Division 3 Survey of the Clinchfield Railroad
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Clinchfield Railroad Survey – Division 3
These are the original surveys of the South & Western Railway as they decided the routing of what would soon become the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (CC&O), and after that the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR).
There were numerous options for George L. Carter and M. J. Caples to choose from for Divsion 3, Kingsport to Unaka Springs. Several bypassed Johnson City. Several skirted Erwin. One was as far west as Limestone, and one ran through Jonesborough. When the dust settled, they chose the route right down the middle, running through Johnson City and Erwin. See the comparison of those options at the bottom of the page after the index and map.
Use the ‘zoom’ feature in your web browser to better see the details in the index or the map.
Survey Index – Division 3
Please note that survey #1 on this Division 3 index and map is the original Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago (3Cs) Grade. Surveys #2-36 were undertaken by the S&W from 1905 to 1906.
Eventually the railroad decided to use Surveys #3, 21, 22, 23 (Designated as ‘Adopted Line.’), plus they used the 3Cs grade from Unicoi to Unaka Springs
Survey Map – Division 3
Comparison of Surveys from Kingsport to Unaka Springs
In comparing the surveys of the S&W from Kingsport to Unaka Springs:
- The Horse Creek survey was the furthest west…..and also the longest.
- The Jonesboro and Soldiers/Nolichucky surveys bypassed Johnson City, but were the shortest.
- The Adopted/Current Line was able to reach Johnson City with only adding several miles in distance.
The grid below outlines the surveys that the South & Western Railway was considering in 1905-1906.
Name | Miles | Grade | Curves (degrees) |
Old CC&C Grade Follows South Holston River, to Watauga River, through Cash Hollow, Johnson City, through Unicoi. The Clinchfield did use some of this grade climbing out of Johnson City prior to the Johnson City highline. | 63 | 1.0% | 14 |
Adopted/Current Line Combination of Jonesboro and Soldiers Lines. Boones Creek viaduct and Indian Ridge tunnel connect the two lines. | 45 | .5% | 6 |
Horse Creek Line Goes through Fall Branch and Limestone where it joins the Nolichucky River, traveling through Embreeville to Erwin | 64 | .5%, with some 1.1% | 6 |
Soldiers Home Line Diverges from Holston River near Boone Dam heading south, turns west for a ways paralleling North Knob Creek, turns south again at Indian Ridge, then follows current line. | 49 | .5% | 4 |
Jonesboro Line Diverges from current line at Boone, turns west, skirts Jonesboro to the north and west, then south to the Nolichucky River on the east bank to Erwin | 44 (+/-) | .5% | 6 |
Soldiers/Nolichucky Line Follows the Soldiers Line, diverges at Old Jonesboro Highway, turning west to parallel the SOU Embreeville Branch, until is reaches the Nolichucky River, then follows the river as it bypasses Erwin to the west. | 44 | .5% | 6 |
Erwin Highline Current Line, Diverging at Unicoi, running higher on the ridge, skirting Erwin to the south, then crossing the Nolichucky River on a high viaduct, 150 feet higher than current bridge. | 45 | .5% | 6 |
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
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org