SOU 5234  Contributor's Pick!       
Old Roe Junction spur
Date: 1/28/1984 Location: Morristown, TN Views: 880 Collection Of:   Johnny Winkler
Locomotives: SOU 5234(GP38-2)    Author:  Johnny Winkler
SOU 5234
Picture Categories: Action This picture is part of album:  Southern Railway and Norfolk Southern 1980s
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User Comments
Name Type Comments Date
Benjamin Schlechter General During the last years that line was in existence, I never saw a train on it. From what I've heard, that used to be a link to the S-Line for passenger trains between Knoxville and Asheville. 7/30/2012 6:19:56 PM
Johnny Winkler General In the teens and 1920s this was Morristown's deadliest rr crossing. The Asheville line was one of Southern's busiest lines and accidents happened right here untill the "New Line" opened in 1925 and the Asheville line freights bypassed Morristown. 7/31/2012 2:37:27 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General So, for the last years after passenger service was discontinued, until 1994, this line was used to haul junk over to the junkyard? 8/7/2012 9:39:31 PM
Johnny Winkler General My dad had a business on Cumberland St so I grew up walking these tracks in the late 70s-early 80s. I can remember an occasional boxcar or two in the late 70s.Around 1981 the entire spur was used to store old 40 foot boxcars that were later turned into flat cars at Knoxville's Coster shops.After that it was a long period of non use untill the scrap yard was built and later started shipping by rail. 8/8/2012 11:34:30 AM
Benjamin Schlechter General Too bad it was abandoned though. They could've still been making money of shipping scrap. I think though if they had left the line alone, they should've put up signals and gates and some of the crossings, especially Morris Blvd. 8/17/2012 10:51:47 PM
Johnny Winkler General Norfolk Southern and other class 1 railroads don't like to fool with customers that only give them a few loads a week.They view every switch track as a potential derailment. 8/18/2012 7:32:08 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General How many boxcars was Sou 5234 pulling? I wanted to know what the old Louise Avenue bridge looked like before they closed off the area and filled in? 8/20/2012 10:54:12 PM
Johnny Winkler General Just the one car. I can remember several times when a GP38 loco would go down the spur and retrieve loaded scrap gondolas.Then later would return with empty gondolas for the scrapyard.There was no type of switch at the end,just the original cut mainline. 8/21/2012 5:35:08 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General Going out in Roe Junction on Sulphur Springs Road, I can picture where that spur used to connect with the rest of the Asheville line. 8/23/2012 11:00:28 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General Is NS still using 5234 or did it end up getting scrapped? 9/16/2012 3:08:28 PM
Johnny Winkler General 5234 is still on the NS roster.I heard this will be among the last group of ex -Southern units to be rebuilt with low hoods within the next two years. 9/17/2012 5:15:42 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General What did the Louise Ave bridge look like before the spur was taken up? 9/21/2012 8:24:34 PM
Johnny Winkler General I wish I had taken a picture. It was made of wood and the last time I walked under it around 1988 it still had steam soot stained on the underside. 9/24/2012 3:16:50 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General When did it burn down or was taken out? 9/30/2012 5:24:45 PM
Johnny Winkler General I can't remember the exact year,around the late 90s maybe even 2000. 9/30/2012 11:20:03 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General I remember around that time that access from S. Cumberland to Louise Avenue was blocked off. I am sure that the New Line saved downtown from additional hassles of signals and gates. 10/3/2012 6:04:44 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General How often did you spot a train on this line prior to its abandonment? 11/20/2012 9:59:23 PM
Johnny Winkler General I was never able to get away from work for a photo. But I think the sc rapyard was shipping 3 cars of shredded scrap every 2-3 weeks when NS suddenly pulled up the line. A rr emploee told my dad that upper management had not approved of recent maintenance approved on the local level. 11/21/2012 8:42:19 PM
Johnny Winkler General This was after years of total disuse. 11/21/2012 8:44:11 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General It's also a shame that this line was not also kept up for Bristol to Asheville train traffic. Then again, the Bristol/Asheville trains went down the Clinchfield, switched to the BL line at Bulls Gap, or went to Knoxville and switched onto an Asheville bound train. 2/17/2013 5:52:30 PM
Benjamin Schlechter General I wonder which would've been more fun to Asheville bound trains at, here or at Newline? 6/3/2013 2:26:22 PM
Mason Soliday General This unit was wrecked in 2001 and retired in 2002 6/17/2023 12:05:00 PM

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