Surveys of the Clinchfield Railroad

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Clinchfield Railroad

Clinchfield Railroad Surveys

Researched and Chronicled by Scott Jessee and Sandhi Kozsuch

Minimal Grades + Wider Curves = Greater Revenue & Profits

As they began to make plans for the South & Western Railway, George L. Carter and M. J. Caples knew that the railroad would be faster, easier to operate, and would be more profitable it they designed it with low grades and broad curves. They also used tall fills. deep cuts, and tunnels. All of this would come with a much higher initial price tag, but long term this standard of design was worth the investment. The 3Cs grade and its routing was a starting point, but required extensive upgrades and improvements. The most challenging and mountainous segments of the route were not undertaken by the 3Cs.

The existing 3Cs grade along the Holston/Watauga riverbanks had narrow curves of 14 degrees and a grade of approximately 1%. Caples goal for new railroad was a .5% grade with 4 to 6 degree curves. The S&W was able to reduce the distance from Kingsport to Unaka Springs by almost 20 miles compared to the CC&C with its better design and engineering.

Originally, Carter had planned for the headquarters, yard, and shops to be in Johnson City. But, moved them to Erwin when he was unable to find the needed land.

Clinchfield Railroad Segments and Interactive Map

During the design and construction phase of the Clinchfield, 1902-1915, the S&W/CC&O either used existing surveys and grading of the 3Cs, or it substantially redesigned and constructed a superior route and roadbed. It also filled in the gaps that the 3Cs had not graded or constructed, primarily Pool Point to Dante and Spruce Pine to Spartanburg.

The grid below outlines the segments on the 277 miles of the completed Clinchfield. 36.5% of the mainline mileage was ‘basically’ the original 3Cs grade and 63.5% was developed by the S&W/CC&O.

The map shows the new S&W segments in black, the 3Cs roadbed used and upgraded in yellow, and the Lick Creek and Lake Erie upgraded roadbed in red.

Additionally, click on this link for the Google interactive map showing the segments. You can zoom in and zoom out to view street level views of the Clinchfield line.

SegmentMilesSurvey/Original Grading
Elkhorn City to Pool Point2.73Cs
Pool Point to Dante32.0CC&O
Dante to St. Paul7.33Cs/Lick Creek & Lake Erie
St. Paul to 3rd Crossing of the Clinch River27.73Cs
3rd Crossing of the Clinch River to Johnson City51.3S&W/CC&O
Johnson City to Spruce Pine63.53Cs
Spruce Pine to Spartanburg92.6S&W/CC&O

Overview of the Clinchfield Railroad Surveys

These are the original surveys of the South & Western from 1904-1908 as they decided the routing of what would soon become the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (CC&O), and after that the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR).

Each Division includes both an index page and a map, to help you understand the various routes the Clinchfield (S&W) was considering.

Additionally, there are also larger and specific survey maps of segments of the divisions such as South Kingsport to Unaka Springs and options on how to conquer Sandy Ridge. Plus, there was a .5% grade survey up the Nolichucky/Toe River Gorge from Erwin to Altapass that would have reduced the current routing by 10 miles.

As you view the surveys, to better see the details you may need to use the zoom feature on your web browser (up to 500%)

Clinchfield Railroad Surveys List

Clinch River Bluffs by Ron Flanary

Clinchfield Railroad along the Clinch River - Photo by Ron Flanary

“This should be a familiar sight to many CSX and former Clinchfield crewmen. We’re climbing the Clinch River Bluffs between Hill Station and Boulder, Va. in 1991. When George L. Carter’s South & Western (later the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio) built this superbly engineered alignment, in doing so he passed on the earlier graded right of way along the river below. It was the never-used route of the Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago–the “Triple C” (a.k.a. “Three Cs”).”

(Photo by Ron Flanary)

“Rather than have a water level grade for several miles, only to face a 1.8 percent helper grade to reach “Big Cut,” on the north side of Clinch Mountain, Carter’s team blasted out this path literally on the side of the mountain for a steady compensated .275 percent grade for ten miles that included the familiar trestle at Copper Creek (about three miles ahead) and a tunnel beneath Clinch Mountain. For a railroad planned to move coal tonnage, the wise investment in capital construction up front offset untold millions of wasted dollars in operational costs—more locomotives, crews, and trains. The 3C route was penny wise, but pound foolish. It was later used as Virginia Route 65.”

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

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.

3Cs Websites

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