Norfolk & Western Railway – N&W – Clinchfield Connection
- Home Page
- Flood Recovery: Clinchfield/CSX Reconstruction | Interactive Map
- History: Summary | Design | Surveys | Battles for the Rivers | Construction | Clinchfield Coal
- Predecessors: Summary | CRRR | 3Cs | OR&C | S&W | CC&O
- Leaders: George L. Carter | M.J. Caples | John B. Dennis | James A. Blair
- The Clinchfield: Maps | Mileposts | Stations | Connections | Branches/Spurs | Yards | Sidings | High Line | Bridges | Tunnels | Grades | Loops | Santa Train | Car #100 | Business Car #1
- Locomotives: Summary | Diesels | Steam | Challengers | No.1 | CRR 800 | CSX Heritage Unit
- Operations: Summary | Freight | Passenger | Timetables | Wrecks | Dispatcher’s Sheet
- Corporate Couplings: Summary | CC&O Lease | Family Lines | Seaboard System | CSX | 2015 Closure/Reopening
- CSX/CRR Today: Summary | CSX Kingsport Sub | CSX Blue Ridge Sub
- Railfanning: Summary | Restaurant Guide
- Destinations: Summary | Elkhorn City | Breaks | Dante | Speers Ferry | Kingsport | Johnson City | Erwin | Nolichucky Gorge | Spartanburg | and more
- Model Railroads: Summary
- Resources: Books | Scholars | Museums
- Clinchfield.org: Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
The CSX Blue Ridge Subdivision, the old Clinchfield line south of Erwin is now reopen after the extensive damage from Hurricane Helene. The first revenue freight train ran on September 21st, and two coal trains followed on September 25th. Ribbon cutting photo by Mark Loewe. Use this link to see Designs in Orbit’s exceptional video updates with drone footage. Also, Train Chaser Elliot also provides wonderful coverage. Click here to read about the monumental CSX rebuilding efforts. In the weeks ahead we will add much more content chronicling the events of the past year.
Norfolk & Western Railway and the Clinchfield
The Clinchfield Railroad connected with the Norfolk & Western Railway at St. Paul, Virginia. Near the middle of this southwest Virginia town the two railroads crossed, with no less than 30 or 40 or more trains per day navigating this busy intersection.
Photo: The Bridge carrying the N&W and Clinchfield Railroads next to downtown St. Paul VA.
The N&W and Clinchfield would undoubtedly exchange coal at St. Paul. But what is not well known, is that the two railroads worked together on manifest freights from the northeast to the south. The trains would travel from New York and Pennsylvania…..through Harrisburg PA, Roanoke VA, St Paul VA and then over the Clinchfield to their southern destinations.
Content about the Norfolk & Western Railway and Clinchfield Railroad connection to be added in the days ahead.
N&W Stats
- Reporting Mark: NW
- Operated: 1870-1982
- Length: 7,595 miles
- Mainline: Norfolk VA to Cincinnati/Columbus/Toledo OH, Buffalo NY/Pittsburgh PA/Detroit MI to Chicago IL/St Louis MO (Nickel Plate Road. Wabash, and P&WV merger)
- Primary Cities: Norfolk VA, Roanoke VA, Cincinnati OH, Columbus OH, Detroit MI, Buffalo NY, Pittsburgh PA, Cleveland OH, Toledo OH, Chicago IL, St Louis MO,
- Headquarters: Roanoke VA
- Passenger Trains: Powhatan Arrow, Pocahontas, Cavalier
- N&W Today: Part of Norfolk Southern
- Connections with the Clinchfield: St. Paul VA
Clinchfield.org Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Clinchfield Railroad. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Clinchfield.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Associations:
- Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
- Archives of Appalachia – ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Books:
- Beach: ‘The Black Mountain Railway,
- Drury: ‘The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield
- Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City
- Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields
- Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter
- King: ‘Clinchfield Country’
- Marsh: “Clinchfield in Color’
- Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina
- Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’
- Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’
- Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’,
- Wolfe: ‘Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley Line‘ and ‘Southern Railway Appalachia Division,’
- Young: ‘Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads in Color.’ Volume 1: Kentucky, Volume 2: Virginia
- Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles – Newspapers.com
- Online Articles:
- Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition
- ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘
- Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Online Videos – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1, Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Websites:
- Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads,
- Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net,
- RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin, The Radio Reference Wiki
- SteamLocomotive.com
- VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- Multimodalways.org
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.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
