Breaking the Mountain Barrier

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Breaking the Mountain Barrier

After the Civil War, many railroad efforts were undertaken to build into, and across the Appalachian Mountains. Coal, timber, and iron were the incentives. Many of these antebellum railroad initiatives were unsuccessful, and millions of dollars were lost. However, by 1915, the following five additional railroads had succeeded at bridging the Atlantic Ocean to the Ohio River through the mountains.

Photo of N&W #1218 by Roger Puta

C&O, Southern, N&W, and L&N

Chesapeake & Ohio Railway - C&O

1873: The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway from Richmond, through Charlottesville, to Huntington WV. Goods could be placed on boats at Richmond to reach the Atlantic. By 1881, the C&O had completed a line to Newport News VA, now a large Atlantic Ocean port.

Cincinnati Southern Railway

1880: Cincinnati Southern from Cincinnati to Chattanooga TN. Near Knoxville TN, and at Chattanooga, connections with affiliated railroads were made for freight headed to the Atlantic ports. In 1893, the Cincinnati Southern and others were merged to create the Southern Railway, making the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean a seamless rail network.

Norfolk & Western Railway - L&N

1892: Norfolk & Western Railway from Norfolk VA, through Petersburg and Roanoke, to Kenova WV.

Louisville & Nashville Railroad - L&N

1902: Louisville & Nashville Railroad from Cincinnati OH and Louisville KY, through Knoxville TN to Atlanta. Connections with partner railroads would move the freight to various Atlantic ports.

1884 Map of Eastern U.S. Railroads

A thumbnail of a 1884 Muir Way map shows both the lack of Appalachian railroads and the abundance of formidable mountains. At this point, the Cincinnati New Orleans & Texas Pacific and the Chesapeake & Ohio had finished their rail lines across the mountains.

3Cs Railroad – Crossing at the Widest Point

Crossing the Appalachians at their widest might look like a questionable venture. However, this routing also had a large coal reserve and was a direct route from the Mid-West to the Southeast. The Charleston, Cincinnati, & Chicago Railroad, the 3Cs, created a grand vision that eventually succeeded. The railroad started construction in 1886. Johnson City TN served as the company’s headquarters with much speculation that the city would become a railroad boomtown. Unfortunately, the 3Cs could not complete their vision and was sold in foreclosure due to an economic downturn in 1893. Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad – 3Cs

Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad - 3Cs

Clinchfield Railroad – Eventual Success

Photo courtesy of Dan Robie wvncrails.org

Clinchfield Railroad Santa Train - Dan Robie
Clinchfield Railroad - CRR

Thankfully, that early vision was completed by the Clinchfield Railroad and George L. Carter in the early 1900s. His effort bridged the Southeast and the Midwest with a well-designed railroad to efficiently transport natural resources and goods across the mountainous region. Hauling coal efficiently was not its only claim to fame. With connections with the C&O and the Atlantic Coast Line, and with cooperation between the three, a successful and very profitable North-to-South manifest freight rail line was inaugurated in 1915. Click here for information about the Clinchfield at Clinchfield.org.

Appalachian Crossings by 1915

It took an additional 55 years, but by 1915, five more railroads, a total of 7 had crossed the Appalachian Mountains at 90-degrees and made the connection between the Ohio River and the Atlantic Ocean: The B&O, C&O, Clinchfield, L&N, N&W, NC&StL, and Southern.

Click here for a Google interactive map to see the railroads and their routes as they crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains (Blue line) and the Appalachian Plateau (Yellow line)

Appalacian Mountain Railroads

Click here for more information on the best potential routes across the Appalachian Mountains by using rivers and gaps. Click here to see more details on the railroads that tried, that failed, and the seven that succeeded in bridging the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean.

Next: The Appalachian Region Thrives

Read more on page 5: The Appalachian Region and its Railroads Thrive

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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