History: East Tennessee & Western North Carolina RR – ET&WNC

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East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad - ET&WNC

Historical Timeline of the ET&WNC

The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC), affectionately known as the “Tweetsie,” was a narrow-gauge mountain railroad with a long and complex history. It was famous for its scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains and its endearment to local communities. The ET&WNC also had a dual gauge segment that ran from Johnson City to Elizabethton TN. The railroad faced financial difficulties and natural disasters that ultimately led to the closure of its narrow-gauge sections, but its legacy lives on through the Tweetsie Railroad theme park.

Inception and early struggles (1866–1879)

  • May 24, 1866: The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Transportation Company is chartered by the Tennessee General Assembly. The original plan was to build a 5-foot broad-gauge railroad from Johnson City, Tennessee, to the iron mines near Cranberry, North Carolina.
  • 1866–1874: The company struggles to find the necessary financial backing to begin construction. Only a small amount of grading is completed during this period.
  • 1874: The initial railroad venture goes bankrupt and is abandoned, with its assets sold at auction for $20,000 to private interests.
  • 1876: The Cranberry Iron Company, led by Pennsylvania financier Ario Pardee, acquires the abandoned railroad line with the goal of transporting iron ore from its Cranberry mines.
  • 1879: The company is reorganized, and construction begins again in earnest. To navigate the rugged mountain terrain, the plans are changed to use a more cost-effective 3-foot narrow gauge.

Construction and expansion of the narrow gauge (1880–1919)

  • 1880: Construction for the narrow-gauge line begins. The challenging route through the Doe River Gorge requires significant civil engineering, including blasting ledges and building multiple bridges.
  • Late 1881: The first 14.1 miles of track are completed, connecting Johnson City to Hampton, Tennessee. The railroad begins its first operations.
  • July 3, 1882: The narrow-gauge line is officially opened, reaching Cranberry, North Carolina. The railroad’s primary purpose is to haul iron ore from the Cranberry mines to the Cranberry Furnace in Johnson City. The railroad also carries passengers and other freight.
  • 1880s: As iron and lumber traffic increases, the railroad contributes to the growth of Johnson City.
  • 1890s: The railroad experiences fluctuations in business, including the bankruptcy of some of the Cranberry Iron Company’s interests. The Cranberry Furnace is completed in 1902, giving the railway a core business through World War I.
  • 1906: An 11-mile section of track between Johnson City and Elizabethton is converted to a dual-gauge line, allowing both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge trains to operate. This facilitates the transport of freight from the ET&WNC to larger standard-gauge railroads.
  • 1913: The ET&WNC acquires the Linville River Railway, a logging line, as a subsidiary to access the timber resources of western North Carolina.
  • 1919: The ET&WNC extends the narrow-gauge line from Cranberry to Boone, North Carolina, providing passenger service to the previously isolated mountain community.

The decline and closure of the narrow gauge (1920–1950)

  • 1920s: The demand for iron ore and timber declines, and the railroad’s core business weakens. Two rayon manufacturing plants open in Elizabethton, providing a new source of freight traffic for the standard-gauge portion of the line.
  • 1930s: During the Great Depression, the railroad becomes known as the “Railway with a Heart” for its kindness to locals, including offering free rides and running errands.
  • August 1940: A devastating flood caused by a tropical storm washes out portions of the line, particularly the trackage between Cranberry and Boone. Passenger service to Boone ends permanently.
  • 1941: The storm-damaged portion of the narrow-gauge line between Cranberry and Boone is officially abandoned.
  • World War II: The ET&WNC sees a brief resurgence in freight and passenger traffic during the war.
  • Post-WWII: Competition from automobiles and trucking rapidly increases, making the narrow-gauge operations unprofitable.
  • October 16, 1950: The ET&WNC ceases all narrow-gauge operations. All but one of the narrow-gauge steam locomotives are scrapped.

The standard gauge and the Tweetsie theme park (1951–present)

  • 1951–1983: The ET&WNC continues to operate its standard-gauge line between Johnson City and Elizabethton, primarily serving the rayon plants.
  • 1952: Narrow-gauge Locomotive No. 12, the last surviving engine, is sold to a tourist railroad in Virginia. It is later purchased by cowboy actor Gene Autry, who intends to move it to California, but the cost proves too high.
  • 1955: Grover C. Robbins Jr. of Blowing Rock, North Carolina, purchases Engine No. 12.
  • July 4, 1957: The Tweetsie Railroad theme park opens in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. It features a one-mile excursion ride pulled by the restored Locomotive No. 12.
  • 1983: The ET&WNC name is permanently retired when the railroad properties are sold to Green Bay Packaging Company, which reorganizes the line as the East Tennessee Railway (ETRY).
  • 1985: The ETRY continues to operate the standard-gauge section.
  • 1996: The East Tennessee Railway is acquired by Genesee & Wyoming, a short line operator.
  • 2003: Operations on the standard-gauge line from Johnson City to Elizabethton cease as industries in Elizabethton close.
  • 2014: The process of converting the former railway right-of-way into the Tweetsie Trail, a rails-to-trails project, begins.
  • 2015: The Tweetsie Trail is completed, preserving the memory of the railroad’s path between Johnson City and Elizabethton.
  • Present: The Tweetsie Railroad theme park continues to operate, with its historic Locomotive No. 12 remaining a centerpiece and a national historic landmark. A small portion of the standard-gauge trackage in Johnson City remains operational under Genesee & Wyoming.

ET&WNC Sources & Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the ET&WNC Railroad. 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.

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