Oneida and Western Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Oneida & Western Railroad, known as the Oneida & Western or O&W, was a short coal
and goods hauling railroad that ran between Oneida
and Jamestown, Tennessee
. It was prosperous during the 1920s
, hauling coal and lumber
and provided groceries and mail to residents along the O&W in the remote gorges and hollow
s of Scott and Fentress counties. The line also provided a passenger service that at the time, was the most efficient way to travel.
In the 1940s
the Wolf Creek Dam
project was a ray of hope for the O&W, but World War II
ended that hope and the project was lost along with the large investment made by the railroad's owners. Abandonment was announced in 1946, however the Jewell Ridge Mine purchased the railroad and held on to it until 1953 when it was officially abandoned due to sagging business in the area.
Local citizens opposed the railroad's abandonment, however the implementation of better highway and trucks were a considerable competitor, local citizens and former employees blamed poor management as the cause for abandonment.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and goods hauling railroad that ran between Oneida
Oneida, Tennessee
Oneida is a town in Scott County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,615 at the 2000 census.Oneida is known for its proximity to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area...
and Jamestown, Tennessee
Jamestown, Tennessee
Jamestown is a city in Fentress County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Fentress County. The city population was 1,839 at the 2000 census. The 2008 estimated population is about 2,300.-History:...
. It was prosperous during the 1920s
1920s
File:1920s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Third Tipperary Brigade Flying Column No. 2 under Sean Hogan during the Irish Civil War; Prohibition agents destroying barrels of alcohol in accordance to the 18th amendment, which made alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the entire decade; In...
, hauling coal and lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and provided groceries and mail to residents along the O&W in the remote gorges and hollow
Hollow
-A noun:*A non-closed body which is not solid or filled. i.e. contains empty space or air.**Hollow Earth theory, the idea that the planet Earth has a hollow interior and possibly an inhabitable inner surface....
s of Scott and Fentress counties. The line also provided a passenger service that at the time, was the most efficient way to travel.
In the 1940s
1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
the Wolf Creek Dam
Wolf Creek Dam
The Wolf Creek Dam is a multi-purpose dam on the Cumberland River in the western part of Russell County, Kentucky, United States. The dam serves at once four distinct purposes: it generates hydroelectricity; it regulates and limits flooding; it releases stored water to permit year-round navigation...
project was a ray of hope for the O&W, but World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended that hope and the project was lost along with the large investment made by the railroad's owners. Abandonment was announced in 1946, however the Jewell Ridge Mine purchased the railroad and held on to it until 1953 when it was officially abandoned due to sagging business in the area.
Local citizens opposed the railroad's abandonment, however the implementation of better highway and trucks were a considerable competitor, local citizens and former employees blamed poor management as the cause for abandonment.
Further reading
- Oneida and Western Railroad at Abandoned