Ken Marsh: Noted Historian for the Appalachian Region and its Railroads

Ken Marsh is the leading historian when it comes to the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago (3Cs) Railroad, the Clinchfield Railroad, and to Kingsport TN. Additionally, he had a long transportation career, including Eastman Chemical Company, which was originally a division of Eastman Kodak. Ken has called Kingsport home for much of his life.

Ken’s Early Interest in Railroads

Following his first train ride on the Macon Road of the Georgia Railroad in 1941, Ken dedicated his professional life to transportation. Concurrent with this commitment he found his avocation in railroad photography and history.

Following his graduation with a transportation degree from the University of Tennessee, Ken worked for the L&N Railroad, and then served in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. With the experience of running a military railroad overseas, Ken went to work for Tennessee Eastman Company….managing logistics and traffic for their plants in Kingsport and in Texas for many years.

Marsh has also served as a Kingsport Alderman and on the Tennessee Rail System Plan Advisory Committee.

Ken’s History Videos

No one is better at bringing history and the railroads to life.

Be sure and watch the videos below as Ken talks about the important history of Kingsport and its Railroads, as well as telling some great stories as to the success of the Clinchfield and of the Model City.

Ken’s Book

Clinchfield In Color, Published 2004

Transcript: Ken Marsh-Tales of the Century: Kingsport Tennessee

https://www.aiche.org/community/sites/local-sections/east-tennessee/files/jan-2017-program-ken-marsh-tales-century-kingsport-tennessee

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.

Associations and their Archives
Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
Books
- Castner, Flanary & Dorin: Louisville & Nashville Railroad The Old Reliable‘
- Davis: The Southern Railway, Road of the Innovators‘
- Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Dixon: ‘Chesapeake & Ohio, Superpower to Diesels‘, Chesapeake & Ohio in the Coalfields, and ‘C&O Allegheny Subdivision‘
- Flanary: The Louisville & Nashville Cumberland Valley Division
- Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway‘
- Flanary, Oroszi & McKee: ‘The Louisville & Nashville in the Appalachians‘
- Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield‘ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield‘
- Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City‘
- Huddleston: ‘Appalachian Crossings – The Pocahontas Roads‘
- Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter‘
- Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review‘
- King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review‘
- Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- Oroszi & Flanary: ‘Dixie Lines, The Louisville & Nashville Railroad‘
- Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina‘
- Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century‘
- Prince: ‘Nashville Chattanooga & St Louis Railway‘
- Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine‘
- Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains‘
- Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History‘
- Wolfe: ‘Southern Railway Appalachia Division‘
- Wolfe, Wilson & Mandelkern: ‘Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley Line‘
- Young: ‘Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads In Color,’ Volume 1: Kentucky and Volume 2: Virginia
Online Article: Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘; Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
Online Videos: Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1 | Video #2:
Websites:
- Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Diesel Shop
- HawkinsRails.net
- Multimodalways
- StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- SteamLocomotive.com
- VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- WvncRails.org – North Carolina and West Virginia Railroads

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.

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3Cs Websites

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