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The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, "The Dixie Line"

The Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway, also known as the "Dixie Line", has a history dating back to the mid-1840s when it was originally chartered as the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad to connect its namesake cities. The railroad was under constant attack during the Civil War by both the North and South as they battled for control of the strategic line and late in 1873 the railroad was reincorporated to what it is classically remembered as today, the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway.

The railroad became a victim of a vicious takeover by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad in 1880 (the two railroads were bitter rivals), an act which resulted in significant distrust towards the L&N by the cities of Nashville and Louisville for some time. Still, the NC&StL was allowed to mostly operate as an independent carrier for over the next 70 years eventually building a system that stretched from Paducah, Kentucky south to Atlanta, Georgia with lines also reaching Bruceton and Memphis, Tennessee.

During the Civil War the then Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad, whose original main line connected its namesake cities covering roughly 125-miles (interestingly, the line in a few locations ever so slightly broke into both the states of Alabama and Georgia), was a strategic transportation link for both the Northern and Southern armies. However, this also resulted in the railroad being repeatedly sabotaged, attacked, and destroyed in places by both sides trying to gain an upper-hand on the other.

After the war the N&C took control of the Nashville & Northwestern in 1870, which connected Nashville with Hickman, Kentucky on a main line which covered roughly 170 miles. The two lines merged in 1872 and a year later was renamed the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway. For more information about the N&N please click here. Then, in 1877 the NC&StL took control of the bankrupt Tennessee & Pacific Railroad, which operated as far east as Lebanon.

While the Louisville & Nashville gained control of the Dixie Line in 1880 through a hostile stock takeover the railroad continued to grow. In 1890 the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway leased the Western & Atlantic Railroad from the state of Georgia which gave the company a direct connection to Atlanta. The railroad would also add branches to Paducah, Kentucky; Allen's Creek, Columbia, Palmer, Perryville, and Orme in Tennessee; and Gadsden, Alabama.

In total the NC&StL would come to operate a system stretching 1,072 miles. Despite the Dixie Line's ambitious plans to connect with St. Louis, as its name implied, it never reached further west than Memphis. The railroad's lines were broken down into four, official divisions; Chattanooga, Huntsville, Nashville, and Paducah & Memphis. It remained a separate entity until 1957 when it was formerly merged into the Louisville & Nashville. For more information about the railroad please visit the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Preservation Society's website.

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Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Diesel Locomotive Roster

For an all-time diesel locomotive roster of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway please click here. Also, for an excellent listing of EMD-built diesel locomotives, including those owned by the NC&StL please click here. Lastly, please click here to locate preserved NC&StL diesel locomotives.

The American Locomotive Company

Model Type	Road Number	Date Built	Quantity
S1	1-4	1941-1946	4
S2	5-11	1942-1946	7

The Baldwin Locomotive Works

Model Type	Road Number	Date Built	Quantity
VO-660	10	1941	1
VO-1000	15, 30-34	1941-1943	6

Electro-Motive Division

Model Type	Road Number	Date Built	Quantity
SW-1	15 (Ex-GN)	1950	1
NW2	20-23, 25	1941, 1949	5
SW7	24-33	1950	10
SW9	34-38	1951	5
GP7	700-731, 750-754	1950-1952	37
F3A	800-808	1948-1949	9
F7A	809-831	1949-1951	23
F3B	900-911	1948-1949	12
F7B	912-919	1949-1950	8

General Electric

Model Type	Road Number	Date Built	Quantity
44-Tonner	100-103	1950	4

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway Steam Locomotive Roster

For a more complete roster of Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway steam locomotives please click here. Also, for information regarding surviving NC&StL steam locomotives please click here.

Class	Type	Wheel Arrangement
B2-29	Switcher	0-6-0
G8-29	Ten-Wheeler	4-6-0
H7-37	Consolidation	2-8-0
I1-44	Twelve-Wheeler	4-8-0
J1A-54, J1C-54	Mountain	4-8-2
J2-57, J3-57	Northern	4-8-4
K1A-37, K2-35	Pacific	4-6-2
L1-55, L2-55, L2A-55	Mikado	2-8-2
M1-99	Articulated	2-8-8-2
P1-51	Decapod	2-10-0

(A deep thanks to the Museum of the Rockies at Montana State University for allowing Ron Nixon's historic collection of the NC&StL to be featured here. Please note that the photos featured on this page feature their corresponding image number so that you may quickly and easily find more information about it from their website. To view Ron Nixon's entire collection please click here.)

If you're interested in learning more about the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway you might want to consider the book Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis - A History of "The Dixie Line" from author Dain Schult. Just recently published in 2003 at almost 300 pages of information and photographs Mr. Schult's book goes into even more detail about "The Dixie Line" and its operations. All in all, if you have any interest in the NC&StL or would simply like to learn more about this often forgotten Class I system you cannot go wrong with either book!

Also, for more reading on the L&N consider the book History of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad by Maury Klein. With over 500 pages the book covers in vivid detail the entire history of the L&N, from its earliest days to final years under the Seaboard System and eventually part of CSX. The book is certainly a must for anyone with a deep interest in the railroad. In any event, if you're interested in perhaps purchasing either (or both) of these books please visit the links below which will take you to ordering information through Amazon.com, the trusted online shopping network.

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