Railfan Guide of the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago

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3Cs Still Lives On – Railfan Guide

Today, the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago survives in many different forms. Some 3Cs segments are modern railroad mainlines, other segments are miles of overgrown abandoned roadbed, some are roads and highways, while a growing number of miles are becoming rails-to-trails. The following information will aid you whether you are a history buff, a railfan, or a trekker.

Scott Jessee and others have been researching and locating the 3Cs roadbed for many years. Scott credits James Goforth, Mike Stirling, Jimmy Milhorn, Ken Marsh, and Robert Harvey. Their efforts and many historic maps are used as a basis for this guide.

Additionally, thanks to Ray Poteat for giving me a great tour of the Clinchfield Loops and Bostic area, and the abandoned 3Cs in that region.

The following information and interactive maps should make your research and trekking much easier. The 3Cs custom-built Google Interactive Maps allow you to zoom in and see exactly where the roadbed existed.

As you visit and explore the 3Cs roadbed, some segments are hard to identify, while others are very easy to see and are even drivable or walkable.

(Photo: 3Cs original trestle south of Marion NC)

3Cs timber trestle near Marion North Carolina - Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad

Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago: 1886 to Today

3Cs Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad Map

In 1886 the 3Cs Railroad was proposed to be 625 miles, stretching from Ashland KY to Charleston SC. Within 5 years, almost 150 miles had been partially-completed, and over 200 miles were completed and operated. This was a total of almost 400 miles of partial grading, roadbed, or completed rail line.

By 1890 in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, and North Carolina…..there were many miles of paritally-graded roadbed, and some completed track between Johnson City TN and a few miles beyond Erwin TN. In North and South Carolina there were over 200 miles of completed and operated railroad.

However, financial panics hit in both 1890 and 1893, with less than half of the proposed construction budget having been spent. The toughest, most-mountainous segments had been saved for last, and thus construction on those two main segments were never started.

Due to those several world economic downturns, the 3Cs was in foreclosure from 1890 to 1893. Operation was minimal. Most of it would be purchased by the Ohio River & Charleston Railway in 1893.

By 1902, the OR&C had also failed, and during its 9 years of existence had been selling off the original 3Cs in segments. Buyers included the Chesapeake & Ohio, the South & Western Railway (Clinchfield), and the Southern Railway. Segments that could not be sold were abandoned

Largest Stretch of ‘Never Used Roadbed’ in the U.S.

According to James A. Goforth in his book ‘Building the Clinchfield, the combined abandoned segments of the CC&C is “probably the longest stretch of never used roadbed in the United States.”

Related Link: Searching for the 3Cs by Scott Jessee

Finding and Exploring the 3Cs

This page and information has been designed to help 3Cs railfans and trekkers find the railroad’s remnants. The Interactive Maps below have been specifically researched and built to guide you. To help you begin your 3Cs exploration, here are my initial favorite segments. (Have yet to explore Ashland to Elkhorn City KY and Blacksburg to Camden SC.)

  • St Paul VA to Sailings Monument Lane: CSX mainline
  • Sailings Monument Lane to Clinchport VA: Route 65 is built on the 3Cs roadbed
  • Clinchport to Gate City VA: The Norfolk Southern rail line (see Ron Flanary’s narrative below)
  • Weber City VA to Kingsport TN: Warm Springs Road, Apple Orchard Road, and Big Elm Road. Quite a bit of these roads is 3Cs roadbed.
  • Warriors Path State Park: Click here for a Warriors’ Path Railfan Guide for both the 3Cs and CRR/CSX.
  • South of Kingsport: Lakeridge Street, to Ben Jenkins Road, to Kingsport Highway, to Spurgeon Gap Road. Much of these 3 miles is driving on actual roadbed.
  • North Johnson City TN: Winged Deer Park and Cash Hollow Road
  • Johnson City TN: Cash Hollow Road, to Lakeview Drive, to Fairview Avenue, across the Norfolk Southern mainline, New Street, and Legion Street.
  • Johnson City TN to Unicoi TN: Abandoned CRR/3Cs roadbed
  • Unicoi TN to Spruce Altapass NC: CSX mainline
  • Marion NC: Peavine Trail
  • South Marion NC to Gilkey NC: Abandoned SOU/3Cs roadbed
  • Gilkey to Forest City NC: Thermal Belt Rail Trail
  • Forest City NC to Shelby NC: Abandoned SOU/3Cs roadbed
  • Shelby NC: Twin Trestle Trailhead
  • Shelby to Earl NC: Future Carolina Harmony Rail Trail
  • York SC: Triple C Rail Trail

3Cs Interactive Maps: KY to SC

Google Maps is a wonderful tool that will make it much easier for you to locate the 3Cs roadbed. You can zoom in, zoom out, and view the 3Cs down to street level. To the right is an example of the 3Cs location in Johnson City TN. Below are three interactive maps for your use:

3Cs roadbed in Johnson City TN - Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad

List of 3Cs Segments from North to South

Kentucky

  • 57.3 Miles – Ashland to Whitehouse – Sold to the C&O Railway. Now part of CSX mainline.
  • 2.7 Miles – Elkhorn City southward – Utilized for CC&O/CRR. Now part of CSX mainline.

