East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad
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- Cities: Bristol TN/VA
- Related Lines: Embreeville Branch | Johnson City & Carolina | Johnson City Southern
- Notable People: Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham | Samuel Spencer | W. Graham Claytor, Jr.
- Today: Norfolk Southern
- Railfan Guides: Virginia & Southwestern
- Resources & Sources: Books | Scholars-Authors | Museums | Associations | Website Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Rails Across the Appalachians | Clinchfield.org
East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad
ET&V Stats
- Founded/Chartered: 1848 Operated: 1856-1869
- Abbreviation: ET&V
- Initial Route: Bristol TN to Knoxville TN
- Length: 131 Miles
- Successors: East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad, Southern Railway
- Cities: Bristol, Johnson City, Jonesborough, Greeneville, Morristown, and Knoxville TN
- Key Individuals: Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham
- Today: Norfolk Southern Railway
ET&V Railroad
The East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad (ET&V) is a wonderful success story of cities and individuals investing in the promise of a early rail line which later became a economic driver for the region. The railroad was 130 miles in length, connecting Bristol and Knoxville TN. At those two cities, links were made with railroads that further connected the metropolitan areas of the northeast ( e.g. New York, Washington DC) to the cities in the south (e.g. New Orleans, Atlanta, and Birmingham)
The railroad was chartered in 1848, and was completed in 1856. Cities along its route included Bristol, Johnson City, Greenville, Morristown, and Knoxville TN.
Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham, ET&V Founder & President
The visionary leader for the new venture was Dr. Samuel B. Cunningham, who put his medical practice on hold for many years to make sure the railroad was funded, developed, and then survived and thrived. Dr. Cunningham, along with others, personally mortgaged their assets to provide the needed funding for the company.
Civil War
The ET&V was a vital rail link for the south during the Civil War, which also made it a target for the north. The railroad was damaged during the war, and received a large amount of ‘repair funding’ from the sale of bonds by the State of Tennessee to aid in the rebuilding of the line. A statutory lien was held on the company’s property by the state of Tennessee as security for this debt.
Johnson City and Bristol
The routing of the railroad were the beginnings to two major cities in the region. Johnson City originally started out as ‘Johnson’s Tank,’ where Henry Johnson first built a general store, post office, and water tank to serve the new railroad. Today, Johnson City is the largest city in East Tennessee and has grown from a railroad hub to also being a key regional center for education and health services.
King’s Meadow, later renamed Bristol, was eventually the connection with the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad. Later the city became a major corporate center for the coal industry.
ET&V Growth and Consolidation
Once the rebuilding was complete, the ET&V was consolidated with the East Tennessee & Georgia to form the East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia Railroad in 1869.
Growth continued as the region and the south prospered, but there were also world and national financial downturns. All of this led to creation of the Southern Railway in 1894 by combining the ETV&G, the Richmond & Danville, and several other railroads.
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
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3Cs Websites
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