My dad asked me about the background on the Clinchfield ghost train story. I’d never heard about it before, so did a little Googling to get the basics. I found links to a bunch of fictional ghost stories about a Clinchfield 4-8-2 number 311, but no seemingly legit historical information from the usual sources (not even Wikipedia! [:D]). Some of the ghost stories were clearly “fan fiction” but had quasi-historical information in them. From the scant information Google turned up it was hard to tell if it was based on actual historical events, or if the whole thing was made up. The back story involves a Frisco 4-8-2 that was loaned to the Clinchfield, then went over a bridge while hauling a train full of logs one night.
Does anybody know anything about the background of this ghost story? Is it based on actual events, or is it just some completely made up urban legend?
Gidday Dan, looks like the story is just a story. According to the Clinchfield Steam Roster, #311 was a Baldwin built 2-8-0, built in 1909 and retired and then scrapped in 1951.
From the roster it appears that the Clinchfield never had any 4-8-2 locomotives.
Thanks, Bear, that’s what I suspected. Might make a good modeling subject for a Halloween project for the layout. If only I had a spare 4-8-2 lying around! [^o)]
I know everything about 311. she was an old 4-8-2 mountain locomotive made in 1929 for the Frisco railroad as no.1513 after several hard years of work she was bought by the Campton southwestern and worked for about 5 months then the jinx hit and she got her bad reputation so she was then sent to work on the clinchfield however matters only got worse after arriving on Colorado she was then yanked off the clinch roster in late 1956 and left in an unused storage track in alcorn shop complex were she awaited her fate then she was saved by the manager of the C.S.W. when he was in search of a large freight locomotive to handle the lumber contract so she was sent to work on the mountain line but one year later she had the tragic wreck.
I have news for ya I was looking through the C.R.R. archives and it turns out 311 was a 4-8-2 mountain locomotive but she was replaced by the 2-8-0 you mentioned earlyer and I even have an eye witness to prove it my buddys grandfather worked for the clinchfield and 311 for some time was indeed a 4-8-2 untill it was sold to the C.S.W. in 1956 and replaced. The story of 311 has baffled me for years i have dedicated 4 years of my life to figuring out how the history of 311 really played out untill the reck in 1957. I also found out that the whole thing about 311 being a 2-8-0 was A big cover up due to the bad history of the original locomotive.