Chessie System Railroad: Clinchfield Connection
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Chessie System Railroad: Clinchfield Conncection
Chessie System Stats
- Began Operation: 1973, by merging the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) and Baltimore & Ohio (B&O)
- Predecessors: C&O, B&O, and the Western Maryland (WM) which was controlled by the B&O.
- Reporting Marks: Remained BO, CO, and WM
- Years of Operation: 1973 to 1987
- Mainline: Newport News VA to Chicago IL, Baltimore MD/Washington DC to Chicago IL and St. Louis MO, Buffalo NY to Chicago IL, Philadelphia PA to Washington DC to Newport News VA
- Primary Cities: Richmond VA, Huntington WV, Newport News VA, Washington DC, Baltimore MD, Pittsburgh PA, Philadelphia PA, Cincinnati OH, Columbus OH, Chicago IL, St Louis IL, Detroit MI, Buffalo NY
- Length: 10,000+ to 11,000+ miles during its years of operation
- Primary Freight: Coal, Minerals and Natural Resources, Export Goods, Automotive, Agricultural Goods, Chemicals
- Headquarters: Cleveland OH
- Chessie System Today: Part of CSX Transportation
- Connection with the Clinchfield: Elkhorn City KY
Chessie System and the Clinchfield
The Chessie System and the Clinchfield met at Elkhorn City KY, Clinchfield’s northern terminus. At Elkhorn City, the two railroads exchanged up to 600 cars per day, and also ran thru trains.
Content about the Chessie System to be added soon.
Chessie System Map 1978
Clinchfield.org Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Clinchfield Railroad. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Clinchfield.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Association: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society
- Association: Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Association: George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
- Archives of Appalachia – ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Drury: ‘The Historical Guide to North American Railroads’
- Book – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’
- Book – Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields’
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country’
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’
- Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles – Newspapers.com
- Online Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Online Article – Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Online Article – Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition
- Online Article – ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘
- Online Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Online Article – Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Online Video – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1
- Online Video – Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website – The Radio Reference Wiki
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- Website – Multimodalways.org
Contact Us at Clinchfield.org
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 Clinchfield or Model Railroads.
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