History of the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago

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Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad - 3Cs

Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad History Timeline

The initial vision for the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad began in the 1830s, but the company was not chartered until 1886. Even though it took three tries to complete this route across the mountains, the original vision of the Estillville Convention and of General John T. Wilder were eventually very successful.

Conceptual beginnings (1831–1886)

  • 1831: The “Estillville Convention” takes place in present-day Gate City, Virginia. Officials first discuss and propose the idea of a rail line across the Appalachians to connect the Ohio River with the Atlantic Ocean. The route they discussed was very similar to the Charleston Cincinnati & Ohio Railroad, and the eventually the Clinchfield Railroad.
  • 1832: Former Vice President John C. Calhoun publicly advocates for building a railroad from Charleston, South Carolina, to Cincinnati, Ohio.
  • 1836: The Louisville, Cincinnati, and Charleston Railroad is chartered, but the challenges of crossing the Appalachian Mountains and a lack of consensus among states and cities prevent its completion.
  • 1886: Following the Civil War, Union General John T. Wilder, a Chattanooga industrialist, begins to develop the plans for a new railroad to unlock the vast mineral resources of the Appalachians.
  • 1886: Wilder charters the Charleston, Cincinnati, & Chicago Railroad (the “Triple C” or “3Cs”) with an ambitious 625-mile route planned to connect Ashland, Kentucky, to Charleston, South Carolina.
  • 1886: Johnson City, Tennessee, is selected as the railroad’s headquarters, with speculators predicting a boomtown.

The 3Cs construction and financial collapse (1887–1893)

  • 1887: Construction begins in multiple locations, funded in part by the London-based banking firm Baring Brothers and Company.
    • Work commences at Rutherfordton, North Carolina, with tracks laid southward toward Camden, South Carolina.
    • Crews in Johnson City, Tennessee, begin working both north and south.
    • A third segment starts in Kentucky, running from Ashland toward Whitehouse.
  • 1887: The 3Cs begins limited passenger service on an initial small segment of the rail line.
  • 1889: The segment of the line from Rutherfordton is completed northward to Marion, North Carolina.
  • 1889 (late): Financial issues begin to emerge, with reports that contractors are not being paid on time.
  • 1890 (by):
    • Track from Johnson City reaches Erwin, Tennessee.
    • The 3Cs is placed in receivership following the failure of a primary investor, Baker Brothers & Co. of Philadelphia.
  • 1893 (Spring): The 3Cs’ financial problems worsen with the failure of its major investor, Baring Brothers & Company of London, coinciding with a national/international financial panic.
  • 1893 (July 17): The assets of the bankrupt 3Cs are sold at a foreclosure auction to Charles E. Hellier for $550,000.

The short-lived Ohio River & Charleston (1893–1902)

  • 1893: After acquiring the 3Cs assets, Hellier organizes the Ohio River and Charleston Railway Company (OR&C).
  • 1894: Hellier consolidates the four separate OR&C companies chartered in Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina into a single entity.
  • 1897: Facing continued financial challenges, the OR&C sells the completed line segment from Camden, South Carolina, to Marion, North Carolina, to the South Carolina and Georgia Railroad.
  • 1898 (June): The OR&C enters foreclosure.
  • 1900: The northern segment of the OR&C in Kentucky is sold to the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway.
  • 1902: Seven miles of unfinished grade from St. Paul to Dante VA was sold to the Lick Creek & Lake Erie Railroad
  • 1902: The remaining assets of the OR&C, including the unfinished sections, are sold to George L. Carter, a Virginia entrepreneur interested in developing the region’s coal fields.

George Carter and the South & Western Railway (1902–1908)

  • 1902: Carter renames his newly acquired assets the South and Western Railway (S&W), following the general plan of the 3Cs but intending to use higher engineering standards.
  • 1905: Carter hires M.J. Caples as Chief Engineer and General Manager. Caples convinces Carter to build the new railroad to superior standards, including heavy-grade viaducts, bridges, and numerous tunnels, for long-term operational efficiency.
  • 1906: The S&W wins a crucial legal battle against the competing Southern Railway for the right-of-way through a disputed area, securing its monopoly on the route.
  • 1908 (March 31): The S&W is officially rechartered and renamed the Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio Railway (CC&O), with new financing from Blair & Company.

The successful Carolina, Clinchfield & Ohio (1908–1982)

  • 1909 (February): The CC&O line is completed from Dante, Virginia, to Johnson City, Tennessee.
  • 1909 (October 29): The line is completed into Spartanburg, South Carolina, fulfilling the southern portion of the original 3Cs vision.
  • 1915: The northern extension of the CC&O from Dante to Elkhorn City, Kentucky, is completed, connecting with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and establishing the final, complete route across the Appalachians.
  • 1924: The CC&O is leased for 999 years to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Louisville & Nashville Railway, with the leased properties operated by the independent Clinchfield Railroad Company.
  • 1982: The Seaboard System Railroad, a predecessor of CSX, acquires all outstanding shares of the CC&O, and the separate Clinchfield Railroad operating company is retired, though freight operations continue.

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 collective railroad history data points on this website are verified across multiple sources.

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3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org