Embreeville Branch

Embreeville Branch Stats

Constructed: 1891 by the East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad
Operated: 1891 – 1939
Formal Name: Johnson City & Carolina Railway
Abbreviation: JC&C
Initial Route: West side of Johnson City to Embreeville
Final Length: 13 Miles
Cities: Johnson City, Lamar Community, and Embreeville TN
Successor: Southern Railway
Today: Abandoned

Embreeville Branch and the ETV&G Railroad

In 1870, the Embreeville Company built a furnace in the Bumpass Cove area nearby the present-day Lamar TN. A railroad from Embreeville to Johnson City to serve the furnace was originally charted as the Johnson City & Carolina Railway. The 13-mile line was built by the East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad in 1891, and became known as the Embreeville Branch.

The “Y Section”, just to the west of Johnson City, received its name from the wye that was used as a junction between the branch and the mainline of the ETV&G.

Embreeville Branch and the Southern Railway

The Embreeville branch became part of the Southern Railway in 1894, when the ETV&G was purchased to make the larger railroad.

Iron, other minerals and timber were all transported over the branch. Embreeville itself was similar to a company town with stores and homes for those who worked at the furnace.

After a downturn in the iron and mineral output from Embreeville, the branch was shut down in 1939.

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.

Additional Links for Information

https://wctnarchives.files.wordpress.com/2019/05/acc.-10-embreeville-and-bumpus-cove-collection.pdf

http://www.stateoffranklin.net/johnsons/washrail.pdf

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