Bristol, Tennessee and Virginia
- 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
Bristol TN & VA – The State Line Cities
Photo by Ron Flanary
This important gateway city was actually two cities, split right down the center by the Tennessee and Virginia state line.
Two railroads arrived here in 1856, the East Tennessee & Virginia with a line from Knoxville TN, and the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad from Lynchburg Virginia.
Until the 1982 merger of the Southern Railway and the Norfolk & Western Railway creating the Norfolk Southern, Bristol was an important junction, commercial center, and exchange point where thru trains received new engines. After 1982, it was still a crew change point. In the 2000s, this line became an important intermodal corridor for Norfolk Southern.
Bristol TN/VA Stats
- Founded: Bristol TN – 1856; Bristol VA – 1856 (Originally named Goodson VA)
- Elevation: 1676
- Population (2020): Bristol TN – 27,147; Bristol VA – 17,219
- Famous For: Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol Motor Speedway, and the State Line of TN/VA splitting the two cities in half, down the middle of State Street
- 1st Railroad: Virginia & Tennessee Railroad – 1856 – Lynchburg to Bristol
- 2nd Railroad: East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad – 1856 – Bristol to Knoxville
- 3rd Railroad: Bristol Coal & Iron Narrow Gauge Railway in 1876 – Bristol to Cumberland Gap KY and Appalachia VA – Later became the South Atlantic & Ohio, then part of the Virginia & Southwestern Railway, and later the Southern Railway.
- 4th Railroad: Bristol Elizabethton & North Carolina in 1892 – Bristol to Mountain City TN – Later became part of Virginia & Southwestern Railway, then Southern Railway.
- 5th Railroad: Holston Valley Railway – 1896 – Bristol TN to Fish Dam (Logging Railroad)
Other Bristol railroads included the Virginia & Kentucky Railroad which had minimal construction, and no operation.
Bristol Today by Ric Carter
Photos and Narrative by Ric Carter: www.home.CartersXRd.net, http://www.facebook.com/ric.carter
Bristol is considered the birthplace of country music. It was chosen by recording companies partially because of its railroad center. Union Station was the arrival spot of many of the artists and recordists for the 1927 Bristol Sessions. I think it’s wonderful that during the annual Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion (every September) today uses Union Station as the artist headquarters and dressing rooms.
Locomotive on VA/TN state line (State Street) headed railroad west
View east with Union Station ahead
Union Station, Bristol VA (1902) currently used as an event center, much of it restored
Union Station
N&W Roundhouse (1904?) Virginia end of yard. Much is hidden by trees and undergrowth from ground view. Used by an industry until recently.
UPM Pharmaceuticals/Pfizer, Tennessee end of yard
Virginia & Southwestern Railway Railfan Guide
What partially-abandoned railroad runs around a NASCAR speedway, past the home of a iconic country music performer, and through a tunnel that was not man-made? Here is a railfan guide to the Virginia & Southwestern Railway.
Bristol Passenger Schedule 1934
In 1934, there were 12 Bristol passenger trains each day. 6 were through trains, stopping for 20 minutes to change locomotives. 6 were locals, either originating or terminating in Bristol. N&W locals to be added soon.
- 12:30AM: Birmingham Special #17 arriving from Knoxville, Chattanooga & Birmingham
- 12:50AM: Birmingham Special #17 departing for Roanoke & Washington DC
- 1:55AM: Birmingham Special #18 arriving from Roanoke & Washington DC
- 2:15AM: Birmingham Special #18 departing to Knoxville, Chattanooga & Birmingham
- 6:00AM: SOU Local #1 departing for Knoxville & Chattanooga
- 6:30AM: SOU Local #66 departing for Elizabethton & Mountain City
- 9:20AM #41 arriving from Roanoke & Washington DC
- 9:40AM # 41 departing for Knoxville, Chattanooga, and New Orleans
- 9:45AM: SOU Local #1 departing for Appalachia & St. Charles VA
- 10:30AM: SOU Local #4 arriving from Knoxville
- 10:45AM: SOU Local #67 arriving from Elizabethton & Mountain City
- 1:00PM: Memphis Special #26 arriving from Knoxville, Chattanooga & Memphis
- 1:20PM: Memphis Special #26 departing for Roanoke & Washington DC
- 1:55PM: Memphis Special #27 arriving from Roanoke & Washington DC
- 2:15PM: Memphis Special #27 departing for Knoxville, Chattanooga & Memphis
- 5:45PM: SOU Local #4 arriving from Appalachia & St. Charles
- 6:25PM: #42 arriving from Knoxvlle, Chattanooga & New Orleans
- 6:45PM: #42 departing for Roanoke & Washington DC
Links for Additional Information
The March 2004 issue of Trains magazine provides a great overview of Bristol’s railroad history. http://trains.com
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/rail/vasouthwestern.html
https://www.loc.gov/item/gm72003016/
South Atlantic and Ohio Railroad Station: https://www.theclio.com/entry/84892
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.
- Association: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
- Association: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society
- Association: ET&WNC Railroad Historical Society and their Facebook Page
- Association: George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Norfolk & Western Historical Society
- Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
- Association: Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Castner, Flanary & Dorin: Louisville & Nashville Railroad, The Old Reliable
- Book – Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary: The Louisville & Nashville Cumberland Valley Division
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway
- Book – Flanary, Oroszi & McKee: ‘The Louisville & Nashville in the Appalachians’
- Books – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield‘ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield‘
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City‘
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter‘
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- Book – Oroszi & Flanary: ‘Dixie Lines, The Louisville & Nashville Railroad’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina‘
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century‘
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine‘
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains‘
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- 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
- Website: HawkinsRails.net
- Website: StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website: RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website: SteamLocomotive.com
- Website: VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- Website: 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
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.