Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway
Encyclopedia
The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway was a railway company operating in the southern United States
in Kentucky
, Tennessee
, Alabama
and Georgia
. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville
in December 11, 1845, and was the first railway
to operate in the state of Tennessee.
From this link between two Tennessee cities, it has gradually grew until it formed one of the important railway systems of the South by the turn of the twentieth century.
Beauty along with thirteen freight cars and one passenger car. The train made its first trip the following spring, 11 miles (17.7 km) to Antioch, Tennessee
. It took nine years to complete the 150 miles (241.4 km) of line between Nashville and Chattanooga, made difficult by the steep elevations of the Highland Rim
and Cumberland Plateau
between them. A 2228 feet (679.1 m) tunnel near Cowan, Tennessee
was considered an engineering marvel of the time. Due to terrain difficulties, the rail line crossed into Alabama and Georgia for short distances. Towns sprang up during construction, including Tullahoma
and Estill Springs
.
During the Civil War
, the rail line was strategic to both the Union
and Confederate
armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates from Nashville to Chattanooga
along the line of the railroad. The tracks and bridges were repeatedly damaged and repaired, and at different times carried supplies for both armies.
After the war, the company purchased the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad and the Hickman and Obion Railroad to Hickman, Kentucky
to reach the Mississippi River
. In 1873, it was reincorporated as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) (though the company's tracks never actually reached St. Louis, Missouri). In early 1877, the NC&StL bought the bankrupt Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
from the state government and operated it as a connection to Lebanon, Tennessee
.
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
, an aggressive competitor of the NC&StL, gained a controlling interest in 1880 through a hostile stock takeover that caused massive rancor between the cities of Nashville and Louisville.
However, the railroads operated separately before finally merging in 1957. Despite the 1880 takeover, the NC&StL continued to grow through the acquisition of branch lines in Kentucky and Alabama, and expanded from Nashville to Memphis. In 1890 the tracks reached Atlanta, Georgia
, by leasing the state-owned Western and Atlantic Railroad
.
The L&N, itself controlled by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
in a takeover similar to that of the NC&StL, was merged in to the Seaboard System Railroad
, and finally into the CSX
freight rail conglomerate
. It continues to use the original NC&StL tracks between Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta.
locomotives, The General
, and The Texas from the NC&StL's predecessor road, the Western and Atlantic, are on display in museums in the Atlanta suburbs of Kennesaw
and Grant Park
.
In 1953, the NC&StL donated its last remaining steam engine, No. 576, to the city of Nashville. This locomotive, a J3-57 class 4-8-4
, originally known as a Yellow Jacket, was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company
(“ALCO”) in 1942. It has been on display in Centennial Park
since then. In keeping with its Southern heritage, the NC&StL referred to 4-8-4 locomotives as Dixies, while most other railroads called them Northerns.
In 2004, a former NC&StL diesel locomotive
710, an EMD GP7
was restored to its original paint scheme by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
.
In 2007 former NC&StL GE 44 ton Diesel (1950) Huntsville terminal switcher number 100 was moved from Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee to Cowan, Tennessee
at the Cowan Railroad Museum. Though subsequently an L&N engine (number 3100), she was cosmetically restored to original scheme and number. In the process, the locomotive was found to be runable. Important as the first transitorized remote control locomotive in the US (converted in 1962)
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. It began as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad, chartered in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in December 11, 1845, and was the first railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
to operate in the state of Tennessee.
From this link between two Tennessee cities, it has gradually grew until it formed one of the important railway systems of the South by the turn of the twentieth century.
History
The Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad was founded by Mr. Vernon King Stevenson. He was president of the railroad for 25 years, as well as being president of the Southern Pacific Railroad, and controlling the L & N Railroad. The first locomotive in Nashville arrived in December 1850 on the steamboatSteamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
Beauty along with thirteen freight cars and one passenger car. The train made its first trip the following spring, 11 miles (17.7 km) to Antioch, Tennessee
Antioch, Tennessee
Antioch is a community in southeastern Davidson County, Tennessee, that is governed by the Nashville metropolitan government. The area is assigned to postal zip code 37013.- History :...
. It took nine years to complete the 150 miles (241.4 km) of line between Nashville and Chattanooga, made difficult by the steep elevations of the Highland Rim
Highland Rim
The Highland Rim is a geographic term for the area in Tennessee surrounding the Central Basin. Nashville is largely surrounded by higher terrain in all directions....
and Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
between them. A 2228 feet (679.1 m) tunnel near Cowan, Tennessee
Cowan, Tennessee
Cowan is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
was considered an engineering marvel of the time. Due to terrain difficulties, the rail line crossed into Alabama and Georgia for short distances. Towns sprang up during construction, including Tullahoma
Tullahoma, Tennessee
-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 18,655 people, 7,717 households, and 5,161 families residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 88.1% White, 7.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 1.1% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races...
and Estill Springs
Estill Springs, Tennessee
Estill Springs is a town in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,152 at the 2000 census. It is the fourth largest in the county, and is usually referred to as simply "Estill" by its inhabitants....
.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the rail line was strategic to both the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
and Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates from Nashville to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
along the line of the railroad. The tracks and bridges were repeatedly damaged and repaired, and at different times carried supplies for both armies.
