Johnson City, Tennessee

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Johnson City, Tennessee

Researched and Chronicled by Sandhi Kozsuch

Johnson City, a city that owes its creation to railroads, was one of the later cities to be chartered in East Tennessee. The year was 1869, but it eventually grew to be the region’s dominant city. The Johnson City Railroads of the past include the East Tennessee & Virginia, East Tennessee & Western North Carolina, Chicago Cincinnati & Chicago, Ohio River & Charleston, the Southern, and the Clinchfield. Today the CSX, Norfolk Southern, and East Tennessee Railway are still thriving.

Johnson City Stats

  • Coordinates: 36°20′N 82°22′W
  • Elevation: 1,634 feet above sea level
  • Originally known as: Johnson’s Depot
  • Founded: 1869
  • Population: 71,046 (2020)
  • County: Washington
  • First Railroad: East Tennessee & Virginia (ET&V) was completed in 1856. In later years the railroad became part of the East Tennessee Virginia & Georgia (ETV&G), the Southern Railway (SOU), and finally the Norfolk Southern (NS) This rail line connected Johnson City to the major cities of the northeast and southern cities such as Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, and New Orleans.
  • Second Railroad: East Tennessee & Western North Carolina (ET&WNC) in 1882 to Cranberry NC, and 1913 to Boone NC. The ET&WNC was narrow gauge from Johnson City to Boone, but also operated a standard gauge line on the same roadbed from Johnson City to Elizabethton.
  • Third Railroad: The Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad was chartered in 1886. Johnson City became the railroad’s headquarters. A few trains did run in 1890 in Johnson City before the railroad started to experience financial challenges. By the end of 1890, construction and operation had ceased.
  • Fourth Railroad: Ohio River & Charleston Railway (OR&C) in 1893. The OR&C purchased the 3Cs in receivership and worked to complete and operate the line with no success. It too went into receivership.
  • Fifth Railroad: Carolina Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (CC&O) was completed in 1909 from Dante VA to Spartanburg SC. Originally Johnson City was to be the headquarters, but due to the inability to secure land, the headquarters was moved to Erwin. In 1915, the line was extended to Elkhorn City KY where it connected with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. In 1924, its ownership and name was changed to the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR).
  • Johnson City Highlights: East Tennessee State University, VA Medical Center
Clinchfield Railroad #1 with Passenger Coaches - Photo by Ron Flanary

Clinchfield Railroad #1’s Last Run

Photo and Narrative by Ron Flanary

“Performing flawlessly on her last solo excursion, Clinchfield Ten-Wheeler No. 1 works upgrade along the “High Line” to the west of East Tennessee State University’s campus in Johnson City, Tenn. in June 1978. Our local club–the East Tennessee Chapter of the NRHS–had many excellent adventures with this locomotive those many years ago.”

East Tennessee & Virginia, Johnson City’s First Railroad

Henry Johnson, Johnson City’s namesake, settled along the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad (Southern Railway/Norfolk Southern) in 1854. The early railroad in the Appalachian region was being built from Bristol to Knoxville Johnson’s original store, depot, and post office was know as ‘Johnson’s Tank,’ later as ‘Johnson’s Depot,’ and then finally as Johnson City.

Johnson City Predicted to be a Railroad Boomtown due to the 3Cs

Thirty years later, Johnson City was to become a railroad boomtown with the coming of the Charleston, Cincinnati, and Chicago Railroad. It was 1886 and the city was to be the headquarters of 3Cs. At the same time, new industry and investment were arriving in the fast-growing city. Because of a world financial downturn, the CC&C eventually went into receivership, and the dream of a railroad boomtown evaporated.

Little Chicago

The history of Johnson City is never boring. It was once known as ‘Little Chicago’ due to its rumored mafia connections. It is also my hometown, so I’ll add plenty of history and details to these pages in the days ahead.

Eventual Success of the 3Cs Vision – The Clinchfield

The dream of that north-south railroad was eventually achieved in 1915 with the completion of the Clinchfield Railroad. Johnson City did become an important rail hub, but never achieved boomtown status. The Southern Railway, ET&WNC, and the Clinchfield all ran through the middle of town, side-by-side, with 30 or more trains per day.

Clinchfield, ET&WNC, and the Southern Railroads running through the middle of Johnson City TN. Thumbnail of a painting by Ted Laws.

This thumbnail of a Ted Laws painting captures the thoroughfare so well. Southern left, ET&WNC center, and Clinchfield right. Johnson’s Depot which is hosted on StateOfFranklin.net has extensive history of Johnson City and a wonderful gallery of Ted Laws paintings.

(Painting by Ted Laws)

Johnson City Timeline

Click here for a complete timeline of Johnson City and its Railroads.

Maps of Johnson City and its Railroads

Click here for a new section that will include multiple historic maps.

Johnson City Today – CSX, NS, and ETRY

Johnson City’s crowning success was that of a regional center for higher education (ETSU) for health services with the establishment of a VA Hospital and a Medical School. The University was born out of the donation of a track of land to the west of Johnson City by George L. Carter. Carter was the visionary and entrepreneur that created the Clinchfield Railroad.

