Johnson City in Washington County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Passenger Service
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
1. Passenger Service Marker
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) was primarily constructed to provide freight service between Johnson City and the iron ore mines of Cranberry, NC, but passenger and mail service became important as well. The railroad also became famous for its special excursion trains into the mountains. The timetable to the right, from The Johnson City Comet newspaper on July 3, 1890, shows the daily schedule at that time, listing fourteen stops between Johnson City and Cranberry. The eastbound morning train left Johnson City at 7:30 a.m., reached Elizabethton by 8:15 a.m., Roan Mountain by 10:00, and Cranberry by 11:00. The entire route was about 34 miles long.
Passenger service on the railroad became especially important during World War Two, as the railroad operated multiple daily trains to transport workers to and from the vital rayon factories in Elizabethton. After the war, with improved highways and increased automobile ownership, the demand for passenger service declined and the service ended for good in 1950.
—Department of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University
Erected by Department of Appalachian Studies, East Tennessee State University.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce
this page online
Location. 36° 18.684′ N, 82° 19.569′ W. Marker is in Johnson City, Tennessee, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Alabama Street and Legion Street. Marker is located on the Tweetsie Trail, 7/10 mile east of the Johnson City Trailhead. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Johnson City TN 37601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. A Narrow-Gauge Railroad (here, next to this marker); The Music of the Rails (here, next to this marker); The Robertson Home, Site of First Court of Washington County (approx. 0.4 miles away); First Court of Washington County (approx. 0.4 miles away); Trail Geology (approx. 0.6 miles away); Story of the Tweetsie (approx. 0.6 miles away); Robins’ Roost (approx. one mile away); Tipton-Haynes Cemetery (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Johnson City.
More about this marker. Access to this marker is via bicycle or foot on the Tweetsie Trail.
Also see . . .
1. East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad. The East Tennessee & Western
ETSU Archives of Appalachia
2. Marker detail: A color tourist brochure from the late 1910s or early 1920s.
and
Linville River Railway
The Scenic Route through
the Heart of the Blue Ridge
2. East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad. While World War II offered the ET&WNC strong traffic this rapidly declined following the conflict as the local remaining iron and timber industry disappeared. With no reason to continue operating its route between Elizabethton and Cranberry, the section was abandoned with the final train operating the line on a warm but somber October 16, 1950. What remained was about a 10-mile section between Johnson City and Elizabethton that primarily served the rayon plants and had already been operating as a dual-gauge line for several years. (Submitted on October 17, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
ETSU Archives of Appalachia, Cy Crumley Collection
3. Marker detail: One of the daily ET&WNC trains prepares to leave Johnson City in the 1930s.
The last car is Combine #15, which carried passengers, freight, and a railway post office.
ETSU Archives of Appalachia
4. Marker detail: A map showing the ET&WNC railroad after it was extended to Boone, NC.
ETSU Archives of Appalachia, Cy Crumley Collection
5. Marker detail: Interior view of an ET&WNC passenger car in the 1930s.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 15, 2021
6. Passenger Service Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on October 19, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 17, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 146 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 17, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
