O&W Bridge - Big South Fork (black & white)

The Oneida & Western Railroad ran from Oneida, TN westward to Jamestown. The primary goal was to haul coal. Despite being a short line, the railroad had many difficult gorges and hollows to navigate. One such construction project was the bridge you see here, which crosses the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, at a picturesque spot of river rapids. This bridge is a Whipple Through truss built by the Nashville Bridge Co. and placed here in 1915

Railroad Travel was officially abandoned along the line in 1953. Later on, much of the area was encompassed by the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Eventually this bridge became more easily accessible. To get here, start in Oneida and head west. Specifically find O&W road, which out of town becomes a 6 mile long gravel road that is the old O&W railroad bed. The NPS converted this bridge into something you can drive over. With its nice wooden planks, it was scary enough to walk across as it creaks under your feet and you can see the gaps in the wood. I couldn;t imagine driving over it, but a few SUVs and trucks did in the hour I was here.

Finally, here's a link to a video of the area:
mms.nps.gov/ram/ser/grogefly.wmv

Jamestown, TN Depot

Ths depot was built by the Oneida & Western Railroad when they decided to extend their line another 7 miles past their previous end of East Jamestown in 1930. O&W was started by the Tennessee Stave and Lumber Company, but their railroad soon started losing money after extending to Jamestown. Passengers could board a train here and take the 37 mile trip to Oneida and from there connect to Southern Railway.

In 1942 O&W was sold to Crown-Healy Company of Illinois on news that TVA was planning to build a dam on Wolf Creek near Jamestown. WWII delayed building that dam until 1946, and by then, another building company had won the bid for the dam project.

Then, Jewel Ridge Coal Corporation bought the line when coal mines were proposed in the area, but this did not amount to enough business. The last train left this station on March 2, 1954.

Later, this depot was sold and used as a business, hence the Nutrena sign on the front. Today, the building is vacant.