NS Jellico Branch - Kopper-Glo Coal

As many branch lines go they are seldom photographed for their sparse traffic. In recent weeks unit coal trains have been pounding the rail heads down on the former Southern Railway Jellico Branch. Constructed as part of the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad (K&O), the line ran from Knoxville, Tennessee to Jellico, Tennessee where it connects to the CSXT (Former L&N) KD Subdivision.

Today, it merely known as the Jellico Branch and serves a few industries along the way. A local originating in Clinton, Tennessee, where the branch begins by splitting off the K&O main, services those small industries.

It also serves the purpose of bringing unit coal trains from a remote load out in Clairfield, Tennessee. Those trains typically go up the branch with 100 empty coal hoppers and a vast assortment of locomotives in tow. Departing the John Sevier Yard in Knoxville, Tennessee the empty unit train, running under the symbol NS 787, heads south through Beverly before reaching the K&O at Coster. From there the train proceeds in a westerly direction to Clinton where it will diverge from the K&O main in a northern direction towards Jellico, Tennessee. In Jellico, the train crosses into Kentucky while swinging completely around in a southern direction arriving at Lot. From Lot, the train pulls onto the CSX KD Subdivision with trackage rights for a short 7 or 8 mile trip to the Wye just north of Morely, Tennessee. Hitting the north leg of the wye the train will turn east immediately into a solid rock tunnel starting down the Clear Fork Branch. Once past Eagan, Tennessee the train will arrive at the Kopper-Glo branch at Clairfield, Tennessee.

The train will be loaded and sent down in 2 cuts of 50 loaded hoppers, each with half of the locomotives it went up with. The two trains will return in the opposite order.

Starting in Clinton, Tennessee an empty Loudon grain train departs the siding across the Clinch river after having to cut its power off to shove a loaded counter part up Copper Ridge. After heading west through Clinton the empty grain train will turn north at Harriman Junction and go up the CNO&TP for a trip up the Rathole.

NS 787 finally arrives after the grain train past and the West End Dispatcher lining the switch and giving an aspect on the signal in downtown. The coal empties swing north at the depot at the beginning of The Jellico Branch.

At Lake City, Tennessee the the train makes plenty of noise heading in the yard where the Bryceville Branch once split off to serve a load out to the west.

South of Caryville, Tennessee at a track chart location called Vasper a double track bridge is seen going over 25W in sharp curve an steep grade. The train passes here heading north before going through Indian Gap, the location of a large inaccessible deep cut and abandoned tunnel. The second bridge was a siding for a junction to the Ivydale Branch. The branch followed the KD Subdivision closely into La Follette before swinging west into the mountains.

North Caryville, Tennessee at a track chart location called Silica a large bridge over a creek that follows the gorge is seen with the train going over it.

Just South of Pioneer, Tennessee at a track chart location called Hickey the train pulls hard up the grade with only his first 2 units running.

After the train crests the grade at Pioneer, Tennessee and goes through the Pioneer Tunnel a long downgrade through Elk Valley ensues as the train passes over a creek along Red Cut Road at the bottom of the hill.

At Newcomb, Tennessee a coal loader that just shutdown this past year is seen with some stored coal hoppers. This was as far as the T-35 would go before the load out shutdown.

Darkness falls at High Cliff Road as 787 pulls off the Jellico Branch at Lot a half mile north of here onto the KD Subdivision. The rest of the trip to Clairfield will be in darkness.

The next day, the first cut of 50 loaded hoppers has already departed south and has went by Knoxville. The second cut left Kopper-Glo in the early afternoon. The second cut appears out of the tunnel at Pioneer, Tennessee with the 3rd unit from the train the day before leading.

Back at the bridge at Silica we get a near track level view of the south bound loaded train.

Our last sighting was at Lake City, Tennessee as we set up on the south leg of the old Wye for the Bryceville Branch. A crisp new cast P-5 horn sears the air of Rocky Top before disappearing into the night.

Enjoy!