Timeline for Johnson City Tennessee

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Key Historical Dates for Johnson City Tennessee

Even though Johnson City TN was chartered later compared to other nearby towns and cities, it has now become the largest city in the Tri-Cities region of East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. It first existed as a water tank along the rail line connecting Bristol TN and Knoxville TN. Within a short time it had become a rail hub for three railroads.

1800-1850

  • 1831 – Estillville Convention (Gate City VA) met to discuss building a railroad connecting Atlantic coast with Midwest through East Tennessee
  • 1849 – East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad (ET&V) chartered

1850-1900

  • 1854 – Henry Johnson builds a store, residence, depot, and a water tank along ET&V, named Johnson’s Tank and later Johnson’s Depot
  • 1858 – ET&V completed, 130 miles Knoxville to Bristol via Johnson’s Depot
  • 1866 – East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) Chartered
  • 1869 – ET&V mergers with the East Tennessee & Georgia to form the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railway (ETV&G)
  • 1869 – Johnson City is chartered
  • 1881 – ET&WNC completes narrow gauge track to Hampton TN
  • 1882 – ET&WNC extends narrow gauge to Cranberry NC
  • 1883 – ET&WNC adds standard gauge to Elizabethton
  • 1886 – Charleston, Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad (CC&C) chartered. Johnson City was the headquarters.
  • 1893 – CC&C enters receivership
  • 1893 – Ohio River & Charleston Railroad (OR&C) buys the assets of the CC&C
  • 1894 – ETV&G mergers with the Richmond & Danville Railroad to form the Southern Railway
Johnson City Railroad Station - Southern Railway - Postcard

1900-1950

  • 1902 – George Carter buys the Johnson City to Boonford NC segment of the OR&C. The rest of the OR&C is sold to other railroads. Carter names his railroad the South & Western Railroad (S&W).
  • 1903 – Mountain Home VA Hospital opens
  • 1907 – S&W moves its offices from Bristol to Johnson City
  • 1908 – A charter is granted to expand the S&W from Spartanburg, through Johnson City, ending in Dante VA. The name was changed from S&W to the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railroad (CC&O).
  • 1909 – CC&O is completed from Dante VA to Spartanburg SC
  • 1909 – CC&O moves its primary offices and yard to Erwin TN
  • 1913 – ET&WNC purchases the Linville River Railroad and then builds narrow gauge track to Boone NC
  • 1924 – The CC&O is leased to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The name is changed to Clinchfield Railroad (CRR) and was operated independently from its headquarters in Erwin TN.
  • 1940 – ET&WNC’s track in NC is damaged by devastating flood

During the first half of the 1900s, there were at least 15 passenger trains running through Johnson City. After the Southern built it’s new passenger station, there were three different passenger stations within a few blocks of each other. Passengers could easily make connections. All told, it was not uncommon to see and hear almost 40 trains each day running through the middle of the city. The train passenger board to the left lists the 8 Southern Railway passenger trains that were scheduled through city each day.

Courtesy of StateOfFrankline.net

Johnson City TN Southern Railway Train Board - Courtesy StateofFranklin.net

1950-2000

  • 1950 – ET&WNC narrow gauge abandoned
  • 1952 – ET&WNC purchases two 2-8-0s from Southern Railway to use JC to Elizabethton
  • 1954 – Clinchfield retires its last steam locomotive
  • 1954 – Clinchfield ends passenger service
  • 1967 – ET&WNC retires their 2-8-0s, replacing them with diesel RS-3s
  • 1969 – Clinchfield completes the ‘high-line’, allowing the mainline to bypass downtown Johnson City
  • 1970 – Southern Railway suspends passenger service
  • 1972 – Clinchfield begins marketing itself as part of the Family Lines System. A common design is used on engines and rolling stock.
  • 1982 – Southern Railway merges with the Norfolk & Western Railway to become the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS)
  • 1982 – Clinchfield becomes part of the Seaboard System, but retains its CRR corporate name. Engines and rolling stock are repainted with the Seaboard System design and lettering.
  • 1983 – ET&WNC is rechartered and named the East Tennessee Railway
  • 1986 – Clinchfield is merged with Seaboard System and Chessie System to form CSX

2000 to Today

  • 2003 – Last train departs Elizabethton for Johnson City, leaving the line dormant.
  • 2005 – East Tennessee Railway (ETRY) takes over the Johnson City switching and yard work for both CSX and NS.
  • 2007 – NS begins the Crescent Corridor program, adding extensive container traffic to its line through Johnson City.
  • 2012 – ET&WNC Standard Gauge abandoned. The Tweetsie Trail (Rails-to-Trails) was built on the roadbed
  • 2015 – CSX closes Erwin yard and shops. The original Clinchfield line is reported to be mothballed. Very few trains run on the line for the next two years.
  • 2017 – CSX returns a daily set of trains to the original Clinchfield line. Since that time, rail traffic on the line has been slowly increasing
  • 2024 – CSX’s Blue Ridge Subdivision receives major damage from Hurricane Helene to the 60 miles between Erwin TN and North Cove NC. CSX commits to a major rebuilding project, and is expecting to reopen the line in the Fall of 2025. The line from Erwin, through Johnson City, and points north was not damaged.

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.

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