Abandoned Appalachian Railroads

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Abandoned Railroads and Rail Lines

The Appalachian area of Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and South Carolina has multiple abandoned railroads that are actually still visible if you know where to look. Some of the roadbeds are now roads you can drive on. Use the interactive map and information below as your guide. If you decide to trek, be careful as some of the roadbeds are now private property.

CRR – Clinchfield Railroad line in Johnson City

What was once the Clinchfield Railroad runs from Greenwood Drive in west Johnson City (Barrett)… through the middle of downtown. Some of it paved over by what is now State of Franklin Road. It exits the city by the old ET&WNC yard and shops. Further south it parallels the old Erwin Highway and rejoins the CSX mainline on the east side of Unicoi. This original routing which was replaced by the Clinchfield Highline in 1969 added almost three miles to the length of the railroad.

Photo: Old Clinchfield mainline in downtown Johnson City where I could stand along the parking lot railing and almost touch the Clinchfield F7s roaring through town. Track is now a spur for the East Tennessee Railway

ET&WNC – East Tennessee & North Carolina Railroad

The roadbed of this fabled railroad was both narrow-gauge and standard-gauge between Johnson City and Elizabethton. Beyond Elizabethton, it was narrow-gauge all the way to Boone NC. In 1950, the last segment of the narrow gauge was abandoned between Elizabethton TN and Cranberry NC, leaving only the short segment of standard gauge between Johnson City and Elizabethton TN. After the standard gauge was finally abandoned in 2003, the two cities eventually created a rails-to-trails park called the Tweetsie Trail.

3Cs – Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad

The 3Cs is a predecessor of the Clinchfield Railroad, with segments in Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In East Tennessee, CSX uses some of the original roadbed for their mainline, primarily from Unicoi to the North Carolina state line. The initial interactive map below focuses on the abandoned roadbed that followed the Watauga and Holston Rivers between Johnson City and Kingsport

Photo: CC&C roadbed that is now Lakeridge Street halfway between Johnson City and Kingsport. You can see Ft. Patrick Henry Lake in the valley below.

Virginia & Southwestern Railway – Southern Railway

The V&SW is an abandoned line that runs from Gate City VA to Bristol TN to Bluff City to Elizabethton to Mountain City. The Southern Railway purchased it from George L. Carter and operated it as part of their system. They eventually abandoned some, but not all of it. The segment north of Kingsport to Appalachia is still operated by Southern today.

Photo: Abutment in Bluff City TN where the V&SW anchored its long-gone bridge over the Holston River. The line from here made its way northeast to Bristol.

Embreeville Branch – Southern Railway

A 13-mile line built in 1891 to serve the iron ore mines and furnace at Embreeville. It was abandoned in 1939. The line paralleled Antioch Road, ran on the north side of Lamar School, before it crossed the river to reach Embreeville. Much of Arnold Road is built on the original roadbed.

Johnson City Southern

Once the Southern Railway found out that George L. Carter was going to build his railroad through the Nolichucky/Toe River Gorge to Marion NC and beyond, they quickly tried to survey and start construction on their own line. In 1905, the Johnson City Southern roadbed was graded from near Embreeville into Erwin and a few miles beyond. Once the Southern Railway figured out this effort was very challenging and expensive, they abandoned the project.

Interactive Map of Abandoned Rails

Abandoned Appalachian Railroads

Here is the first version of an interactive map that is in development. Many thanks to Scott Jessee and Ray Poteat for their help on this project. After more research and trips to the area, I will update the map and the information in the weeks ahead. Plus, I’ll add more railroads, and especially more mapping of the CC&C, ET&WNC, and V&SW. To zoom in to street level and move around, Click this link to view the map on Google. Please reach out to me through the contact form below if you have information or interest in these abandoned roadbeds.

In the future, I also hope to add maps for Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Please note I am still developing this information and the map, so it is a work-in-progress and does not include all the roadbeds and information as of yet. If you have interest in abandoned railroads and roadbeds, or have information, please reach out to me with the contact form below.

More Rails Across the Appalachians information will be added to this page and website in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any questions, see any edits that should be made, or have any content you are willing to share. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in Appalachian Railroads, the region, or model railroading.

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