. The B-unit is one of two the Clinchfield used to provide most of the motive power, as No. 1 could only handle two coaches on the strength of her 125 PSI boiler pressure.”
No. 1s Last Run
“Performing flawlessly on her last solo excursion, Clinchfield Ten-Wheeler No. 1 works upgrade along the “High Line” to the west of East Tennessee State University’s campus in Johnson City, Tenn. in June 1978. Our local club–the East Tennessee Chapter of the NRHS–had many excellent adventures with this locomotive those many years ago.”
Suggested Reading for the Clinchfield Railroad
- Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
More Clinchfield information will be added to this page and website in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the Clinchfield, the region, or model railroading.
Clinchfield.org Sources and Resources
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts that I have from the CRR, CC&O, and S&W
- Archives of Appalachia
- Book – Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’
- Book – Goforth: ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’
- Book – Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields’
- 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’
- Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Video – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1
- Video – Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Articles – ‘Johnson City Comet‘
- Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Article – Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition
- Article – ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘
- 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 – The Radio Reference Wiki
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – Clinchfield Railroad 1982 Track Chart at Multimodayways.org
- Website – Newspapers.com
Contact Us at Clinchfield.org
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 Clinchfield or Model Railroads.