Today, Johnson City has almost 75,000 residents. The entire region, which also includes Bristol and Kingsport, has over 500,000 people. And it goes without saying that the mountains, lakes, and the natural beauty of the region are spectacular.

And just like yesterday, Johnson City is still served by three railroads: CSX, Norfolk Southern, and the East Tennessee Railway (ETRY).

Johnson City Landmarks

Click here for pictures of Johnson City’s Landmarks.

Johnson City Passenger Trains

In the heydays of railroad travel, Johnson City had 15 or more passenger trains each day between the city’s three railroads.

Southern Railway Tennessean arriving in Johnson City TN in 1950. Photo was taken by Otto Perry and is copyrighted and courtesy of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library (http://photoswest.org/

One of my favorite Southern Railway passenger photos is this 1950 photo taken by Otto Perry. It is the Tennessean heading east, just two minutes away from the Johnson City station. The engines are Alcos DL-107s, which helped inaugurate the streamline version of the Tennessean. The train included multiple sleeping cars, a diner, coaches, and was also known for carrying a large amount of U.S. Mail and express.

Photo is copyrighted and courtesy of the Western History Department of the Denver Public Library (http://photoswest.org/

Johnson City Passenger Schedule – 1930s

In the 1930s, passenger trains were still vibrant, but their decline had already started due to the automobile. Here is a listing of the trains that were scheduled on most days for Johnson City passengers in that era. There were 3 separate passenger stations by this time, all within 3 city blocks. The information below was procured from various schedules of the railroads, and then combined to show a general day within the years just prior to 1940.

Soon after in early 1940, the ET&WNC no longer connected to Boone NC due to a devastating flood.

In all, there were 18 trains per day in Johnson City, all between Midnight and 6:15PM, an average of 1 per hour.

  • 12:05AM: SOU Birmingham Special NB #36 – from Birmingham/Chattanooga/Knoxville – to Roanoke/Washington DC
  • 2:32AM: SOU Birmingham Special SB #35 – from Washington DC/Roanoke – to Knoxville/Chattanooga/Birmingham
  • 6:35AM: SOU Local #1 SB – from Bristol – to Knoxville
  • 7:55AM: CRR # 39 NB – from Erwin to Elkhorn City KY
  • 8:15AM: ET&WNC #2 EB – Johnson City to Pineola NC (with connection to Boone)
  • 9:15AM: SOU #261 SB – Johnson City to Embreeville
  • 10:00AM: SOU Local #4 NB – from Knoxville – to Bristol
  • 10:40AM: SOU #41 SB – from Washington DC/Roanoke – to Knoxville/Chattanooga/New Orleans
  • 10:50AM: ET&WNC #1 WB – from Boone NC to Johnson City
  • 10:50AM: SOU#260 NB – from Embreeville to Johnson City
  • 11:05AM: CRR #38 SB – from Elkhorn City KY – to Spartanburg SC
  • 12:10PM: SOU Memphis Special #26 NB – from Memphis/Chattanooga/Knoxville – to Roanoke/Washington DC
  • 12:35PM CRR #37 NB – from Spartanburg SC – to Elkhorn City KY
  • 1:00PM: ET&WNC #2 EB – Johnson City to Boone NC
  • 4:00PM: ET&WNC #3 WB – Pineola to Johnson City (with connection from Boone)
  • 5:20PM: SOU Memphis Special #25 SB – from Washington DC/Chattanooga/Knoxville – to Roanoke/Washington DC
  • 5:35PM: SOU #42 NB – from New Orleans/Chattanooga/Knoxville – to Roanoke/Washington DC
  • 6:15PM: CRR #36 SB – from Elkhorn City to Erwin

A Wide Range of Locomotives

During the 1940s/1950s, you could see a wide range of locomotives in Johnson City, thanks to the city’s three diverse railroads.

  • Challengers and other Mallets on the Clinchfield
  • Mikados and Pacifics on the Clinchfield and Southern
  • 10-wheeler narrow gauge engines on the ET&WNC
  • Consolidations on the ET&WNC standard Gauge, as well as Clinchfield and Southern
  • Six-axle passenger PAs, DLs, and Es on the Southern
  • Passenger Fs on both the Clinchfield and Southern
  • Freight Fs & GPs on both the Clinchfield and Southern
  • Various steam and diesel switchers in the Johnson City yards. Clinchfield operated two shifts per day.

Remnants of Johnson City’s Railroads

Clinchfield Railroad Station in Johnson City TN
ET&WNC and Southern Railway Depot in Johnson City
ET&WNC Depot Historical Marker in Johnson City
ET&WNC Engine House in Johnson City TN
CC&C 3Cs Roadbed near Tannery Knob in Johnson City

Recommended Reading and Links for Additional Information

Books: The Railroads of Johnson City by Johnny Graybeal

Websites – Johnson’s Depot for history and RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City

https://www.johnsoncitypress.com/living/features/rails-to-highways-and-trails-keeping-johnson-city-moving/article_5a4e3d16-e6ad-5299-811d-7cea5e0df601.html

http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1959/59-5/foundry.html

http://www.wagsnetn.org/member-log-in-2/members-only-2/johnson-city/

For More Information – Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

Contact Us

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 railroads or model railroading.

3Cs Websites

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

Contact Us

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 railroads or model railroading.

3Cs Websites

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