Speers Ferry Virginia

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Clinchfield Railroad

Speers Ferry Virginia

Researched and Chronicled by Scott Jessee and Sandhi Kozsuch

As if it were the neck of an hour glass of time, this very narrow gap at Speers Ferry Virginia has given us a very unique vantage point over the decades and centuries. One could have witnessed the hundreds of thousands of people traveling the Wilderness Road to the Kentucky frontier in the 1700 and 1800s. Years later thousands of trains loaded with freight, coal, and passengers crossed the Appalachian Mountains funneling through this narrow pass between the Holston and Clinch River valleys.

Speers Ferry Virginia - Ron Flanary

Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Trail, Railroads, and Highways

Whether you are a history fan, or a railroad fan, Speers Ferry and the adjacent towns have much to see and learn. As far as history, Speers Ferry was a narrow passage way Daniel Boone used to cross the Appalachian Mountains as he blazed the Wilderness Trail/Road in the late 1700s. It is estimated that over 200,000 people migrated to the new frontier of Kentucky using this trail.

In similar fashion, hundreds of thousands of railroad cars have also shared the mountain gap of Speers Ferry, and Moccasin Gap to the South, as they were the key (and only) water level gap through the middle of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Two railroads, the Clinchfield and the Southern, and the Appalachian Highway (U.S. 23) barely squeezed through the narrow valley.

Speers Ferry Railroad Station

Speers Ferry Railroad Station - Historical Marker

Photo: Speers Ferry Railroad Station. Roadside historical marker.

The Speers Ferry railroad station was truly unique as it was almost vertical, rather than the traditional horizontal. The first floor platform served the Southern Railway, and the 3rd floor platform the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (Clinchfield Railroad). Passengers could go east to Bristol VA, northeast to St. Paul VA, south to Kingsport TN, and north to Natural Tunnel and Appalachia VA.

As you can see by this Southern Railway survey, two railroads and a highway barely fit within this very narrow gap measured in hundreds of feet. Survey courtesy of Railroad Preservation Press.

Speers Ferry Virginia Railroad Station

Speers Ferry Station Destroyed, June 29, 1933

Read the details in the Kingsport Times, Newspaper.com

Copper Creek Trestles at Speers Ferry

A mile north of the Speers Ferry train station, the two railroads entered the Clinch River Valley and crossed Copper Creek. Always a popular roadside photo spot, Clinchfield/CSX crossed on the high Copper Creek Trestle, and Southern/Norfolk Southern used the lower trestle. Nearby these massive steel bridges is the namesake of Speers Ferry, a narrow section of the Clinch River where Joshua Speer ferried natives and settlers across the river in his wooden boat more than 100 years prior.

Copper Creek Trestles at Speers Ferry VA - Ron Flanary

Speers Ferry Interchange Track

The Clinchfield and the Southern Railway removed the interchange track in 1936. Freight interchange between the two railroads continued at Frisco JCT to the south, and Miller Yard VA (via Interstate Railroad) to the north.

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