From 1986, this 2″ pinback recognizes a campaign to keep Conrail alive, after a takeover attempt by Norfolk-Western. In 1987, Conrail was released by the government to become a private enterprise. As of the late 1990’s, both CSX and Norfolk-Southern share ownership of Conrail.
This is the last tunnel on what is now the mostly abandoned N&S line coming from Knoxville to Cumberland Gap. This is Greer tunnel, close to a feature called “Greer Lake” (not seeing a Greer Lake, folks) and New Tazewell. This portal, the northwest, is at 36.423103, -83.591183. The tunnel, soggy and drippy, seems to be about 350′ long. The history of this railroad and the changes in its trackage provide interesting reading.
Blogging the Railroad Tunnels 