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Bristol Elizabethton & North Carolina Railway

BE&NC Railway History

The second railroad in Elizabethton was the Bristol Elizabethton & North Carolina Railway which accessed the city from the north, creating a link to Bristol and to the Southern Railway and Norfolk & Western Railway mainlines. As you can see from the article below, the BE&NC had grand aspirations in the late 1800s, but in the end, the BE&NC’s effort to reach Charleston or an Atlantic port with these partnerships did not materialize.

Prior to that in the early 1890s, the BE&NC was also contemplating building a line from Elizabethton to Erwin, splitting into two lines at Erwin, with one line running to Asheville, and one line to Knoxville.

Yorkville Enquirer News Article from 1898

Sept. 3, 1898: “The South Atlantic & Ohio railroad, which was recently purchased by the Clydes, of New York, will form the connecting link with the Louisville & Nashville system at Klondike Junction. At Bristol, connection with the Bristol, Elizabethton & North Carolina Railway, owned by the Pennsylvania Steel company, will be made, which takes the new road to Elizabethton. At that point, connection is made with the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina railway (narrow gauge, running from Johnson City, Tenn., to Cranberry, N. C.). This will be converted into a broad gauge road, and connection with the ”Three C’s” railroad will be made at Johnson City. The Three C’s, now the Ohio River and Charleston railroad, is completed within 55 miles of Charleston. This distance will be built at once, thus completing the through line from the coal, coke, timber and regions of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia to the seashore.”

Virginia & Southwestern Railway

In 1899, George L. Carter bought the BE&NC, changing its name to the Virginia & Southwestern Railway. After additional construction, the line connected Bristol, Bluff City, Elizabethton, and Mountain City TN. With a connection at Bristol, the Virginia & Southwestern also bought the South Atlantic & Ohio Railway, providing access to the coal fields of Virginia via Appalachia and Big Stone Gap. The V&S was eventually sold to the Southern Railway once Carter started making plans to build the Clinchfield Railroad.

Virginia & Southwestern Railway Railfan Guide

Tracking the V&S from Mountain City, through Elizabethton, Bluff City, Bristol, Hiltons, and Mendota to Mocassin Gap is a beautiful drive and a fun day of trekking. Click here for a complete S&W Railfan Guide you can use to find the old roadbed.

BE&NC Stats

Additional Links for Information

http://www.cartercountyhistory.com/railroads-of-carter-county.html

https://www.thetomahawk.com/archives/the-railroad-once-ruled-in-mountain-city/article_aeceec4f-313b-546f-9784-ad7954e33010.html

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.

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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.

3Cs Websites

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