Appalachian Mountain Gaps
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Page Contents
Appalachian Mountain Gaps
Page Under Construction. Please check back in a few days.
To cross the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains, from the Eastern Seaboard to the Ohio River Valley, there were two major challenges.
Whether you were on foot, on a horse, on a train, or in a car…..these two very beautiful, but very formidable natural impediments were:
- The Blue Ridge Mountains which run from Chattanooga TN in the south all the way north to Harrisburg PA.
- The Appalachian Plateau which runs from Birmingham AL to southern New York state. Specific segments of the plateau are also known as the Cumberland Plateau and the Allegheny Plateau.
If you are lucky, one might be able to use a water gap, such as the Potomac or James River to cross. There are also wind gaps such as Buford’s Gap near Roanoke VA. And of course the third option is to find the lowest mountain gap possible, which still means a railroad, a highway, or a hiker will still need to climb hundreds, a thousand, or more feet to go up and over the crest.
Map: United States Geological Survey
Rails Across the Appalachians
Seven railroads have successfully built and operated routes across the Appalachians to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Ohio River. To make it across the
Content Below Under Construction
- Potomac River – B&O
- Afton Mountain near Waynesboro VA – C&O
- James River near Glasgow VA – C&O
- Jackson River near Clifton Forge VA – C&O
- Greenbrier River near Caldwell WV – C&O
- Buford’s Gap (air) near Roanoke VA – N&W
- Roanoke River near Roanoke VA – Virginian
- New River near Blacksburg VA – N&W and Virginian
- New River near
- McKinney Gap near Spruce Pine NC – Clinchfield
- Swannanoa Gap near Asheville NC – Southern
- Saluda Gap near Hendersonville NC – Southern
- Rabun Gap near Clayton GA – Blue Ridge Railroad (never completed)
- Little Tennessee River near Franklin NC – Blue Ridge Railroad (never completed)
- Around the end of the Blue Ridge Mountains near Chattanooga/Cleveland TN – NC&StL, CNO&TP/Southern, and L&N
Appalachian Mountain Crossings – Atlantic Ocean to Ohio River
- 1842 – Baltimore & Ohio Railway – 1
Blue Ridge Crossings
- Baltimore & Ohio – 1842 – River Gap: Potomac River
- Norfolk & Western (Virginia & Tennessee) – 1852 – Air Gap: Buford’s Gap near Roanoke VA
- Chesapeake & Ohio – 1858 – Mountain Gap: Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro VA – 1900′ elevation
- Southern Railway – 1879 – Mountain Gap: Ridgecrest near Asheville NC – 2600′ elevation
- Southern Railway – 1879 – Mountain Gap: Saluda Mountain, Saluda NC – 2550′ elevation
- Clinchfield Railroad – 1909 – Mountain Gap: McKinney Gap near Spruce Pine NC – 2628′ elevation
- Note: Louisville & Nashville (L&N) and Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis (NC&StL) did not cross the Blue Ridge, but rather skirted west through the Chattanooga/Cleveland TN area.
Appalachian Plateau Crossings
- Baltimore & Ohio – 18?? –
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.
- Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society
- Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
- Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Norfolk & Western Historical Society
- Southern Railway Historical Association
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway
- 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 – King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- 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 – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
- 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
- WvncRails.org – North Carolina and West Virginia Railroads
- Online Videos: Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1 | Video #2:
- Online Article: Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Numerous Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
- Article: Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
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.