Appalachia Central RR

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ACRR
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Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:31 pm

Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by ACRR »

History:
The East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Transportation Company was chartered by the Tennessee General Assembly on May 24, 1866. Lack of financial backing led to the venture's failure, and the railroad was abandoned in 1874. The Cranberry Iron Company acquired the line between 1876 and 1879 and designated the railroad taking as one of its subsidiaries. The initial 14.1 miles (22.7 km) segment through the Appalachian Mountains from Johnson City to Hampton, Tennessee via Elizabethton was completed on August 22, 1881, by Pennsylvania-based financier Ario Pardee, and the technical expertise of Thomas Matson (the noted railway engineer); a line extension to Cranberry opened on July 3, 1882. Soon dubbed by mountain residents as the "Railway with a Heart" as railroad personnel often performed errands for the locals (and even allowed passengers to ride for free during the Great Depression), its tickets were even validated with a heart-shaped punch.

The ET&WNC had five Baldwin Locomotive Works 4-6-0 Ten Wheelers: #9 (1911), #10 (1916), #11 (1916), #12 (1917), and #14 (1919). All the engines were painted black, but Clarence Hobbs chose to paint the engines green to resemble the Southern Railway standard gauge engines. Amid WWII, passenger service rapidly declined m it was unprofitable to run a full passenger train every day. The ET&WNC used car 15, which was a passenger car equipped with both a post office and baggage compartment. Behind car 15 was either one or two of the railroad's three piggyback flat cars. The ET&WNC's passenger station was next to the trucking depot, while the railyard was another mile down the line. T save time, crews picked up car 15 before picking up the piggyback flat cars.
The ET&WNC hauled iron ore from the Cranberry mines, pig iron from the local forge, and lumber from the forests of western North Carolina. CIC purchased the Linville River Railway (LRR, known as the "Arbuckle" line) in 1913, a line originally constructed in the 1890s to haul lumber between Cranberry and Saginaw, North Carolina. The Linville River Railway was then subsequently extended to Boone, North Carolina, but later suffered heavy track damage from a 1940 flood. The ET&WNC would go on to purchase the former Virginia and South Western from Elizabethton to Gate City via Bristol section of track from the Southern railway; having to repair a bridge in Bluff City that was hit by the flood.

The ET&WNC purchased three standard gauge locomotives: #204 (former AT&N 2-8-0), #205 (former RF&P 0-6-0), and #206 (former Illinois Central 2-6-0). These locomotives were used to switch cars throughout the Johnson City area.
In 1942 in order to increase service following the declaration of war the ET&WNC made all their narrow gauge standard gauge ending mainline narrow gauge operation, the dual gauge remaining in Johnson City, and Elizabethton With the standard gauge line completed the ET&WNC Experienced a boom as trains loaded with supplies for the war effort headed over their rails across the Appalachian mountains. After the war's end, traffic slowed some but the line was still very profitable causing them to open a new branch line from Bristol to Saltville via Abingdon servicing a chemical plant. The new line also caused a new name to be made so the railroad became the Appalachia Central Railroad (ACRR)