After the war, the company purchased the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad and the Hickman and Obion Railroad to Hickman, Kentucky
Hickman, Kentucky
Hickman is a city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,560 at the 2000 census. Named for Captain Paschal Hickman, a Kentucky officer who was killed by Indians in the Massacre of the River Raisin during the War of 1812, it is the county seat of Fulton County.Hickman is...
to reach the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In 1873, it was reincorporated as the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (NC&StL) (though the company's tracks never actually reached St. Louis, Missouri). In early 1877, the NC&StL bought the bankrupt Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
Tennessee and Pacific Railroad
The Tennessee and Pacific Railroad was a 19th-century American company that operated a rail line from Lebanon, Tennessee, to Nashville, Tennessee.The state of Tennessee chartered the railroad on May 24, 1866...
from the state government and operated it as a connection to Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
.
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad
Louisville and Nashville Railroad
The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States.Chartered by the state of Kentucky in 1850, the L&N, as it was generally known, grew into one of the great success stories of American business...
, an aggressive competitor of the NC&StL, gained a controlling interest in 1880 through a hostile stock takeover that caused massive rancor between the cities of Nashville and Louisville.
However, the railroads operated separately before finally merging in 1957. Despite the 1880 takeover, the NC&StL continued to grow through the acquisition of branch lines in Kentucky and Alabama, and expanded from Nashville to Memphis. In 1890 the tracks reached Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, by leasing the state-owned Western and Atlantic Railroad
Western and Atlantic Railroad
The Western and Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia' is a historic railroad that operated in the southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia to Chattanooga, Tennessee....
.
The L&N, itself controlled by the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was an American railroad that existed between 1900 and 1967, when it merged with the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, its long-time rival, to form the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad...
in a takeover similar to that of the NC&StL, was merged in to the Seaboard System Railroad
Seaboard System Railroad
The Seaboard System Railroad was a former Class I railroad created by merging the railroads of the Family Lines System. Although sharing common ownership, the railroads of the Family Lines System used different names when conducting business...
, and finally into the CSX
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
freight rail conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
. It continues to use the original NC&StL tracks between Nashville, Chattanooga and Atlanta.
Surviving equipment
Two 4-4-04-4-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotives, The General
The General (locomotive)
The General is a type 4-4-0 steam locomotive that was the subject of the Great Locomotive Chase of the American Civil War. The locomotive is preserved at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-...
, and The Texas from the NC&StL's predecessor road, the Western and Atlantic, are on display in museums in the Atlanta suburbs of Kennesaw
Kennesaw, Georgia
Kennesaw is a city in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. It had a population of 29,783 according to the 2010 census. It is part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Founded in 1887, Kennesaw has a past surrounded with railroad history...
and Grant Park
Grant Park (Atlanta)
Grant Park refers to the oldest city park in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, as well as the Victorian neighborhood surrounding it.-Park:Grant Park is the fourth-largest in the city, behind Chastain Park, Freedom Park and Piedmont Park...
.
In 1953, the NC&StL donated its last remaining steam engine, No. 576, to the city of Nashville. This locomotive, a J3-57 class 4-8-4
4-8-4
Under the Whyte notation classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification: 2D2...
, originally known as a Yellow Jacket, was manufactured by the American Locomotive Company
American Locomotive Company
The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States.-Early history:...
(“ALCO”) in 1942. It has been on display in Centennial Park
Centennial Park (Nashville)
Centennial Park is a large urban park located approximately two miles west of downtown Nashville, Tennessee, across West End Avenue from the campus of Vanderbilt University and adjacent to the headquarters campus of the Hospital Corporation of America.The park was originally farmland that had...
since then. In keeping with its Southern heritage, the NC&StL referred to 4-8-4 locomotives as Dixies, while most other railroads called them Northerns.
In 2004, a former NC&StL diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
710, an EMD GP7
EMD GP7
The EMD GP7 is a four-axle diesel-electric locomotive built by General Motors Electro-Motive Division and General Motors Diesel between October, 1949 and May, 1954. Power was provided by an EMD 567B 16-cylinder engine which generated . The GP7 was offered both with and without control cabs, and...
was restored to its original paint scheme by the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum
The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum is a railroad museum in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was founded as a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society in 1960 by Paul H. Merriman and Robert M. Soule, Jr...
.
In 2007 former NC&StL GE 44 ton Diesel (1950) Huntsville terminal switcher number 100 was moved from Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee to Cowan, Tennessee
Cowan, Tennessee
Cowan is a city in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,737 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
at the Cowan Railroad Museum. Though subsequently an L&N engine (number 3100), she was cosmetically restored to original scheme and number. In the process, the locomotive was found to be runable. Important as the first transitorized remote control locomotive in the US (converted in 1962)
See also
- Rogers Locomotive and Machine WorksRogers Locomotive and Machine WorksRogers Locomotive and Machine Works was a 19th-century manufacturer of railroad steam locomotives based in Paterson, in Passaic County, New Jersey, in the United States. It built more than six thousand steam locomotives for railroads around the world. Most railroads in 19th-century United States...
- City of MemphisCity of MemphisThe City of Memphis was a passenger train route operated by the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway connecting Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee.- Background :...
- List of Louisville and Nashville Railroad precursors Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway section