Johnson City Southern – The Race Across the Blue Ridge

Researched and chronicled by Scott Jessee and Sandhi Kozsuch

The Johnson City Southern Railway (JCS) was chartered in 1905 to connect the Southern Railway’s rail line (Bristol – Knoxville) in Johnson City to their two lines in Marion NC. Much of this alignment paralleled the upstart South & Western Railway’s (S&W) route that was in planning and had just begun construction. There was only way across the Blue Ridge mountains, the treacherous and narrow Nolichucky/Toe River gorge. The river ran from Erwin TN to the top of the mountain ridge near Spruce Pine NC.

The Southern already crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains via Saluda and Asheville, but the Johnson City Southern routing was more direct and a much easier grade, especially hauling coal from the coal fields of Virginia/Kentucky to the fast growing and industrial Carolinas.

Click here for a complete Johnson City Southern Railfan Guide.

South & Western’s Plans for the River Gorge

The S&W, which would eventually be renamed the Clinchfield Railroad, actually had two route options along the river. It could use the existing Ohio River & Charleston Railroad’s (3Cs, Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago) partial roadbed on the east bank of the river gorge that it had purchased in foreclosure. Or, it could build a low-grade line that started on the west bank of the river on land the railroad had surveyed and bought around 1905.

Johnson City Southern – Surveys

The Southern had limited, if any possibilities to build a second railroad along the narrow river gorge, with the S&W’s secured right-of-ways always in the way. If built, the JCS would have to cross the S&W multiple times, upwards of twenty times. One survey of the JCS was said to have the two railroads crossing within a tunnel.

The JCS line would start with Southern’s Embreeville Branch in Johnson City, then follow the Nolichucky/Toe Rivers through Erwin to the state line, and finally cross the Blue Ridge Mountains to Marion NC via Gillespie Gap. Several years earlier, Southern had purchased the 171-mile section of the CC&C that ran south from Marion NC to Camden SC, providing additional access to the Carolinas and their ports.

Johnson City Southern – Initial Construction

The Johnson City Southern completed surveys and initial plans. Construction and grading quickly began with sections north and south of Erwin, Unaka Springs, Poplar, and Huntdale.

One of several tactics used by the Johnson City Southern was to try to persuade the local governments to condemn the right-of-way purchased by the South & Western, allowing the JCS to block or delay the construction of the S&W. This set up two years of legal battles, going all the way to the North Carolina Supreme Court.

The Southern Railway eventually stopped the effort after losing all of the legal proceedings. It also became apparent that the South & Western Railway and its funding were unbeatable as it built southward across the mountains and north into the coalfields.

Many historians believe the Southern Railway was not serious about completing their line, but was only trying to delay or stop the S&W.

JCS and S&W Interactive Map – Johnson City to Erwin to the Top of Blue Ridge

Johnson City Southern and Clinchfield Railroads Proposed Routes through Erwin TN

Click on this link for a Google Interactive Map showing the proposed routes for the Johnson City Southern and the South & Western (Clinchfield) Railroads from Johnson City to the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Clinchfield crossed the Blue Ridge at McKinney Gap, while the Johnson City Southern crossed a few miles west at Gillespie Gap.

Red Line: Proposed Clinchfield with a .5% grade
Black Line: Actual Clinchfield as built
Green Line: Proposed Johnson City Southern (estimated Poplar NC to Gillespie Gap, no surveys available for that segment)

The proposed .5% grade Clinchfield was approximately 15 miles shorter than the Johnson City Southern, and would have been much easier to operate. As a conservative estimate, the two routes would most likely have crossed more than 15 times from Erwin to the top of the Blue Ridge.

Bitter Railroad War in East Tennessee

Below is an excerpt from the July 13, 1905 edition of the Johnson City Comet. The article was entitled: Rival Lines to Seacoast – Bitter Railroad War in East Tennessee Coming

Click here for the full article.

‘It is stated that the Southern Railway will start work within the next thirty days on its line. A preliminary survey of the route was made a couple of weeks ago but recently W. B. Crenshaw, one of the Southern’s best engineers, was called to Johnson City and with two large surveying corps his men are going over the proposed line in the hope of reducing the grade. It was stated sometime ago that the new line of the Southern and that of the South and Western would parallel one another through the mountains. A gentleman who recently went up the South and Western as far as it had been completed and who is now in the city, stated yesterday it would be impossible for the Southern to follow that route, in the event it was so desired, as the line was for a long distance in a deep gorge which was just wide enough to allow the one track. There are other natural obstacles and it is generally believed that Engineer Crenshaw and his corps will find a new route through the mountains. In the route that was passed several weeks ago and which was thought to be accepted by the officials of the Southern, there were no less than nine tunnels to be bored through the Blue Ridge Mountains between Johnson City and Marion.’

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.

Johnson City Southern Remnants – Slideshow

Johnson City Southern above, north of Erwin TN
Clinchfield/CSX foreground, Johnson City Southern grade on opposite bank
Johnson City Southern grade now a narrow road south of Poplar NC

Johnson City Southern Map

1907 Southern Railway Map showing proposed routing of Johnson City Southern

1907 Southern Railway Map - Johnson City Southern

Railfan Guide for the Johnson City Southern

Click here for a complete Johnson City Southern Railfan Guide

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