Interstate Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Interstate Railroad was a railroad in the southwest part of the U.S. state
of Virginia
. It extended from the Clinchfield Railroad
at Miller Yard in northeastern Scott County north and west to Appalachia and north to the main yard
at Andover, with many branches to the north into the mountains. The company still exists as an operating subsidiary
of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, but is operated as if it were a Norfolk Southern Railway
line.
and Powell River
, with only one summit, at Norton, between those two rivers.
The railroad began at the Clinchfield Railroad
's Miller Yard, along the Clinch River
between Dungannon and Carfax. It started off paralleling the Clinchfield to the northeast until its crossing of the Guest River
(the line between Scott County and Wise County). The Interstate crossed the Guest River and split away to the north, running first along its east shore and then along its west shore and through the short Swede Tunnel. The Interstate crossed the Guest River again, where the river turned west, and continued north through another tunnel to Maytown.
At Maytown, the railroad turned west, continuing to follow the Guest River (and crossing it several times) via Riverview
, Tacoma, Ramsey
, and Hawthorne to Norton, where it interchanged with the Norfolk and Western Railway
and Louisville and Nashville Railroad
.
The Interstate ran west from Norton to Dooley, where it interchanged with the L&N again (at Dorchester Junction). From there it generally paralleled the Powell River
past Josephine, Blackwood, and Kelly View to Appalachia. There it interchanged with the Southern Railway
and again with the L&N and turned north alongside Callahan Creek to the main yard at Andover. Several branches continued north alongside creeks, ending at Wentz, Roda, and Derby.
Other branches left the mainline east of Norton (to Glamorgan and Dixiana), at Dorchester Junction (to Needmore), and east of Kelly View at Kent Junction (to Roaring Fork and Pardee). These branches all ran north alongside waterways; the one to Dixiana used the valley of the Guest River, and the one to Needmore ran along the Powell River.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. It extended from the Clinchfield Railroad
Clinchfield Railroad
The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina...
at Miller Yard in northeastern Scott County north and west to Appalachia and north to the main yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
at Andover, with many branches to the north into the mountains. The company still exists as an operating subsidiary
Operating subsidiary
An operating subsidiary is a business term frequently used within the United States in corporate profile descriptions. In the railroad industry, for example, it refers to a company that is a subsidiary but operates with its own identity and rolling stock...
of the Norfolk Southern Corporation, but is operated as if it were a Norfolk Southern Railway
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
line.
Route description
The Interstate Railroad generally followed the valleys of the Guest RiverGuest River
The Guest River is a short tributary of the Clinch River in southwestern Virginia in the United States. It is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River by way of the Clinch, Tennessee and Ohio Rivers...
and Powell River
Powell River (Virginia)
The Powell River in the United States rises in southwest Virginia and flows into East Tennessee.The river rises in rural Wise County, Virginia near the Laurel Grove community northwest of Norton and flows for several miles before the confluence with Roaring Fork in the Kent Junction community...
, with only one summit, at Norton, between those two rivers.
The railroad began at the Clinchfield Railroad
Clinchfield Railroad
The Clinchfield Railroad was an operating and holding company for the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway . The line ran from the coalfields of Virginia and Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to the textile mills of South Carolina...
's Miller Yard, along the Clinch River
Clinch River
The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
between Dungannon and Carfax. It started off paralleling the Clinchfield to the northeast until its crossing of the Guest River
Guest River
The Guest River is a short tributary of the Clinch River in southwestern Virginia in the United States. It is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River by way of the Clinch, Tennessee and Ohio Rivers...
(the line between Scott County and Wise County). The Interstate crossed the Guest River and split away to the north, running first along its east shore and then along its west shore and through the short Swede Tunnel. The Interstate crossed the Guest River again, where the river turned west, and continued north through another tunnel to Maytown.
At Maytown, the railroad turned west, continuing to follow the Guest River (and crossing it several times) via Riverview
Riverview, Wise County, Virginia
Riverview is a census-designated place in Wise County, Virginia, just southwest of Coeburn. The population as of the 2010 Census was 782....
, Tacoma, Ramsey
Ramsey, Virginia
Ramsey is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States.-References:*...
, and Hawthorne to Norton, where it interchanged with the Norfolk and Western Railway
Norfolk and Western Railway
The Norfolk and Western Railway , a US class I railroad, was formed by more than 200 railroad mergers between 1838 and 1982. It had headquarters in Roanoke, Virginia for most of its 150 year existence....
and Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
.
The Interstate ran west from Norton to Dooley, where it interchanged with the L&N again (at Dorchester Junction). From there it generally paralleled the Powell River
Powell River (Virginia)
The Powell River in the United States rises in southwest Virginia and flows into East Tennessee.The river rises in rural Wise County, Virginia near the Laurel Grove community northwest of Norton and flows for several miles before the confluence with Roaring Fork in the Kent Junction community...
past Josephine, Blackwood, and Kelly View to Appalachia. There it interchanged with the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
and again with the L&N and turned north alongside Callahan Creek to the main yard at Andover. Several branches continued north alongside creeks, ending at Wentz, Roda, and Derby.
Other branches left the mainline east of Norton (to Glamorgan and Dixiana), at Dorchester Junction (to Needmore), and east of Kelly View at Kent Junction (to Roaring Fork and Pardee). These branches all ran north alongside waterways; the one to Dixiana used the valley of the Guest River, and the one to Needmore ran along the Powell River.