South & Western Railway

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South & Western Railway – Clinchfield Railroad Predecessor

The question remains today, ‘the South & Western was south and west of what?’

As far as names for railroads, the S&W Railway sounds about as nebulous as possible. Being vague and purposefully not divulging an intended route was actually the intent of George L. Carter in 1902. After construction began, Carter did name his railroad the Carolina, Clinchfield, & Ohio Railroad, which eventually became the Clinchfield Railroad.

Owning the Coal, the Timber, and the Railroad

Carter’s primary goal was to carry coal, timber, and other natural resources out of the hundreds of thousands of acres he owned in Southwest VA. The intended destinations were south to a port at Charlston SC, and north to the Ohio River. Bridging the Atlantic Ocean and the Ohio River along this same route had been tried before by the Charleston Cincinnati & Ohio Railroad (1886) and the Ohio River & Charleston Railway (1893), but this third time, Carter was the key to success.

Carter bought existing segments of unsuccessful rail lines under the corporate name of South & Western from 1902-1908. He also started construction on new segments that would eventually run from Dante VA to Spartanburg SC.

South & Western’s Brilliant Hire: M. J. Caples

One of his greatest decisions was to hire M. J. Caples from the N&W Railway as the Chief Engineer of the S&W. Caples created a new construction plan for the railroad, one with superior construction standards with lesser grades and fewer curves, tunneling straight through the mountains rather than around them. This created a very efficient railroad, one much easier and less costly to operate. With much of the line under construction or complete in 1908, Carter renamed it the Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad (CC&O). Caples also gained the title of General Manager.

CC&O and beyond

In 1909 the first train from Dante to Spartanburg ran. In 1915 the line was extended to Elkhorn City KY, where it connected with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. At Spartanburg, a connection with the Atlantic Coast Line had been made. Thus, a direct route across the widest point of the Appalachian Mountains was complete, connecting the Ohio River with the Atlantic Ocean.

In 1923, the CC&O was leased to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railway…..thus acquiring a new name: Clinchfield Railroad (CRR).

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