Louisville & Nashville/ Family Lines Knoxville Division: Corbin, Ky To Knoxville, Tn (to Etowah, Tn)

Discussion in 'Route Suggestions & Proposals' started by Daniel Gibbs, Nov 17, 2022.

  1. Daniel Gibbs

    Daniel Gibbs Active Member

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    I would like to send another route proposal to DTG, as well as the 3rd party devs. The 105-mile section of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad's Knoxville Division from Corbin, Kentucky to Knoxville, Tennessee, or maybe even the entire 161-mile route from Corbin all the way to Etowah, Tennessee. This line is known today as the CSX KD Subdivision.

    While railroads had reached Knoxville by 1855, the L&N did not have direct access to the city until the early 1900's, due to its rivalry with the Southern Railway and its predecessors. The Southern Railway controlled much of the rail traffic south of the Tennessee-Kentucky border, while the L&N controlled much of the traffic north of the border, and the two railroads continuously thwarted one another's attempts to expand beyond this border. In an 1894 meeting, L&N President Milton Smith and Southern President Samuel Spencer agreed not to encroach upon each other's market.

    Shortly after the 1894 agreement, Spencer was named president of the Cincinnati, New Orleans, & Texas Pacific Railway, essentially giving the Southern (of which Spencer remained president) access to the L&N's Kentucky and Ohio markets. Deeming the agreement void, the L&N made plans to build a direct line from Cincinnati, OH to Atlanta, GA by way of Knoxville, as well as through Corbin. In 1902, the L&N purchased the Atlanta, Knoxville, & Northern Railroad, which connected Knoxville to the Western and Atlantic at Marietta, GA, and began construction of a line from Jellico, TN to Knoxville, which was completed in 1905.

    The L&N planned an elegant Knoxville station to rival the Southern Terminal, which had been erected at the Southern railyard along Depot Street. The L&N completed a freight depot in 1904, and began construction of the passenger station that same year. The station was designed by the L&N Engineering Department, headed by Irish immigrant and Royal College of Science for Ireland graduate Richard Monfort, who was largely responsible for the station's Victorian and chateauesque elements. The station formally opened on April 10, 1905.

    One of the passenger trains that ran this line was The Flamingo. The Flamingo was jointly operated by the L&N and the Atlantic Coast Line (ACL) Railroad between Cincinnati, OH and Jacksonville, FL. Its inaugural run was on September 27, 1925. Sadly, by the late 1960's, passenger service on the L&N began to decline. On March 7, 1968, The Flamingo made its last run and was shut down for good.

    During the 1970’s, freight traffic on the L&N RR was significant, but coal movements were booming. Shipment after shipment of coal was moving south to the huge power plants in the southeastern US and the L&N was beginning to feel the demands of the added traffic. The L&N had suffered from a shortage of motive power for some time and many older units were being kept around longer than expected. The L&N had a partnership with the Seaboard Coast Line and this provided a source for some of the much needed motive power. But this was not enough to meet the demands of increased traffic. The L&N needed more power and this came in the form of leased units from other roads, including Southern Pacific, Canadian National, and Penn Central.

    The K&A Division headquarters is located in Knoxville, TN and during the 70’s, there were around 500 manufacturing plants in the Knoxville metro area. This creates plenty of traffic for the railroads in the Knoxville area. Both the L&N and Southern Railway had yards in Knoxville which provided a significant amount of interchange traffic. Knoxville had 2 industrial subdivisions served by the L&N, Neyland Drive and Middlebrook Pike, which provided plenty of work for the switchers. About 25 rail miles north of Knoxville is Oak Ridge, TN, The Atomic City, and site of the Museum of Atomic Energy. With large atomic production and research facilities, Oak Ridge is a major employer in the area. Just south of Oak Ridge is the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bull Run Steam plant. Bull Run was served by the L&N with bright orange unit trains loaded with coal for steam production. Further north on the line are the towns of La Follette, TN and Morely, TN. Morely has a small yard to serve the Clairfield Branch, a good coal producer.

    Corbin, KY is also home to a very big railyard. Corbin also has a train station that was built in 1921, which was also one of The Flamingo's passenger stops until it faded into history. Nowadays, the station is used for conference and community rooms. The railroad was the backbone of the local economy in the first half of the 20th century. While the railroad (presently CSX) continues to play an important role, the decline of the rail industry in the latter half of the 20th century, as well as the loss of some manufacturing jobs, has prompted the community to begin diversifying its economy.

    By the 1980's, the L&N faded into history and became part of the Seaboard System and eventually CSX. But even today, the Knoxville Division, known today as the KD Subdivision by CSX, still sees plenty of freight traffic. The KD Subdivision still plays an important role in freight traffic between Cincinnati and Atlanta.

    While the CSX era would be great, I would most definitely like to see this route set in the L&N/Family Lines era.

    Select locomotive suggestions for the route...
    - CSX Era: GE ES44AH, GE ET44AH, EMD GP38-2, EMD SD40-2, EMD SD70M(AC), GE AC4400CW

    - L&N/Family Lines Era: ALCO Centuries, GE U30C, GE U25C, GE U25B, EMD SD40(-2), EMD SD35, EMD GP38(-2), EMD GP7/GP9, EMD SW Switchers
     
    Last edited: Feb 2, 2023
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  2. NEC Railfan

    NEC Railfan Well-Known Member

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    I could see this being another High Iron release with DTM-bundled stock.
     
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  3. Daniel Gibbs

    Daniel Gibbs Active Member

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    Who knows, man? They actually have some big projects in the works. But I'll let them be a surprise!
     
  4. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Etowah to Corbin was the keynote route in the old Trainmaster 3 text/side scrolling sim. Would love to see it given a proper graphical representation.
     
  5. jedi247

    jedi247 Well-Known Member

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    The old Alcos and GE U-Boats would be great engines to see in TSC. Perhaps we could see versions made in other liveries as well.
     
  6. Daniel Gibbs

    Daniel Gibbs Active Member

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    Did I also forget to mention that Kentucky and Tennessee are a big gap in TSC content?
     
  7. AndTheBest

    AndTheBest Active Member

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    I readed a bit of this route suggestion, but I really like it, regarding the locomotive a part the one you suggested it would fit also the EMD GP9 (508-510, 501-507, 523-532, 533 and 534 this aren't the original road number of the L&N but are renumbered) and EMD GP30 (1000-1028, 1029-1048, 1049-1057, 1058-1060, 1061-1069 and 1070). 39692530201_4358cb0f60_b.jpg 803806825_f69466ff5c_b.jpg 31850721395_101d078a23_b.jpg 5f1bcf881b3d92285f3592a275b93f2c.jpg
     
  8. Daniel Gibbs

    Daniel Gibbs Active Member

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    Ohh, yes! I forgot all about that! Yes, the GP7's and GP9's would fit well with it, too! I edited the post and added the GP7/GP9.
     
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  9. Daniel Gibbs

    Daniel Gibbs Active Member

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    I can't agree more!
     
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