Brimstone & New River Railroad

The Brimstone & New River Railroad is an out-of-service railroad between the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway (CNO&TP) at New River southeast to Lone Mountain in Tennessee.

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The Brimstone Railroad ¹ was chartered by the W.M. Ritter Lumber company of Virginia, ² and followed Brimstone Creek in northern Tennessee. As typical for a logging route, each hollow featured a railroad branch, and switchbacks were used to ascend steep grades via three shay locomotives. A portion of the Brimstone was paralleled by the earlier Knoxville & New River Railroad (K&NR). ²

The K&NR was chartered on May 14, 1883, with the intent of connecting Robbins at the CNO&TP and the divide of the New River and Brimstone Creek near Lone Mountain, with a potential extension south of the Windrock Mountains to the Knoxville & Ohio Railroad. ² The proposed 13-mile narrow-gauge was completed in 1885 between Robbins and Sawdust Hollow and eventually extended to Slick Rock. The K&NR was abandoned on March 3, 1893.

The Brimstone Railroad primarily hauled timber and coal, with two underground coal mines located at Hughett and Lone Mountain. ² Timber was taken to the W.M. Ritter Mill at New River and later to a mill in Verdun.

The CNO&TP completed a new high-level bridge over the New River near Robbins, and several miles of the CNO&TP was abandoned. ^3a A portion was left intact to allow access by the Brimstone. ²

The railroad was reorganized as the Brimstone & New River Railroad in 1965, ¹ and as the New River Railway in 1966 after the W.M. Ritter Company was acquired by Georgia Pacific Corporation. ² The line was purchased by the CNO&TP in 1970.

Traffic along the New River Railway became increasingly scarce because the high-sulfur coal found in the region had become less desirable and the last active coal mine along the route closed in 1980. ² Most of the New River has since been dismantled.

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Sources

1. “Scott County’s History.” Scott County. 22 Apr. 2010 Article.
2. Storey, G. Allen. “The Railroads in Scott County.” FNB Chronicle 14.4 (Summer 2003): n. pag. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. Article.
3. “August 1963 Ties.” Southern Railfan. Southern Railway System Magazine, Aug. 1963. Web. 22 Apr. 2010. Article.
   3a. “Helenwood to Robbins, Tenn.” Article.