Division 3 Survey of the Clinchfield Railroad

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Clinchfield Railroad

Clinchfield Railroad Survey – Division 3

Researched and Chronicled by Scott Jessee and Sandhi Kozsuch

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

There were numerous options for George L. Carter and M. J. Caples to choose from for Divsion 3, Kingsport to Unaka Springs. Several bypassed Johnson City. Several skirted Erwin. One was as far west as Limestone, and one ran through Jonesborough. When the dust settled, they chose the route right down the middle, running through Johnson City and Erwin. See the comparison of those options at the bottom of the page after the index and map.

Use the ‘zoom’ feature in your web browser to better see the details in the index or the map.

Survey Index – Division 3

Please note that survey #1 on this Division 3 index and map is the original Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago (3Cs) Grade. Surveys #2-36 were undertaken by the S&W from 1905 to 1906.

Eventually the railroad decided to use Surveys #3, 21, 22, 23 (Designated as ‘Adopted Line.’), plus they used the 3Cs grade from Unicoi to Unaka Springs

Clinchfield Railroad Survey - Division 3 Index

Survey Map – Division 3

Clinchfield Railroad Survey - Division 3 Map

Comparison of Surveys from Kingsport to Unaka Springs

In comparing the surveys of the S&W from Kingsport to Unaka Springs:

  • The Horse Creek survey was the furthest west…..and also the longest.
  • The Jonesboro and Soldiers/Nolichucky surveys bypassed Johnson City, but were the shortest.
  • The Adopted/Current Line was able to reach Johnson City with only adding several miles in distance.

The grid below outlines the surveys that the South & Western Railway was considering in 1905-1906.

NameMilesGradeCurves
(degrees)
Old CC&C Grade
Follows South Holston River, to Watauga River,
through Cash Hollow, Johnson City, through Unicoi. The Clinchfield did use some of this grade climbing out of Johnson City prior to the Johnson City highline.		631.0%14
Adopted/Current Line
Combination of Jonesboro and Soldiers Lines. Boones Creek viaduct and Indian Ridge tunnel connect the two lines.		45.5%6
Horse Creek Line
Goes through Fall Branch and Limestone where it joins the Nolichucky River, traveling through Embreeville to Erwin		64.5%, with
some 1.1%		6
Soldiers Home Line
Diverges from Holston River near Boone Dam heading south, turns west for a ways paralleling North Knob Creek, turns south again at Indian Ridge, then follows current line.		49.5%4
Jonesboro Line
Diverges from current line at Boone, turns west, skirts Jonesboro to the north and west, then south to the Nolichucky River on the east bank to Erwin		44 (+/-).5%6
Soldiers/Nolichucky Line
Follows the Soldiers Line, diverges at Old Jonesboro Highway, turning west to parallel the SOU Embreeville Branch, until is reaches the Nolichucky River, then follows the river as it bypasses Erwin to the west.		44.5%6
Erwin Highline
Current Line, Diverging at Unicoi, running higher on the ridge, skirting Erwin to the south, then crossing the Nolichucky River on a high viaduct, 150 feet higher than current bridge.		45.5%6

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

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3Cs Websites

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