Embreeville Branch of the Southern Railway
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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
- Personal Maps, Timetables & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts that I have from the SOU and predecessor railroads
- 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 – 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
- Magazine – ‘Trains‘
- Magazine – ‘Classic Trains‘
- Website – StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – Hawkinsrails.net
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
- Website – Norfolk Southern Track Charts at Multimodalways.org
- Website – TheDieselShop.us
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
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