Upcoming New Route
Currently, I am working on a 2nd version of the KD Subdivision which I released a year or so ago. This one will fill in several new
L&N (CSX) line around Knoxville, TN to Corbin, KY as well as adding the rest of the KD Division of 1960 or so, to Etowah, TN. There
will also be several new Southern Railway lines. I don't do activities but I do like to create routes that exist in real life and which can
be operated correctly. So I will describe one operation on the SR from 1967 to around 1992, and another that existed from some time prior to 1965 and continued until after 1978 when I left SR for the FRA and later Chessie System/CSX.
1. ARCO Unit Coal Train. This SR operation was from a mostly surface mine in Claiborne Cty. TN to a steam plant near Milledgeville, GA. Neither the mine or the steam plant still exist. The empty train, operating northbound, came into Knoxville from the southwest and
got a crew change downtown. Then it continued out the line to Clinton, TN, about 30 miles, where it turned more northerly onto the
line from Clinton to Jellico, TN/KY. This involved a significant climb over a dividing ridge from the Clinch R. valley to a short valley that extended northeast to Jellico. At Jellico, the train continued in a more easterly direction to Lot, KY where it joined the L&N mainline
going south for a few miles to Holton, Jct. At Holton the route veers due east through a tunnel on a 10 degree curve and continues
about 2 miles to Laurel Creek. At Laurel Creek, L&N ownership/Southern trackage rights ends/then Southern ownership, L&N trackage
rights begins. The train continues geographically east for a few miles to ARCO jct. and then it follows Tackett Creek about 17 miles to
the ARCO mine. I have included the loading loop but I have taken a 10m track piece out so that a empty activity ends at the break,
and a loaded activity begins past the break.
History: In 1908 or so, the L&N was building the Knoxville, LaFollette & Jellico line to bypass trackage rights on the SR from
Jellico to Knoxville. In the course of this they also started building a branch up the Clear Fork R. from Holton to access promising coal fields. When money got tight, the L&N chose to sell the line east of Laurel Creek to the SR and the peculiar agreements above were
set up. This line extended eventually to Fonde, KY which had at least two mines nearby. There was a large operation up Straight Creek as well which became the last operating coal mine in TN, closing in 2019. SR built the line up Tackett Creek and unit trains began in late 1967 after the line was checked by the SR geometry car which I managed. The mine shut down around 1992 and today, almost no trace remains of the mine or the railroad branch.
2. I have included a small portion of the CNO&TP line of Southern, as well as the Harrimn Jct. to Clinton line which was released as a stand alone route years ago. With this one can simulate an event that took place daily around 4pm at Harriman Jct. SR-219, the VERY HOT intermodal train arrived from Cincinnati. Now this train was unique in that it had two caboose. One was at the end of the Atlanta block, the other on the rear, at the end of the Knoxville (and east) block. Stopping at Harriman Jct. a cut was made behind the first caboose and after a brake test, the front part continued south to Atlanta, eventually by the next morning, Jacksonville, FL. A set of motive power, which had brought over intermodal cars bound for points north would pick up the 2nd block and take it to Knoxville. I have included enough of Sevier Yard to accept this block. Later in the night, SR-220 coming from points south would pick up the intermodal cars left there in the afternoon and continue to Cincinnati.
Jerry Sullivan
retired from SR & CSX
Docent; C&TS RR
L&N (CSX) line around Knoxville, TN to Corbin, KY as well as adding the rest of the KD Division of 1960 or so, to Etowah, TN. There
will also be several new Southern Railway lines. I don't do activities but I do like to create routes that exist in real life and which can
be operated correctly. So I will describe one operation on the SR from 1967 to around 1992, and another that existed from some time prior to 1965 and continued until after 1978 when I left SR for the FRA and later Chessie System/CSX.
1. ARCO Unit Coal Train. This SR operation was from a mostly surface mine in Claiborne Cty. TN to a steam plant near Milledgeville, GA. Neither the mine or the steam plant still exist. The empty train, operating northbound, came into Knoxville from the southwest and
got a crew change downtown. Then it continued out the line to Clinton, TN, about 30 miles, where it turned more northerly onto the
line from Clinton to Jellico, TN/KY. This involved a significant climb over a dividing ridge from the Clinch R. valley to a short valley that extended northeast to Jellico. At Jellico, the train continued in a more easterly direction to Lot, KY where it joined the L&N mainline
going south for a few miles to Holton, Jct. At Holton the route veers due east through a tunnel on a 10 degree curve and continues
about 2 miles to Laurel Creek. At Laurel Creek, L&N ownership/Southern trackage rights ends/then Southern ownership, L&N trackage
rights begins. The train continues geographically east for a few miles to ARCO jct. and then it follows Tackett Creek about 17 miles to
the ARCO mine. I have included the loading loop but I have taken a 10m track piece out so that a empty activity ends at the break,
and a loaded activity begins past the break.
History: In 1908 or so, the L&N was building the Knoxville, LaFollette & Jellico line to bypass trackage rights on the SR from
Jellico to Knoxville. In the course of this they also started building a branch up the Clear Fork R. from Holton to access promising coal fields. When money got tight, the L&N chose to sell the line east of Laurel Creek to the SR and the peculiar agreements above were
set up. This line extended eventually to Fonde, KY which had at least two mines nearby. There was a large operation up Straight Creek as well which became the last operating coal mine in TN, closing in 2019. SR built the line up Tackett Creek and unit trains began in late 1967 after the line was checked by the SR geometry car which I managed. The mine shut down around 1992 and today, almost no trace remains of the mine or the railroad branch.
2. I have included a small portion of the CNO&TP line of Southern, as well as the Harrimn Jct. to Clinton line which was released as a stand alone route years ago. With this one can simulate an event that took place daily around 4pm at Harriman Jct. SR-219, the VERY HOT intermodal train arrived from Cincinnati. Now this train was unique in that it had two caboose. One was at the end of the Atlanta block, the other on the rear, at the end of the Knoxville (and east) block. Stopping at Harriman Jct. a cut was made behind the first caboose and after a brake test, the front part continued south to Atlanta, eventually by the next morning, Jacksonville, FL. A set of motive power, which had brought over intermodal cars bound for points north would pick up the 2nd block and take it to Knoxville. I have included enough of Sevier Yard to accept this block. Later in the night, SR-220 coming from points south would pick up the intermodal cars left there in the afternoon and continue to Cincinnati.
Jerry Sullivan
retired from SR & CSX
Docent; C&TS RR
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