 1890 map of the East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Southeastern United States |
| Dates of operation | 1869–1894 |
| Predecessor | East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad |
| Successor | Southern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Previous gauge | 5 ft (1,524 mm) American Civil War era and converted to 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm) in 1886[1] |
The East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad (ETV&G) was a rail transport system that operated in the southeastern United States during the late 19th century. Created with the consolidation of the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad and the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad in 1869, the ETV&G played an important role in connecting East Tennessee and other isolated parts of Southern Appalachia with the rest of the country, and helped make Knoxville one of the region's major wholesaling centers. In 1894, the ETV&G merged with the Richmond and Danville Railroad to form the Southern Railway.[2]
While efforts to establish a railroad in East Tennessee began in the 1830s, financial difficulties stalled construction until the late 1840s. The East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad was built between 1847 and 1859, connecting Knoxville, Tennessee, with Dalton, Georgia.[3] The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad was built between 1850 and 1856, connecting Knoxville with Bristol, Tennessee.[3] Knoxville financier Charles McClung McGhee formed a syndicate which purchased both lines to form the ETV&G in 1869, and largely through McGhee's efforts, the new ETV&G bought out numerous other rail lines across the region.[2] By 1890, the ETV&G controlled over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) of tracks in five states.[4]
- ^ "The Days They Changed the Gauge". Southern Railfan.
- ^ a b East Tennessee Historical Society (1972). Rothrock, Mary (ed.). The French Broad-Holston Country: A History of Knox County, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 100–111, 226–231.
- ^ a b Interstate Commerce Commission. Southern Ry. Co., Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 220. Washington: United States Government Printing Office, 1932. OCLC 297351688.
- ^ East Tennessee Historical Society (1976). Deaderick, Lucile (ed.). Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 192–199.