Barrett Yard – Johnson City TN
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Barrett Yard in Johnson City TN
Researched and chronicled by Scott Jessee and Sandhi Kozsuch
Until the opening of the Johnson City High Line in 1970, Barrett was an important yard for the Clinchfield Railroad. Once the mainline bypassed the city and a new yard was constructed in south Johnson City, most of Barrett was removed to make way for the West State of Franklin Road.
Originally, Barrett Yard ran from West Walnut Street at milepost 119, to milepost 120 where a water tank was located nearby today’s present Tennessee Avenue. The Yard also included a turntable, originally owned by the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad. In the early 1900s it was moved a few miles from the Carnegie section of Johnson City to Barrett Yard. The turntable appears to have been nearby the intersection of today’s Gilbreath Drive and West State of Franklin Road.
According to Jim Goforth’s 1946 Dispatcher’s Track Diagram, Barrett Yard included a primary passing siding, four or so yard tracks, and several industry spurs.
Sometime after 1946, Barrett Yard was extended westward to reach milepost 118.5, allowing for a 1.5 mile passing siding and the turntable was removed.
Barrett Yard Map
Utilizing two USGS topo maps from around 1940, you will be able to see the location of the following:
- 1 The original Barrett Yard with the turntable
- 2 The extension to Barrett Yard
- 3 The Southern Railway’s Embreeville Branch and its wye
- 4 The Southern Railway spur used to provide coal to the Mountain Home VA Center
- 5 Clinchfield’s initial construction of a fill used on the Johnson City Highline that sat dormant from 1907 to 1969. Construction remnants could be seen from Greenwood Drive eastward to Southwest Avenue.
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.
- Associations: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society, Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society, George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society, Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
- Archives of Appalachia – ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Books – Beach: ‘The Black Mountain Railway,’ Drury: ‘The Historical Guide to North American Railroads’, Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’, Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’, Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields’, Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter’, King: ‘Clinchfield Country’, Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color’, Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’, Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’, Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’, Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’, Wolfe: ‘Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley Line‘ and ‘Southern Railway Appalachia Division,’ and Young: ‘Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads in Color.’ Volume 1: Kentucky, Volume 2: Virginia
- Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles – Newspapers.com
- Online Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘, Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘, Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition, ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘, Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘, Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Online Videos – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1, Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Websites – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads, Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net, RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin, The Radio Reference Wiki, SteamLocomotive.com, VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia, Multimodalways.org
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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
