TRAINS OF ETOWAH
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Southern Railway 3457, circa 1914-1916, passing through Etowah
Originally built by Rogers Locomotive in 1890, serial number 4277 and was called a "ten wheeler", 4 pilot or pony truck wheels and 6 drive wheels, a 4-6-0. First, she was built for and carried the number 13 with the Louisville Southern Railroad on their Kennesaw Route (Georgia). She then moved to the CNO&TP (Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway), renumbered to 543, and was used somewhere on their railroad between Chattanooga, TN and Cincinnati, OH. Then, she was assigned number 315 in 1896, followed by number 1457 after Southern Railway was created and moved to Western North Carolina. Her last renumbering was done in 1903, and she kept the 3457 number until she was scrapped at Salisbury, NC at the Spencer Shops in October 1916. Pictured here on the fireman’s side of the cab, beneath the number 3457, would have been the words Transylvania Division. Text by Jerry Ledford. Photo courtesy of the Gash collection. |
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Carr Lumber Co. Climax #2, beside present day Eubank Road in Etowah, April 22, 1934
"The railroad joined with the Southern Railway at Etowah and ran through the present day golf course. Eubank Road near the golf course is on the old railroad grade. The locomotives were stored and serviced just off Eubank Road as well." J. Ledford Photo courtesy of J. Ledford collection. |
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Two Carr Lumber Company Climax Locomotives, circa mid 1930s, parked near or beside present Eubank Road in Etowah, out of service, after Carr had ceased logging by rail. To the right on the same track is a Clyde steam powered log skidder. The Clyde skidder was built by Clyde Iron Works in Duluth, Minnesota. Clyde skidders were used many places in the US and were very popular. The skidder carried over 3000 feet of steel cable, which was used to haul in logs to the railroad from areas where animal power couldn't reach. Also of note are the diamond shaped smokestacks on the engines, unusual as these are the only Climax engines with them found at this time in Western North Carolina. The diamond stacks are Radley and Hunter Spark arresting stacks. They prevented the sparks from setting fires in the woods. And as you can see in the photograph of number 2, there are two pipes on each side of the stack to let the cinders drain out. Text by Jerry Ledford. Photo courtesy of the Gash collection. |
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This hand-drawn, not-to-scale map shows the spurs to the Moland Drysdale Brickyard in Etowah & Carr Lumber in Mills River, both marked "abandoned." Lower right notes identify successive ownership of the railroad:
H&BRRT&T - Hendersonville & Brevard Rail Road Telegraph & Telephone Co., Transylvania RR, Southern Ry (NS). Photo courtesy of the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library - Joe Paxton Railroad Collection. Year unknown. |