The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad is a perfect example of rail lines in the mid-nineteenth century. Chartered in 1852, the line ran from Paris, Tennessee, to the Kentucky state line and connected with two other routes to create a seamless link between Memphis and Louisville. It shortened the travel time between major economic cities, but its ability to make money didn't match its founders' aspirations. Its detractors ridiculed the route as "beginning in the woods and ending in a hollow tree." Following the Civil War, the railroad revitalized the line, only to run out of money and largely fade away. Author Todd DeFeo recounts the fascinating story of a historic line.
An updated, in-depth history of the rise and fall of the L&N Railroad that serviced the southeastern United States. After the Civil War, the Louisville and Nashville Railroad took the lead among southern railroads in developing rail systems and organizing transcontinental travel. Through two world wars, federal government control, internal crises, external dissension, the Depression, and the great Ohio River flood of 1937, the L&N Railroad remained one of the country's most efficient lines. It is a southern institution and a railroad buff's dream. When eminent railroad historian Maury Klein’s definitive History of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was first published in 1972, it quickly became one of the most sought-after books on railroad history. This new edition both restores a hard-to-find classic to print and provides a new introduction by Klein detailing the L&N’s history in the thirty years since the book was first published. Praise for History of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad “A fascinating look at the L&N’s long and tumultuous history.” —Business Horizons “Stands both as an excellent example of what business history can accomplish and as an illustration of the work that remains to be done in the field.” —H-Net Reviews “Reading like an epic saga, albeit with a corporation as the main character, this enduring and definitive account of the L&N successfully offers a broad yet detailed survey befitting a company that at one time helped develop and mold the South while amassing great wealth.” —Journal of Appalachian Studies “A detailed account of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad’s first century of operation. The story of the L&N is a great one, and Klein has written a definitive corporate and financial history of the railroad. Klein's vivid account of this period in the L & N’s history will be very informative to those who wonder why America’s railroads are what they are today.” —Journal of Southern History
When the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was founded in 1850, it was the first major railroad in the west, and the only one headquartered in Kentucky. In the twentieth century, the L&N grew into one of the nation's major rail systems, reaching from the Great Lakes to the Ohio River Valley and down to Florida and the Gulf Coast. Kincaid Herr worked for the Louisville and Nashville for more than forty years, and this book originated as a series of articles that he wrote for L&N Magazine between 1939 and 1942. After various printings through the 1940s and '50s, this fifth edition, completely revised and updated, was released in 1964. The 1950s saw the reluctant abandonment of the old steam engine (the L&N was a major coal-carrying railroad) in favor of the diesel. During the late 1950s and early 60s, the railroad experienced significant expansion in the South, where the economy was being fueled by new industry. Coal, automobiles, mail, and passengers all counted on the L&N to get them around the region. Herr traces the development and expansion of the L&N system over a century and profiles important company figures, such as longtime L&N president Milton Smith. Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan and railroad bandit Morris Slater also find their place in this entertaining history. Four appendices on topics ranging from the materials used to build trains to passenger equipment to motive power round out the complete, but accessible, account. Even after all these years, this volume remains the concise, illustrated history of "The Old Reliable" for its many fans around the world.
The Indiana, Alabama & Texas Railroad emerged from a proposal to build a line between Mobile, Alabama, and Evansville, Indiana. Despite its grand plans, the railroad completed only about 30 miles of narrow gauge track from Clarksville, Tennessee, toward Princeton, Kentucky. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad purchased the railroad in 1886 and converted the line to standard gauge. The Louisville & Nashville abandoned the route, later known as the Clarksville & Princeton Branch, in May 1933, relegating it to the history books. Author Todd DeFeo recounts the captivating story of this largely forgotten railroad.
At the midpoint of the 19th century, people and goods moved by river or muddy roads, which made traveling difficult; a stagecoach trip from Louisville to Nashville took 36 hours. Railroads were coming into prominence at the time, and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad was chartered in 1850. It was completed between the namesake cities in 1859, overcoming many obstacles such as Muldraugh's Hill, Green River, and Tennessee Ridge. The line became a pawn during the Civil War, used by both Union and Confederate forces, and endured heavy damages to survive and prosper. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad would grow into one of America's great success stories, expanding to nearly 7,000 miles of track throughout the Southeast. This volume covers the L&N Main Line in southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee, the Memphis Line, the Mammoth Cave Railroad, the Glasgow Railway, the Portage Railroad, and a branch to Scottsville.
