Spartanburg Tunnel on the Clinchfield Railroad

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Clinchfield Railroad’s Spartanburg Tunnel

Spartanburg Connection Becomes a Bottleneck

When the CC&O/Clinchfield first reached Spartanburg SC in 1909, it was content to temporarily connect to the Southern Railway mainline that ran from Washington DC to Atlanta and beyond. Spartanburg was initially only a temporary terminus for the Clinchfield. Charleston and other points south were the real goal.

Spartanburg Tunnel Map

But once initial operation began, the Clinchfield realized that southern ports could not easily be reached unless the Clinchfield was able to cross (over, under, or across) the Southern. There were two other railroads in Spartanburg, the Charleston & Western Carolina and the Piedmont & Northern that also provided lucrative potential for freight interchange. Only two city blocks separated the end of the Clinchfield and the interchange with the C&WC and P&N. Those two blocks were a potential gold mine revenue stream for the Southern Railway, and a very inefficient way to transfer freight from the Clinchfield to the other two railroads. Southern was the sole provider of switching and transfer across its main line. Click here for an interactive Google Map of the CRR. SOU, C&WC, and P&N and the bottleneck interchange junction. (Thumbnail map to left: CRR in black, SOU in green, C&WC in purple, and P&N in red)

Clinchfield Seeks (fights for) a Direct Connection

The Clinchfield needed a tunnel under the Southern to directly connect with the C&WC and P&N. According to Cary Poole’s excellent book, ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina,’ World War I delayed that goal, as did CRR’s lease to the Atlantic Coast Line and Louisville & Nashville Railroads in 1925.

Poole says, “During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the railroad revived the idea and sought and obtained ICC permission but, due to financial concerns, again tabled the plan. In 1950 the plan was revived once more, but it met with strong opposition by the Southern Railway. Southern, by that time, had achieved a near monopoly on switching duties between the many railroads that entered Spartanburg.”

I would be remiss if I did not also point out that Clinchfield realized extensive revenue by interchanging with the Southern Railway at Spartanburg and several other junctions in North Carolina and Tennessee, further complicating the fight for the tunnel.

For 11 years, the Clinchfield fought in court and in front of federal commissions for the right for a direct connection. One-by-one, Clinchfield won the judgements and appeals and finally received approval in 1962.

Direct Connection At Last: The Spartanburg Tunnel

The Clinchfield lost no time in constructing the tunnel, it was completed in 1963 at a cost of $2-million. From that time forward coal drags and the manifest freights effortlessly passed from the Clinchfield to the P&N and primarily the C&WC, which was also a subsidiary of the Atlantic Coast Line, Clinchfield’s lessor.

If you stand on the edge of the Wofford College campus, you can clearly see the original Clinchfield interchange with the Southern, the approach to the tunnel, and the tunnel itself.

James A. Goforth Story

Scott Jessee passed along a story that James Goforth, the Chief Engineer of the CRR, had told him in years past.

On a trip to Spartanburg by Goforth as he was helping develop construction plans for the tunnel, he struck up a conversation with an older gentleman at the Southern Railway Depot. The man asked Goforth what he was doing in town and Goforth told him about the Clinchfield tunnel. 

The gentleman shrugged and said, “the railroad was supposed to have built that tunnel 30 or 40 years ago.”

Spartanburg Tunnel Pictures

Clinchfield Railroad and Southern Railway in Spartanburg SC
Original connection between Clinchfield (left) and Southern (right). The approach to the tunnel is hidden by the trees to the left.
Clinchfield Railroad's Spartanburg Tunnel from the north side
Tunnel from north side, next to Wofford College

Clinchfield Railroad's Spartanburg Tunnel from the south side.
Tunnel on south side. P&N to left, C&WC to the right.
Clinchfield Railroad mile post 277 in Spartanburg SC
Mile post #277, almost the end of the Clinchfield as it approaches the tunnel.

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.

Clinchfield Railroad

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3Cs Websites

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