Mileposts of the Clinchfield Railroad
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- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Clinchfield Railroad Mileposts
The mile posts and the stations of the Clinchfield Railroad have evolved over the years since 1909. For example, the Elkhorn City Extension was added in 1915 adding 35 miles, and the Johnson City High Line removed 3 miles from the length of the railroad in 1969.
In 1915 the CC&O/Clinchfield was 277 miles from Elkhorn City KY to Spartanburg SC. The 277 mile post in the picture still stands near the Spartanburg Tunnel that originally was used to exchange trains with the Atlantic Coast Line and the Piedmont and Northern Railroads. Just above and to the left was the Clinchfield yard where connection was made with the Southern Railway.
South & Western Railway 1908 Mileage Chart
Initially, the Clinchfield was designed and constructed under the name of South & Western Railway. Below is its original mileage table from Dante VA to Spartanburg SC. This same year, the S&W became the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railway, the CC&O. It 1924, with new leadership and ownership, it changed to what we now know as the CRR, Clinchfield Railroad.
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Clinchfield Stations & Mileposts 1925 to 1969
Below are both a grid and an image of the Clinchfield’s stations and mileposts as they existed in 1925. After 1969, the Johnson City High Line removed 3 miles and grades that required helpers from the Clinchfield. Those three miles were actually subtracted from the center of the railroad at Erwin TN in the yards, so as not to require new mile posts all the way from Johnson City to Spartanburg.
Station | Milepost |
Elkhorn City KY | 0 |
Bartlick VA | 8 |
Splashdam | 10.0 |
Haysi | 11.4 |
Delano | 14.8 |
Clinchco | 17.4 |
Fremont | 21.4 |
Allen | |
Nora | 26.6 |
Trammel | 32.2 |
Dante | 35.1 |
Hamlin | 38.6 |
St. Paul | 42.5 |
Burton’s Ford | 46.7 |
Carfax | 49.6 |
Miller Yard | 52.6 |
Dungannon | 57.0 |
Hardwood | 59.5 |
Wood | 61.6 |
Fort Blackmore | 64.4 |
Starnes | 68.8 |
Hill | 71.1 |
Boulder | 77.4 |
Speer’s Ferry | 80.1 |
Kermit | 81.8 |
Waycross | 87.1 |
Frisco | |
Rotherwood TN | 90.1 |
Kingsport | 93.9 |
Edgewood | 95.7 |
Pactolus | 97.8 |
Hemlock | 99.9 |
Fordtown | 103.5 |
Gray | 107.6 |
Boone | 111.6 |
Indian Ridge | 113.2 |
Johnson City | 120.3 |
Okolona | 124.7 |
Marbleton | 127.3 |
Unicoi | 130.8 |
Fishery | 134.2 |
Erwin | 136.3 |
Chestoa | 139.5 |
Unaka Springs | 140.2 |
Lost Cove NC | 144.0 |
Poplar | 148.6 |
Huntdale | 153.0 |
Relief | 154.5 |
Green Mountain | 160.2 |
Forbes | 164.0 |
Toecane | 166.5 |
Roses Branch | 169.1 |
Bandana | 169.8 |
Lunday | 172.6 |
Kona | 173.5 |
Boonford | 175.1 |
Wing | 176.6 |
Penland | 179.6 |
Spruce Pine | 183.1 |
Altapass | 187.0 |
Switzerland | 190.4 |
Ashford | 202.7 |
Avery | 205.2 |
Pitts | 207.5 |
Sevier | 209.8 |
Hankins | 214.8 |
Marion (Clinchcross) | 218.5 |
Glenwood | 225.7 |
Fero | 227.1 |
Thermal | 232.6 |
Tate | 235.7 |
Logan | 240.6 |
Bostic | 246.0 |
Forest City | 248.1 |
Harris | 254.5 |
Chesnee SC | 261.7 |
Mayo | 266.6 |
Enola | 272.3 |
Lawson | 274.5 |
Spartanburg | 277.3 |
Clinchfield 1925 Passenger Timetable with Mile Posts
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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