Black Diamond Railroad

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Black Diamond Railroad

A Proposed Trans-Appalachian Route

The Black Diamond Railroad actively considered—and promoted—building a major rail line across the Appalachian Mountains in the late 1890s. Spearheaded by railroad promoter Colonel Albert E. Boone (self-styled “Railway Pathfinder”), the project aimed to revive the unfinished Blue Ridge Railroad, a pre-Civil War effort to link the Ohio River Valley with the Atlantic Coast via Charleston, South Carolina. The Black Diamond plan proposed a 1,000+ mile system from Cincinnati, Ohio, southward through Knoxville, Tennessee, piercing the Appalachians at Rabun Gap in northeastern Georgia’s Rabun County (coordinates: approximately 34°55’06″N, 83°23’02″W; elevation: 2,162 feet/659 meters), and then descending the Little Tennessee River valley (river origin: 34°55′49″N, 83°26′11″W; elevation: 2,169 feet/661 meters) into western North Carolina before reaching the coast.

Historical Context

The Blue Ridge Railroad, championed by John C. Calhoun in the 1830s, sought a direct trans-Appalachian corridor to funnel western trade (including coal from Kentucky and Tennessee fields) to southern ports, bypassing northern routes. Construction began in 1854 from Anderson, South Carolina, northward through Rabun Gap, involving ambitious engineering like the 2,421-foot Dick’s Creek Tunnel and Warwoman Tunnel in Rabun County. By 1861, about 25 miles of track and partial tunnels were completed, but the Civil War halted progress, leaving remnants like stone piers and roadbeds abandoned.

Post-war revival attempts proliferated, but Boone’s Black Diamond scheme in the 1890s was the most ambitious. Detailed maps from 1896 by Boone illustrate the route: starting in the coal-rich Ohio Valley, hugging the Tennessee River to Knoxville, crossing via Rabun Gap, and integrating existing lines southward. It explicitly planned to reuse Blue Ridge grading and tunnels, emphasizing the gap’s low elevation as a cost-effective passage over peaks exceeding 4,000 feet. The Little Tennessee River’s valley provided a navigable corridor northward from the gap to Franklin, North Carolina, aligning with Cherokee-era trails and early settler paths used for trade and migration since the 18th century.

Railroad Utilization and Legacy

Economically, the Black Diamond promised to boost regional trade by funneling western commodities to southern ports, bypassing congested northern routes. Boone emphasized coal transport, naming it after the “black diamond” of anthracite. However, despite initial enthusiasm— including interviews in 1899 touting progress—the project faltered. While the Black Diamond envisioned heavy freight (coal, lumber) and passenger service along this Appalachian spine, no tracks were laid under its charter—likely due to funding shortfalls and competition from completed lines like the Western & Atlantic Railroad and the creation of the Southern Railway. Instead, the route’s potential was partially realized by the Tallulah Falls Railroad (1887–1961), a narrow-gauge line from Cornelia, Georgia, through Rabun Gap and the upper Little Tennessee Valley to Franklin, North Carolina. This 58-mile operation hauled lumber and passengers, incorporating some Blue Ridge remnants until highway competition doomed it.

Today, U.S. Highway 441 traces much of the path, and abandoned Blue Ridge structures (e.g., Stumphouse Tunnel near Walhalla, South Carolina) serve as historical sites. The Black Diamond’s failure underscores the era’s railroad boom-and-bust, where geography like Rabun Gap and the Little Tennessee shaped ambitious but often unrealized visions of prosperity.

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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