The Early Years - Southern Railway
T. E. Goodin was born in the year ending Reconstruction. During the Civil War, dubbed "the Railroad War," railroads were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. Between 1890 and 1911, Southern railroad trackage increased from 2676 miles to 4070 miles.
The first railroad in Greene County was the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, (incorporated in 1848) which connected to the East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad. This provided a route from Bristol to Atlanta. In 1869, the two merged to become the East Tennessee Virginia and Georgia Railroad.
Photo: L to R: Charles Collette (?), John Snapp, John Curtis, Engineer, Dave Bowers, Conductor, Tom Goodin, Brakeman, Will Sisk.
According to the Southern Railway Historical Association, Southern Railway was created in 1894, largely from the financially-stressed Richmond & Danville system and the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad. The company owned two-thirds of the 4,400 miles of line it operated, and the rest was held through leases, operating agreements and stock ownership.
Goodin began his lifelong career on the railroad on November 5, 1898. Employed by Southern Railway, he was promoted to Conductor less than three years later on July 19, 1901. According to a train order dated August 19, 1901, Goodin made his first run on this date.
The small regulation form to the left, relative to coupling and uncoupling cars, was signed by Goodin on November 19, 1898.
The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, originally established as the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen, September 23, 1883, was a labor organization formed for the purpose of negotiating contracts with railroad managers and providing insurance for members.
"T. E. Goodin joined the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen shortly after going to work for Southern Railway out of Knoxville. He remained with them until his promotion to Conductor, then he withdrew July 22, 1902. On July 28th, he was issued his membership card with the Conductors."
Originating as the Conductor's Union in 1868, The Order of Railway Conductors of America (ORC) was the first organization of its kind to offer representation between conductors and the railway. The membership was later extended to brakemen. Men on the Illinois Central Railroad are credited with founding the organization, which had less than one hundred members. According to a book entitled, Railway Conductors A Study in Organized Labor, by Edwin Clyde Robbins, membership increased to 1000 by 1872, and by 1912, membership had increased to nearly 48,000. "There were absolutely no general rules regarding wages. There was apparently no connection between the wages paid and the number of hours that a conductor worked." The length of a workday was unpredictable due to poorly compiled train schedules, crude dispatching, which caused trains to wait for hours, frail engines, which led to engine failure, a lack of strategically placed water tanks and coal chutes, a lack of air brakes, which "necessitated rough handling," and, in turn, caused the link and pin couplings to snap. The pulling of drawbars was almost a daily occurrence." Conductors had to be prepared to work up to 18 hours. This inevitably led to overwork and loss of sleep, thereby causing more railroad accidents.
"Goodin was a member of the Order of Railway Conductors for 61 years. In 1909, he became a Charter member of Clinchfield Division No. 545, Order of Railway Conductors, a Division of Johnson City, Tennessee." The cost of charter fees was $60.
ORC membership cards for Goodin, from 1902 to 1963, are in the John Goodin Papers housed in the Archives of Appalachia.
After sharing a depot with the ET&WNC, Southern Railway built a new station in the heart of downtown Johnson City in 1912. The passenger station and freight depot address was originally listed as Buffalo near Railroad in the 1908 Directory, the same as ET&WNC. Between 1917 and 1960, the address changed several times and was listed as: "between Market and Roan," 220 North Railroad Avenue, 200 Railroad Avenue, and 218 Railroad Avenue. The freight depot was listed at 100 Wellbourne.
According to Sonya A. Haskins in, Johnson City, this station was demolished in 1973.
"In July 1927, Goodin became Senior Conductor and General Chairman of Div. 545 of the O.R.C., in which capacity, he was spokesman for the Union in all of its dealings with the Railroad. Records indicate he was a strong, but fair, representative in bargaining with the railroad."
During the 1930s, the railroad was in decline due to the increase of automobile production, as well as the stock market crash of 1929. Passenger travel had declined by half between 1916 and 1930. Wages were cut by ten percent. This document is an agreement between the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and the Carolina Clinchfield Railway as to the exact earning limitations of trainmen and yardmen.
Train Orders Listing Goodin as Conductor
TRAIN ORDER No. 35
Superintendent's Office Knoxville, August 9, 1901
Train No. 83
At Washburn Station
No. fifty two (52) Engine 216 will meet No. Eighty three (83) Engine 107 at Tazewell
Conductor: Goodin
Engineer: Foley
Train: No 83
Made: Complete
Time: 12:21 p.m.
Operator: O. A. Farris
TRAIN ORDER No. 23
Superintendent's Office Knoxville, August 17, 1901
Train No. 84
At Cumberland Gap Tenn
No. forty-seven (47) Engine 402 will meet No. Eighty four (84) Engine 107 at Arthur.
Conductor: Goodin
Engineer:
Train:
Made: Complete
Time: 9:18 p.m.
Operator: Ware
TRAIN ORDER No. 57
Superintendent's Office Knoxville, June 27, 1902
Train No. 93
At Bridgeport
Second No. Ninety Three (93) Engine 137 will meet First No. Ninety Four (94) Engine 154 at Leadvale and Second No. Ninety-Four (94) Engine 432 at White Pine
Conductor: Goodin
Engineer: Riney
Train: 2nd 93
Made: Complete
Time: 7:04 p.m.
Operator: Julian
Record of Personal Injuries
The railroad kept meticulous records of injuries as is evidenced by the journal below. The name, occupation, place of occurrence, extent of the injury, train number, cause and disposition or cost of the claim are listed.
A spark in the eye was a common injury for engineers and brakemen. According to Gary Emmert, a 43-year railroad veteran, "in the old days you had to look out [the window] when the train was going around a curve. Well, back in those days they had steel wheels, steel rails, and it would throw threads. Me and my eye doctor got to be on a first name basis. Everybody did, because they put you in the chair, and you'd lean your head back, and they'd use magnets and pull it all out and clean the rust up."
Head, shoulder, finger, heel, back and leg injuries were common. Most of the causes listed were: wrecks, being knocked up against a car due to a sudden stop, stepping between cars, flying debris, such as lumps of coal and falling rocks, heavy tools being dropped, jumping on and off the train, etc.
One man was scalded due to a drain pipe being opened.
Two fatal injuries listed in 1918 were caused by being "mashed under a car in wreck" and "knocked between engine and flat car."
One man's finger was cut off while lifting cross ties from a car. The cause was listed as "carelessness."
To view the full page, click twice on the journal.
Accounts Payable document signed by George L. Carter.
Southern Railway Train
Southern Railway Main Tracks - Looking West (toward Atlanta) from Church Street overhead bridge. Charleston & Western Carolina (C&WC) connection on left. Southern Railway Spartanburg passenger station in background.
Southern Railway Train Penetrating the Blue Ridge.
Southern Railway Train No. 41 Wrecked Near Mohawk, in Greene County Tennessee, August 12, 1901