East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad

ETV&G Stats

Founded: 1869 Operated: 1869-1894
Abbreviation: ETV&G
Initial Route: Bristol TN to Dalton GA
Initial Length: 270 Miles Final Length of Rail Lines: 2,500+ Miles
Headquarters: Knoxville TN
Successors: Southern Railway
Cities: Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, Bristol, Johnson City TN, Dalton, Atlanta, Macon, Savannah, Brunswick GA, Mobile AL
Key Individuals: Charles McGhee, Thomas Calloway
Today: Norfolk Southern Railway

ETV&G Railroad

1869 was the year that brought together the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad (ET&V) and the East Tennessee & Georgia Railroad (ET&G) to form a consolidated rail line that stretched from Dalton GA to Bristol TN, the East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad (ETV&G). After continued expansion, the ETV&G played an important role in connecting and spurring development in cities such as Knoxville, Johnson City, Bristol, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Memphis, Mobile, and others.

Civil War

During the Civil War, the two railroads were an important rail link to supply the Confederacy. That also made them the target of the Union Army and its sympathizers.

After the war ended, the rebuilding of the rail lines was a priority, providing the needed capital for the companies. Some of that funding and loans were provided by the states.

ETV&G Expansion

After 1869, the ETV&G expanded at a rapid pace, building, leasing, and acquiring rail lines including: the Memphis & Charleston Railroad, the Georgia Southern Railroad, and the Macon & Brunswick Railroad.

One of my favorite new routes they constructed was along the French Broad River, connecting Knoxville, Tennessee with Asheville, North Carolina.

This 1884 advertisement shows the ETV&G’s divisions, leased lines, some of their passenger routes, and their ‘Perfect Pullman Car Service.’ Divisions included Memphis & Charleston, Ohio, Atlanta & Brunswick, and Alabama/Alabama Central.

During this 1880s, the ETV&G, Pennsylvania, Shenandoah Valley Railroad, Norfolk & Western Railway and other partners jointly ran passenger trains from the major cities of the Northeast to the primary cities of the south. They marketed this long distance passenger service as the Virginia, Tennessee & Georgia Air Line. Pullman Service and the only Through-Car Line to New York City was available for those traveling from New Orleans, Atlanta, Chattanooga, and other major cities in the south.

East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad Ad from 1884

Financial Challenges – Southern Railway

By 1890, the ETV&G had over 2,500 miles of track in Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and North Carolina. As you can see from the map below, the railroad became almost a hub-and-spoke system with Knoxville and Chattanooga as the hub………and Bristol TN, Memphis, Asheville NC, Mobile AL, Meridian MS, and Brunswick GA as the spokes.

The late 1880s and early 1890s were financially challenging for railroads. In 1894, J.P. Morgan established the Southern Railway Company by merging the ETV&G with the Richmond and Danville Railroad, creating a larger and more financially secure entity that became very successful throughout the 1900s.

Today, the ETV&G tracks are an integral part of Norfolk Southern.

ETV&G Maps

Click here for all ETV&G Maps.

The Map below is from 1880.

East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad Map - ETV&G - 1890

ETV&G Timetable 1870

East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railway Timetable - ETV&G — East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railway Passenger Schedule from 1870

More Southern Railway information will be added to this page and others in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the railroads, the region, or model railroading.

Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
Book – Graybeal: The Railroads of Johnson City
Book – Harshaw: ‘Trains Trestles & Tunnels, Railroads of the Southern Appalachians’
Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
Book – Reisweber: ‘Southern Railway Power’
Book – Scales: Natural Tunnel, Nature’s Marvel in Stone’
Book – Stout: ‘Southern Railway: Through Passenger Service’
Book – Ward: ‘Southern Railway Varnish 1964-1979’
Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
Book – Wiley & Wallace: ‘The Southern Railway Handbook’
Book – Withers & Sink: ‘Southern: A Motive Power Pictorial’
Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
Website – Hawkinsrails.net
Website – Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net
Website – Multimodalways.org: Norfolk Southern Track Charts
Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
Website – SteamLocomotive.com
Website – TheDieselShop.us
Website – VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia

Contact Us

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 Southern or Model Railroads.

3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org