Fri
Jun 1 2007
03:11 pm
Commuting on the Tennessee Central
By: redmondkr

Bayard C. Erskine has an article in the June issue of Trains magazine about commuting between Knoxville and Nashville during the days of the Tennessee Central Railroad. He came to know their brand of southern hospitality when he transferred from his home in South Dakota to Tennessee Tech, entering as a junior in 1933. After graduation he went to work for TVA.

More after the break.

Mr. Erskine describes the commute commonly experienced by TVA engineers.

* Leave Knoxville from the Southern Railway depot at 9:50 PM. The Carolina Special had a through Pullman to Nashville that could be boarded as early as 8:00 PM.

* Arrive in Oakdale at 11:50 PM where the Pullman was transferred to a waiting Tennessee Central train.

* Arrive in Nashville at 7:00 AM, refreshed?, and ready for business.

Coming home, a Pullman that could be occupied at 7:00 PM left at 8:00 PM with arrival back in Knoxville at 7:00 AM the next day. Erskine says that everyone considered it unsafe to take an upper berth because the Central's roadbed was so rough.

I rode the TC from Emory Gap to Crossville and back behind ex Southern Railway No. 4501 back in the seventies. The scenery was a treat, the road was squirrelly at best with spindly wood trestles high above the treetops.

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redmondkr's picture

As TVRM's excursion trains

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2007/06/01 - 4:33pm.

As TVRM's excursion trains began to get heavier in the eighties, more and more restrictions were placed on our Autumn Leaf Specials from Chattanooga to Crossville via the TC. For several years the steam locomotive was left at Emory Gap while a diesel with its lighter axle loadings took us on into Crossville and back. When passenger trains were banned completely we started running from Chattanooga to Oneida.

Restoring this shortest rail distance between Knoxville and Nashville would be difficult, and probably way too expensive to accomplish.

You're right, there will be no fast commuter rail service from here to the capitol.

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jbr's picture

What route do these folks

Submitted by jbr on Fri, 2007/06/01 - 4:59pm.

What route do these folks take between Nashville and Cookeville?

(link...)

If its feasible I would like to see something like the Amtrak Auto Train.
If I could take my car with me on train to Nashville or Chattanooga, etc it would be appealing.

On a local level a train connecting Knoxville, Maryville and Sevierville would mean wherever you stayed in those three, you could easily access the other two.

The arms rush to build road after road to Sevierville would be negated. So Pellissippi extenssion, Orange route, JWP, monies could go to train instead.

Tess's picture

Emory Gap?

Submitted by Tess on Fri, 2007/06/01 - 5:08pm.

Is that in Roane County per chance?

redmondkr's picture

Emory Gap is just south of

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2007/06/01 - 5:35pm.

Emory Gap is just south of Harriman and west of Highway 27. It is the junction where the Kingston Steam Plant spur connects with Norfolk Southern and where the TC used to connect as well.

In the eighties you could sometimes catch this lovely lady simmering there while waiting to pull an excursion train southward.

What route do these folks take between Nashville and Cookeville?

That is a restored portion of the old Tennessee Central. The destroyed portion is the eastern part where the terrain is much more difficult.

There is rail service between Knoxville and Maryville via a Norfolk Southern branch through Vestal. Passenger service could be run by the simple use of one of these, a self-propelled diesel passenger car common to Northeast commuter service.

CSX has trackage that is continuous from a point near Neyland Stadium passing fairly near the airport that could be used for passenger service in a similar manner.

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redmondkr's picture

I imagine that a line that

Submitted by redmondkr on Fri, 2007/06/01 - 6:40pm.

I imagine that a line that runs from Knoxville to Sevierville would be feasible.

Indeed there was rail service from Knoxville to Sevierville many years ago. In its last throes it was known as The O'le Slow and Easy. A few remnants of its roadbed are still visible along Chapman Highway especially around Shooks Gap. A few years ago I came across this site that chronicled some of its history but I noticed not long ago that it, too, seems to be going the way of that railroad as there are broken links to the images..

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Friends Of The Slow & Easy's picture

Smoky Mountain Railroad and predecessors

Submitted by Friends Of The Slow & Easy (not verified) on Mon, 2011/01/24 - 1:49pm.

For information concerning the former Knoxville-to-Sevierville (and beyond, at one point) shortline, please see our website at (link...)

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