Virginia

  • ? Miles – North of Dante – Climbing up Bear Wallow toward Flint Gap – Abandoned
  • 7.5 Miles – Dante to St. Paul – Sold to Lick Creek & Lake Erie, then purchased by CC&O/CRR. Now part of CSX mainline.
  • 35.4 Miles – St. Paul to Clinchport – Northern half was used by CC&O/CRR, now part of CSX mainline. Southern half was used for the construction of VA state highway 65.
  • 15 Miles – Clinchport to Moccasin Gap – Was not used by the CC&O/CRR. Some of the current SOU/NC mainline may have utilized it.

Tennessee

  • 40 Miles – Moccasin Gap to Carnegie TN (Johnson City) – Abandoned
  • 3.5 Miles – Within Johnson City – A CC&O/CRR spur. Now a CSX spur.
  • 7.0 Miles – Johnson City to Unicoi – The CC&O/CRR mainline until the Johnson City Highline was constructed in 1969. Roadbed is now abandoned.
  • 15.0 Miles – Unicoi to Lost Cove – The CC&O/CRR mainline. Now part of the CSX mainline.
  • The line from Johnson City to Lost Cove was minimally operated from 1890 to 1893.

North Carolina/South Carolina

  • Note: Surveying was completed and a line located from Lost Cove to Marion NC, a total of 74 miles. Construction was not started.
  • 209 Miles – Marion NC to Kingville SC – Completed and Operated by the CC&C. Southern Railway purchased this segment 1898. Today, segments of this line have been abandoned, some are operated by NS or a short line, and some have become rails-to-trails.

Roads and Highways: Following the 3Cs

The roads listed below are either on top of the 3Cs roadbed, or adjacent to the roadbed, or both. Use the interactive maps to see exact location. (More segments and roads to be added soon)

The picture is Lakeridge Street south of Kingsport which was built on the 3Cs grade. You can drive the roadbed for several miles as it parallels the Holston River. Ft. Patrick Henry lake is to the right.

Manville Road to Clinchport VA (North to South)

  • Virginia Route 65 is built on the 3Cs roadbed

Kingsport to Johnson City TN (North to South)

  • Wesley Road, Hemlock Park Drive, Hemlock Road, Lakeridge Street, Ben Jenkins Road, TN Route 36 – Kingsport Highway, Spurgeon Gap Road, J.A. Hodge Road, Baywood Drive, Winged Deer Park, Knob Creek Dock Road, Cash Hollow Road

Johnson City TN (North to South)

  • Cash Hollow Road, Lakeview Drive, Fairview Avenue, New Street, Legion Street, Buffalo Road, South Roan Street
Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad 3Cs abandoned roadbed south of Kingsport
Thermal Belt Rail Trail Sign - 3Cs Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad

3Cs Rails-To-Trails

Marion NC – Peavine Trail – 1.5 miles

Gilkey to Rutherfordton to Forest City NC – Thermal Belt Rail Trail – 13.5 miles

Shelby NC – Twin Trestle Trail

Shelby to Earl NC – Carolina Harmony Trail – 10 miles (Under development)

York SC – Triple C Rail Trail

Big Cut VA by Ron Flanary

(Picture and narrative by Ron Flanary)

“Big Cut, VA, February 7, 1989: CSX westbound empty hopper train Extra 8247 West crests the grade on its trip from Erwin, TN to Loyall, KY. Most early railroad builders tried to follow established watershed drainages where possible. In this case, the train has reached the top of the watershed for Little Moccasin Creek, a tributary of the North Fork of the Holston River. It now tips over the divide into the drainage of Troublesome Creek, a tributary of the Clinch River. The route will remain in various tributaries of the Clinch until Oreton, where it will go into the Powell River watershed. All are larger tributaries of the Tennessee River.

“Big Cut” was excavated mostly by hand before the Civil War by the Virginia & Kentucky Railroad, a line that was projected from Abingdon, VA to Cumberland Gap. Except for some grading, cuts and fills in various places, it was never built. It was going to be used by the Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago (the “Triple C”), but eventually was chosen by the erstwhile Bristol Coal & Iron Narrow Gauge Railroad. Alas, those weren’t completed either, but eventually the South Atlantic & Ohio (later Virginia & Southwestern, Southern Railway and finally NS) used the cut. Successor to the unfinished “Triple C” was the Ohio River & Charleston, South & Western, Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio, Clinchfield, which took a totally different a much superior route on the south side of Clinch Mountain (upper right in the photo) to Speers Ferry and then north along the Clinch River.

Bib Cut Va by Ron Flanary. Picture and narrative by Ron Flanary.

The grades on both sides of Big Cut are about 1.8 percent. The east approach is free of extreme curvature, but the west side is known as the “Goose Neck.” The winding, sharp reverse curves were necessary to keep the grade (against eastbound loaded coal trains) to 1.8 percent.

There’s always far more to a railroad than just the trains.”

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