Shortline
East Tennessee Railway
The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina was a legendary small railroad located in its namesake states that dated to the late 19th century. The road's nickname as the "Tweetsie" inspired today's Tweetsie Railroad, a tourist line that hosts excursions near the original property. To railfans the attraction of the ET&WNC was due to its narrow-gauge operations, which remained in use until late 1950. However, to locals the Tweetsie was beloved for its willingness to go out of its way to help local communities from offering free rides to even doing errands for folks! What ultimately spurred the development of this classic line was the need to move raw materials, such as timber and iron, out of the mountains and to market. Interestingly, despite its remote nature the ET&WNC had multiple connections to larger Class I systems. Today, the remaining section of the Tweetsie remains in use by shortline East Tennessee Railway.
The East Tennessee Railway is a small shortline linking local industry to connections with CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern in Johnson City, Tennessee. These rails were a part of the former dual-gauge operations of the venerable East Tennessee & Western North Carolina.
When chartered in 1983, the shortline operated 11 miles of line from Johnson City to Elizabethton, linking industries there to mainline connections, but that service was dropped in 2003. By 2009 the line was formally abandoned and railbanked. The rails and ties were removed in 2012 to make way for a rail-trail project. Since 2005, the small pike has been owned by Genesee & Wyoming Industries, an international operator of shortline and regional railroads. The road services multiple industries and a transloading facility using two diesel locomotives painted in a livery reminiscent of the Southern Railway. Commodities handled include chemicals, construction materials, fertilizers, minerals, plastics, and petroleum products.
JCH
ETRY map / web
Motive Power
East Tennessee #214
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
East Tennessee #214
to Rail Switching Services #601
to East Tennessee #214
May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
East Tennessee #215
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
East Tennessee #215
to Rail Switching Services #722
to East Tennessee #215
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Locations
Engine House
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Click to see the East Tennessee engine house area plotted on a Google Maps page
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Johnson City, Tn / May 2000 / JCH
Yard area overhead / Google Maps
Yard Office
Johnson City, Tn / Nov 2011 / RWH
Norfolk Southern crossing / Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
tank loading area / Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
yard limit / Johnson City, Tn / Nov 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Nov 2011 / RWH
Action
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
Norfolk Southern mainline / Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
crossing NS junction / Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / Will Hankins
Lagniappe
Johnson City, Tn / Jul 2011 / RWH
What's not to love about a pair of first generation switchers in a Southern Railway-inspired paint scheme, rambling over the rough and tumble trackage of the venerable ET&WNC? The East Tennessee's switching trackage twists and turns around Johnson City like a snake in a maze, and the slow pace of the pike means that chasing one of their trains is a real pleasure. Lots of tankers and freshly painted boxcars are on the move in the summer of 2011, so that's a good sign. Great times chasing #214 all over town with my brother-in-law and my budding-railfan nephew, age 3. Fascinating crossing over the former Southern Railway main, now Norfolk Southern: not a diamond, as one might expect, but a pair of switches with facing points. As such, for a just a moment on every move out to the switch some chemical plants, the little East Tennessee enjoys a dozen yards of mainline running. Seems right: Southern paint on Southern rails, at least for a stretch. Now here's a Genessee & Wyoming road I'm glad is being overlooked by the corporate orange paint department. Go green and white!
Links / Sources
- Genesee & Wyoming East Tennessee page
- Wikipedia article for East Tennessee Rwy
- Diesel shop roster for East Tennessee Rwy