Ron Flanary
- Home Page
- Appalachian Railroads: ACL | AT&O | B&O | BR | C&O | Chessie | CNO&TP | CRR | CSX | Family Lines | LC&C | L&N | NC&StL | N&C | NS | N&W | OR&C | SBD | SCL | SOU | VGN
- Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad: History | Locos | Maps | John T. Wilder | Railfan Guide
- ET&WNC: History | Maps | Locomotives | Timetables | A. Pardee | G. Hardin | T. Matson
- Appalachian Railroad Cities: Asheville | Cincinnati | Erwin | Johnson City | Knoxville | Lynchburg | Roanoke | Spartanburg | and more
- Appalachian Mountain Gaps:
- Railfan Guides | Abandoned Lines & Railroads | Rails to Trails
- 3Cs Model Railroad: CRR, SOU, ET&WNC & the 3Cs
- Sources & Resources: Scholars & Authors | Books | Museums | Organizations | Links
- Appalachian-Railroads.org: Site Map | Editor
- Related: Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Page Contents
Ron Flanary – Appalachian Railroads
Whether it is the Louisville & Nashville, Southern, Clinchfield, Interstate, or N&W, Ron Flanary has written about and photographed them all. His hometowns are Appalachia and Big Stone Gap VA, so he has enjoyed a front row seat to some of the best railroad operations in the nation.
Ron Flanary is a well-known Railroad Industry Expert and Historian, Author of books and many magazine articles, Artist, and exemplary Photographer. His photos, art and words have allowed thousands of us to sit with him in the front row seat and enjoy the best of the region’s railroads.
Ron’s Bio
In his latest book, ‘The Southern Railway,’ his bio reads:
As a youngster growing up in southwestern Virginia, Ron Flanary was intrigued by the Southern Railway and its subsidiaries. He became a contract janitor at the Southern-Interstate Railroad division offices in Andover VA, during his last two years in college. In 1970-72 he was a management trainee in Southern’s engineering department before opting for a different career path as an economic development and public infrastructure professional. He’s been a prolific writer, photographer, and occasional artist for over 50 years. Retired, Ron lives in Big Stone Gap VA with his wife, Wilma, and plays jazz trumpet to augment his railroad interests.”
Below is just a small portion of his knowledge, books, articles and photos.
Ron’s Books
- ‘The Southern Railway’: https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/book/83227
- ‘The Louisville & Nashville Cumberland Valley Division Album’: https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31355582036
- ‘The Louisville & Nashville in the Appalachians’: https://www.amazon.com/Louisville-Nashville-Appalachians-Ron-Flanary/dp/B0006EV5HC
- ‘Dixie Lines: The Louisville & Nashville Railroad’: https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/dixie-lines-the-louisville–nashville-railroad_david-oroszi_ron-flanary/13842509/#edition=14747541&idiq=47698897
- ‘The Tracks of My Years’: https://www.amazon.com/Tracks-My-Years-Ron-Flanary/dp/B007GO3WHQ
- ‘Louisville & Nashville Diesel Locomotives’: https://www.abebooks.com/9781883089313/Louisville-Nashville-Diesel-Locomotives-Charles-188308931X/plp
- ‘Monochrome Rails’: https://www.blurb.com/b/8636079-monochrome-rails
2022 Santa Claus Special Article in ‘Trains’ Magazine
https://www.trains.com/trn/magazine/archive-access/trains-april-2023/
Norfolk Southern Article in ‘Railroads Illustrated’
Ron penned the lead article on the 40th anniversary of Norfolk Southern for the 2022 edition of Railroads Illustrated Annual.
https://railroadsillustrated.com/current-issue/
Virginia is for (Railroad) Lovers in ‘Trains’ Magazine
Clinchfield Railroad Article
http://www.lnrr.org/pdf/articles/Flanary-Clinchfield%20Feature.pdf
Ron Flanary – First ‘Trains’ Magazine Byline
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: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society, Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society, Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society, ET&WNC Railroad Historical Society and their Facebook Page, George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society, Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society, Norfolk & Western Historical Society, Southern Railway Historical Association, Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- 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 & StLouis 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: ‘Norfolk & Western’s Clinch Valley Line‘ and ‘Southern Railway Appalachia Division, Young: ‘Appalachian Coal Mines and Railroads In Color,’ Volume 1: Kentucky and Volume 2: Virginia
- Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
- 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:
- Website: Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads, HawkinsRails.net , 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.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
