Clinchfield and the Seaboard System Railroad
- Clinchfield Railroad Home Page
- History | Design | Surveys | Railroad Battles | Construction
- George L. Carter | M.J. Caples | John B. Dennis
- Predecessors | CRRR | 3Cs | OR&C | S&W | CC&O
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- Corporate Couplings | Family Lines | Seaboard System | CSX | Closure/Reopening
- CSX/CRR Today | CSX Kingsport Sub | CSX Blue Ridge Sub
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- Destinations | Elkhorn City | Breaks | Dante | Speers Ferry | Kingsport | Johnson City | Erwin | Nolichucky Gorge | Spartanburg | and more
- Clinchfield Model Railroads
- Resources: Books | Scholars | Museums
- Clinchfield.org: Editor | Site Map
- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Clinchfield and the Seaboard System Railroad
The Third Step in Consolidation
The individual rail companies that would make up the Seaboard System Railroad were already somewhat aligned corporately and operationally. But, this name change and related mergers and acquisitions would be a very important third step in consolidating what would become CSX. The key transaction was the merging of Seaboard Coast Line and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad late in 1982, creating the Seaboard System Railroad
What had been the Family Lines System, a sometimes confusing amalgamation of corporate entities and logos trying to provide a seamless rail partnership, could now be united as a singular legal and corporate entity. The Clinchfield Railroad was co-leased by the SCL and L&N, so the clock was ticking on the Clinchfield its independence and historic name.
Photo by Roger Puta: The popular paint scheme of the Seaboard System
Over the next several years, the Seaboard System ‘systematically’ merged the smaller lines into one corporate entity that had been operating under their marketing umbrella of the Family Lines System. The Clinchfield, the Georgia Railroad, Atlanta & West Point, and others were merged into the Seaboard System. By 1986, the corporate paperwork and filings had been completed where the legacy reporting marks of SCL, L&N, CRR, A&WP, GA, and others no longer existed….but rather just SBD.
Prep for CSX
By late 1986, the Seaboard System had completed its task of consolidating the Family Lines railroads into the CSX’s Seaboard System. It was now time for the final step, merging SBD and the Chessie System to form CSX Transportation.
Photo by Roger Puta: Chronological CSX locomotives: Family Lines, Seaboard System, and Chessie System soon after the final merger.
More Clinchfield information will be added to this page and website in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any questions, see any edits that should be made, or have any content you are willing to share. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the Clinchfield, the region, or model railroading.
Seaboard System Photo Train by Ron Flanary
October 25, 1984: Seaboard System–the early incarnation of the former SCLI portion of CSX–assembled this “photo train” on the day noted. The three EMD six motor hoods were all in fresh SBD paint, as well as a cut of rebuilt hoppers on the head end. I’m not sure where the company photographer posed this southbound for images, but by the time it got to Copper Creek, I didn’t see anyone else with a camera. The weather that day wasn’t terribly cooperative, and they had missed the peak fall colors by a couple of weeks.
Seaboard System Stats
- Began Operation: 1982
- Reporting Mark: SBD
- Headquarters: Jacksonville FL
- Primary Cities: Richmond VA, Norfolk VA, Cincinnati OH, Chicago IL, St Louis MO, Nashville TN, Atlanta GA, Memphis TN, Jacksonville FL, Tampa FL, Miami FL, New Orleans LA
- Route Miles: 20,000+
- Predecessors: Seaboard Coast Line (ACL and SAL), Louisville & Nashville Railroad, Clinchfield Railroad, Atlanta & West Point Rail Road, The Georgia Railroad, and others
- Successor: CSX Transportation
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.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
