Clinchfield Railroad Books Recommendations

Here are the books I highly recommend as you explore the history and the operation of the Clinchfield Railroad. These, and many other sources, served as references for this website. Be sure and check out the Scholars and Authors pages for more background on these individuals who have chronicled the history of the region and its railroads. If you have suggestions for additional books, please drop me a note on the contact form at the bottom of the page.

The Clinchfield Railroad: The Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains, William Way, Jr., 1931

Building the Clinchfield, James A. Goforth, 1983 & 1989

https://www.easttnhistory.org/store/building-clinchfield

Clinchfield Country, Steve King, 1988

When Steam Ran the Clinchfield, James A. Goforth, 1991

A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina: Carey Franklin Poole, 1995

Erwin, Tennessee: A Pictorial History; James A. Goforth, 2004

Clinchfield In Color, C.K. Marsh, Jr, 2004

https://www.abebooks.com/Clinchfield-Color-Volume-1-Marsh-Morning/31225105941/bd

The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields, Robert A. Helm, 2004

The Railroads of Johnson City, Johnny Graybeal, 2007

http://www.tarheelpress.com/JCRR.html

The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century, Jerry Taylor & Ray Poteat, 2008

The Last Empire Builder: A Life of George Carter, Ray Stahl and Ned Irwin, 2012

The Clinchfield #1: Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine, Mark A. Stevens & A. J. “Alf” Peoples, 2014

Available from multiple sources

Clinchfield In Color Volume 2, Kurt Reisweber, 2020

The Black Mountain Railway, John E. Beach, 2016

http://www.tennesseerailroad.com/blackmountainrailroad.html

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: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society, George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society, Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
• 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,’ and Young: ‘Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads in Color.’ Volume 1: Kentucky, Volume 2: Virginia
• Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
• Newspaper Articles – Newspapers.com
• Online Article – 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

---

3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org