St Paul VA Survey of the Clinchfield Railroad

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Clinchfield Railroad

St Paul VA Survey of the Clinchfield Railroad

The Twists and Turns of the Clinch River

There is no doubt that the Clinchfield was one of the best designed and engineered railroads, bar none. But, there was not an endless supply of money, especially after the panic of 1907.

There were segments of the Clinchfield where some of the 3Cs (Charleston Cincinnati & Ohio), and later the OR&C (Ohio River & Charleston) original right-of-ways and grading were utilized. South of St. Paul was one of those segments.

The Clinch River was even more twisting than a snake, reversing direction many times. However, the grade was minimal.

The Clinchfield (South & Western Railway/S&W) did survey a straight and effortless alignment from St. Paul to near the present day Shannon Tunnel, but it involved building five bridges and three tunnels within 2.5 miles. This proposed alignment was also 2.5 miles shorter. In the end, the money was used for more challenging terrains such as Copper Creek, Clinch Mountain, the Loops, and others. The S&W decided to use the 3Cs alignment along this segment of the Clinch River for the most part, keeping the tight curves, and a slow speed restriction which long term were somewhat problematic with operation and maintenance.

In discussing with Scott Jessee, he speculated that the Clinchfield would have benefited financially long term. “Even with the added expense of building the tunnels and bridges and their maintenance, after 100 plus years the reduction of those 14 degree curves and a higher speed limit of 45 instead of 25, the railroad would had probably benefited.  Also, South St Paul to Burtons Ford was subjected to winter broken rails and summer kinked rails.”

Clinchfield Railroad 1906 Survey: South of St Paul

The following survey was completed in 1906 and shows the operated line, the 3Cs right-of-way, and also two options for reducing the curves along the river south of St. Paul.

Use the zoom feature on your browser to better see the details on the survey. Survey map courtesy of Scott Jessee.

Clinchfield Railroad Survey - St. Paul VA

Interactive Google Map: South of St Paul

Clinchfield Railroad Map - St. Paul VA

To help you see the difference between the operated line and the straightest of the surveys, clink on this link for a Google interactive map. The area shown is between the St. Paul and the current Shannon Tunnel.

The black line is the current Clinchfield/CSX alignment, with yellow being the best of the surveys, saving 2.5 miles and many tight curves.

Zoom in and zoom out on the interactive map to see more detail.

Google Earth Map

Click here to see the above map in Google Earth.

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.

Clinchfield Railroad

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