Nostalgia & History > Originating traffic on the Clinchfield

Back in the 1970s, I would occasionally see Clinchfield boxcars, advertising their "cushioned car" status, in D&H freight trains.  I knew enough at the time to know that CRR was mostly a coal road.  We never saw Clinchfield hoppers until the Chessie System merger took hold.

So what was CRR shipping in boxcars?  I want to say something like hardwood furniture, which was a big industry down there.  I'm now modeling the D&H of the 1970s, and would like to have waybills for those CRR boxcars that I bought a few years back.

Anybody have info on this?

I referred this question to Dominic Bourgeois, Author of the 2 volume set 'D&H Bridge Line Freight" by Railroad Explorer; and this was his reply.

"My D&H waybill database, which comes from the Operations SIG and only covers cars transiting through Allentown Yard, only contains this entry for Clinchfield boxcars: NE8404/01/1977   CRR7202XLKingsportTNMead CorpRourke ENO Paper CoWilmingtonMACRR NW WM CR DH BM Printing Paper But furniture to Albany, Boston, Montreal or anywhere else furniture could be distributed is a good possibility too.
 
Dom"

So either printing paper or Furniture would be relevant.

Brian N.

Didn't know there was a paper mill on CRR. Any idea where it was?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/18/17 05:34 by march_hare.

Hi,

Some of the Clinchfield RR boxcars were in pools assigned to off line customers:
Some CRR boxcars were stenciled to return to Palatka, Florida (on the ACL) which
has a Georgia-Pacific paper mill.

Industries on the Clinchfield itself included a large Tennessee Eastman chemical
plant; a Mead Corp (now Domtar) pulp/paper mill and the Blue Ridge Glass
plant in Kingsport, TN.  There was a large military munitions facility nearby also.  
All those could have generated boxcar loads, especially for DF or similar equiped cars.

Don

 

When working the Tidewater Southern (late 70s), we periodically got Clinchfield boxcar loads of wooden spools going to American Thread in Turlock, CA.

Thanks to all (including a few responses off list). I learned a bit from this, will apply to layout planning.