In 1952, the railroad sent a representative to the Southern Railway roundhouse in Asheville, North Carolina, to look for some new motive power. The representative was first offered Ks-1 2-8-0s #685 and #835, but he instead chooses engines #630 and #722 because they were in better condition. The 630 and 722 were renumbered 207 and 208, respectively. They served the ACRR until December 8, 1967, when the Southern Railway traded two ALCo Rs-3s for the two Ks-1 locomotives to run in their new steam program along with Savannah & Atlanta #750 and Southern Railway 4501.
In 1954 the railroad donated and repainted the 12# and #14 which had been used in Elizabethton and Johnson City for switching officially ending all narrow gauge operations. In 1968 Following the acquisition of the ALCo Rs-3s the ACRR purchased 8 more ALCo Rs-3s from the Southern, ending steam operations on the ACRR. In 1972 a power cris hit the ACRR when 2 Rs-3s numbered #5 and #8 derailed into the Doe River near Pardee Point killing the crew of 3, the locomotives were rescued but were too damaged and would become parts donors. With the derailment, the railroad went on a buying streak buying 4 EMD SD24s numbered 6950-6953 from the Southern and numbering them 2400-2403. In 1973 the N&W sold the right of way of the Abingdon Branch to The ACRR with this new line the ACRR started running freight from Damascus to Abingdon. In 1977 the Lionel Bradford Company found coal in the Taylor Valley, with this the ACRR rebuilt the Abingdon branch back into the Taylor Valley. Starting in 1978 the Lionel Bradford Company opened a transloader and started producing 50000 tons of coal a day. With the opening, the ACRR bought 4 GE C36-7s and 200 100-ton coal cars. in 1979 the ACRR started to rebuild their aging alcos with 567 EMD engines, from scrap F7s they had bought redesignating them as RS-3Es. Starting in 1980 the ACRR sent their SD24s to the ICG to have them made into SD20s, as the roads shops were not able to handle such a large rebuild. In 1981 the ACRR celebrated its 100th anniversary. During the summer of 1984, a company started to build a coal gasification plant in Damascus which finished in 1986 and used coal from Taylor valley and nearby areas. With this plant being built the ACRR ordered 5 GE C39-8s numbered 3900-3904 to handle the new coal trains. 1988 saw the arrival of 3 ex SCL U18Bs and 2 ex-MILW U25bs. The U25Bs would be turned into road slugs to work on locals with the SD20s though are more commonly seen with the B30-7A1s now. In 2001 the ACRR acquired 5 B30-7A1s and 5 more C36-7s. In 2009 the ACRR started to build a new maintenance facility in Johnson City, to handle all rebuilds and maintenance of the roads equipment. When the facility finished the old shops which dated back to the steam era were closed, with the new shops the road started to do rebuilds as another source of income. Later that year the ACRR started to build a leasing fleet with the acquisition of 3 SW1500s, 2 SD18s, and 1 MP15DC all being labeled under a new company called Appalachian Leasing Services (APLS), all the locomotives being purchased from the LTEX deadline. 3 B32-8s were purchased in 2018. In 2021 the ACRR painted RS3E #1 in a commemorative paint scheme to honor the employees of the company who had let them survive and thrive.

ACRR
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:31 pm

Re: Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by ACRR »

Roster as of 2021:
1-9 RS3E (Note-1) (Note-2)
1800-1803 B18-7U (Note-3)
2000-2003 SD20 (Note-4)
RS2500-RS2501 SR-25 (Note-6)
3000-3004 B30-7A1
3200-3202 B32-8
3600-3609 C36-7 (Note-5)
3900-3904 C39-8

Notes:
1 Rebuilt with 567 prime-mover similar to Conrail RS3Ms
2 1# Has commemorative paint scheme
3 Rebuilt to Dash 7 Standards
4 SD24 Rebuilt by ICG to SD20s
5 Has the Dash 8 upgrades
6 U25B turned Into a road slug

APLS Roster
1500-1502 SW1500
1800-1901 SD18E (note-1)
1600 MP15DC

Notes:
1 Rebuilt SD18 similar to the Southern Pacific's rebuild to their SD9s

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AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
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Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by AARR »

I enjoyed reading about your paper railroad.

Do you have maps of your lines?
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

ACRR
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:31 pm

Re: Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by ACRR »

Not yet trying to figure out the best way to do it currently.
Would you have any suggestion on how to do it?

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AARR
Ann Arbor RR Nerd
Posts: 37904
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 7:39 pm
Location: Washington, MI

Re: Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by AARR »

Unfortunately no. I’m not able to map my paper railroads either so any suggestions will assist both of us.
ACRR wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:03 pm
Not yet trying to figure out the best way to do it currently.
Would you have any suggestion on how to do it?
PatC created a monster, 'cause nobody wants to see Don Simon no more they want AARR I'm chopped liver, well if you want AARR this is what I'll give ya, bad humor mixed with irrelevant info that'll make you roll your eyes quicker than a ~Z~ banhammer...

ACRR
Railroadfan...fan
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2023 12:31 pm

Re: Appalachia Central RR

Unread post by ACRR »

Map of ACRR (note map is not scale and is not accurate)
Attachments
Map of Appalachia Central.png

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