East Tennessee & Western North Carolina – ET&WNC
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East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad – ET&WNC
ET&WNC Stats
- Began Operation: 1881
- Operated: Narrow Gauge was operated 1881 to 1950. The ET&WNC operated the standard gauge segments from 1906 until1983. A very small portion of the standard gauge segment is still operated today, but most of the roadbed has been converted by the Tweetsie Trail.
- Predecessors: East Tennessee Railway (Genesee & Wyoming)
- Length: 11 Miles Standard Gauge, 66 Miles Narrow Gauge (3 foot)
- Related Railroads: Linville River Railway
- Tracks: Narrow Gauge: Johnson City TN to Boone NC, Standard gauge from Johnson City TN to Elizabethton TN. The Cranberry to Boone NC segment was abandoned in 1940 due to damage by a flood.
- Headquarters: Johnson City TN
- Primary Cities: Johnson City, Elizabethton, Hampton, Roan Mountain TN, Elk Park, Cranberry, Linville, and Boone NC
- Freight: Timber, iron ore, minerals, and in later years, multiple industries in Elizabethton TN
- Clinchfield Connection: Johnson City TN
ET&WNC Railroad and the Clinchfield
For many years, the ET&WNC was an important interchange partner with the Clinchfield, supplying timber, iron ore, minerals, and finished products from the industries in Elizabethton. Initially, the freight had to be transferred by hand from the narrow gauge cars of the ET&WNC, to the standard gauge Clinchfield. In, 1906, the ET&WNC upgraded the first 11 miles of their line from Johnson City to Elizabethton into dual-gauge, lessening the need for manual transfer of freight.
Content and details to be added soon about the connection and interchange between the ET&WNC and the Clinchfield.
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
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3Cs Websites
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