Diesel Locomotives of the Clinchfield Railroad
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- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Clinchfield Railroad’s Diesel Locomotives
Clinchfield Transition from Steam to Diesel
The Clinchfield began to dieselize its fleet in 1948. The initial F3 A-B-A diesel units were assigned to the manifest freights. The last engines on the steam roster were the Challengers which were used to push and pull the coal trains. By 1954, steam was no more.
As more diesels were added, the tonnage and length of the trains grew, requiring the horsepower from a fourth unit, A-B-B-A. GP 7/9s were also used in the mainline manifest and coal trains. The addition of CTC signaling and longer passing sidings allowed the Clinchfield to be even more efficient by running longer trains.
EMD Models on the Clinchfield Roster
Throughout the years, Clinchfield was a loyal customer of the Electro-Motive Division (EMD) of General Motors, which simplified their maintenance efforts. For a short time in the 70s, they did own seven GE U36Cs, but eventually traded them for SD45s.
Across the decades, Clinchfield owned and operated:
- 6 F3As (1500 HP, eventually updated to F7 standards)
- 4 F3Bs
- 6 SW7s (1200 HP)
- 18 GP7s (1500 HP)
- 18 F7As (1500 HP)
- 16 F7Bs
- 1 FP7A
- 2 GP9s (1750 HP)
- 25 SD40s (3000 HP)
- 10 GP38s (2000 HP)
- 4 NW2s (1000 HP)
- 1 NW3 (1000 HP)
- 7 U36Cs (3600 HP, traded)
- 7 SD45s (3600 HP)
- 18 SD45-2s
- 8 GP38-2s
- 11 SD40-2s
Photo courtesy of Dan Robie wvncrails.org
In total during its existence, the Clinchfield owned and operated 162 diesel locomotives:
- 45 Fs (67,000 total horsepower)
- 38 Geeps (66,000 total horsepower)
- 61 SDs (198,000 total horsepower)
Clinchfield’s SD45s by Ron Flanary
“Clinchfield’s SD45-2s were impressive machines for their era. Built between 1972 and 1974 as an improved version of the earlier SD45, the 3600 horsepower units were purchased by only four railroads. The Santa Fe got the most (90), with the EL and SCL both acquiring a few, like the CRR, which added 18 to its motive power roster. In March 1975, the 3608 was leading three other CRR SDs on an empty unit train tied down in the siding at Big Stone Gap, Va. A derailment several miles away in Dryden had the railroad at a standstill that day. After other owners and rebuilds, amazingly this unit is still around.”
Photo and narrative by Ron Flanary
Clinchfield Diesel Roster
Model | Number | Built | Notes |
F3A | 800-805 | 1948 | Manifest Freights (eventually rebuilt to F7 standards) |
F3B | 850-853 | 1948 | Manifest Freights (eventually rebuilt to F7 standards) |
SW7 | 350-355 | 1950 | Yard Switchers – Erwin, Johnson City, and Kingsport |
GP7 | 900-911 | 1950 | Road Switchers and Mine Runs |
F7A | 806-820 | 1951/1952 | Coal Trains and other mainline service |
F7B | 854-863 | 1951/1952 | Coal Trains and other mainline service |
FP7 | 200 | 1952 | With boiler for passenger service, used for freight |
GP7 | 912-916 | 1955 | Road Switchers |
F9B | 864-868 | 1955 | Mainline Service |
GP9 | 917-918 | 1956 | Maintenance Spares |
66 Total Diesel Units by 1960 | |||
F7A | 821-823 | 1965 (used) | Mainline Service |
F7B | 869 | 1965 (used) | Mainline Service |
GP7 | 919 | 1965 (used) | Mainline Service |
SD40 | 3000-3007 | 1966 | Coal Trains |
GP38 | 2000-2009 | 1967 | Multi-purpose |
SD40 | 3008-3014 | 1968/1969 | |
F7B | 250 | 1969 | Steam generator for excursion service |
89 Total Diesel Units by 1970 (8 traded or wrecked) | |||
NW2 | 356-360 | 1970 (used) | Switcher |
NW3 | 361 | 1970 (used) | Switcher |
SD40 | 3015-3024 | 1971 | |
U36C | 3600-3606 | 1971 | First GE units |
SD45-2 | 3607-3616 | 1972 | |
SD45-2 | 3617-3624 | 1974 | |
SD45 | 3625-3631 | U36C unit trade with SCL, CRR was back to being all EMD | |
GP38-2 | 6000-6006 | 1978-1978 | Family Lines Paint |
SD40-2 | 8034-8039 | 1979 | Family Lines Paint |
GP38-2 | 6045 | 1979 | Family Lines Paint |
SD40-2 | 8127-8129 | 1980 | Family Lines Paint |
SD40-2 | 8131-8132 | 1981 | Family Lines Paint |
For More Information
- https://www.thedieselshop.us/Clinch.HTML
- King, Steve, ‘Clinchfield Country,’
- Marsh, C.K., ‘Clinchfield In Color’
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.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org