Tennessee Railroading and Railfanning In "The Volunteer State"

Tennessee railroading is perhaps best known for its rugged operations through Appalachia. However, being so far west it is also unique in being home to both eastern and western railroads, and today Memphis is served by five Class I carriers (CSX, Norfolk Southern, Canadian National, BNSF Railway, and Union Pacific), one of only five cities in the country able to claim such a lofty distinction. In total, Tennessee is home to six of the seven North American Class I railroads as Kansas City Southern also derives a small amount of its traffic from the state. Rail lines in the Volunteer State run both east-west and north-south so the operations are quite diverse. And, throw in eighteen shortlines and you have plenty of action to see!

Tennessee railroading has its beginnings dating back to 1845 when the Nashville & Chattanooga was chartered to connect its namesake cities, and it completed its main line on February 11th, 1854 (the railroad became part of the L&N system in 1880 and today is a vital link in the CSX system). In the succeeding years Tennessee would be home to most of the South’s largest railroads with the City of Memphis a hub for several more railroads, both east and west. In total these include the Southern Railway; Louisville & Nashville; Illinois Central; Gulf, Mobile & Ohio; Missouri Pacific; Rock Island; Clinchfield; and the Frisco.

Of these, the Louisville & Nashville with its control of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway (original successor to the N&C) by far had the most far-reaching impact in Tennessee (not to mention part of the railroad’s name is derived from one of Tennessee’s most recognized cities).

The Louisville and Nashville has its beginnings in 1850 when the State of Kentucky granted a charter for the railroad to build between its namesake cities. It took nine years for the railroad to complete its original main line and it opened in 1859 with a connection to Memphis established by 1861. The Civil War all but halted construction on the railroad and because L&N lines ran through both North and South territory the railroad had several miles of track destroyed through the course of the war.

Following the war and throughout the rest of the 19th century the L&N spent most of its energies building new railroad and acquiring others. In 1879 it purchased the Evansville, Henderson & St. Louis which, while it was not completed to St. Louis it had a very good start connecting Evansville, Indiana. The L&N during this time also took over the Montgomery & Mobile and New Orleans, Mobile & Texas giving the railroad access to the Deep South and Texas. It also took control of the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis in 1880 giving it access to St. Louis.

The 1970s also signaled the end for the Louisville & Nashville’s independence. It was during this time that it came under the Family Lines System banner along with the Clinchfield, Seaboard Coast Line (a merger between the ACL and Seaboard Air Line), and a number of other smaller lines. With this came a new livery applied to all of the railroads (with sub-lettering stenciled under locomotive cabs identifying company) and gone was the L&N’s famous gray, yellow, and red livery (which, interestingly, the new Family Lines’ livery also used the same colors).

As the 1970s gave way to the 1980s the Louisville and Nashville would officially be merged out of existence. When the Family Line System became the Seaboard System Railroad in 1982 under the CSX Transportation banner, along with the Chessie System, there was little need for so many different company names and the L&N along with its other allied roads were merged out of existence that year. While the L&N is no more today the system and railroad it left behind continues to be an important part of CSX’s southern lines.

Today Tennessee railroading is mostly the domain of CSX and Norfolk Southern (with a few miles also operated by KCS) along with the hub of Memphis which sees interchange traffic among UP, BNSF and Canadian National along with the aforementioned carriers. Aside from the Class I systems, Tennessee also features several shortlines some of which include the Caney Fork & Western Railroad, Conecuh Valley Railroad, East Tennessee Railway, Knoxville & Holston River Railroad, KWT Railway, Nashville & Eastern Railroad, Nashville & Western Railroad, Sequatchie Valley Railroad, Tennken Railroad, Tennessee Southern Railroad, Walking Horse & Eastern Railroad, West Tennessee Railroad and the Wiregrass Central Railroad.

In total, today these railroads operate over 2,500 miles of track although at one time Tennessee railroading featured over 4,000 miles of rails. For a more in-depth look at the state's route mileage over the years please refer to the chart below.

As for passenger trains Amtrak still operates Illinois Central’s City of New Orleans, which calls at Memphis. And, the Volunteer State got its first commuter rail service in 2006 when the Music City Star which operates between Nashville and Lebanon to the east, a distance of just over 32 miles.

Tennessee railroading features several museums and tourist railroads like the Three Rivers Rambler and Tennessee Central Railway Museum. The Three Rivers Rambler offers numerous train rides behind motive power like a Baldwin 2-8-0 and an EMD SW600 (one of only a handful ever built). The Tennessee Central Railway Museum likewise features excursions but also tells the history of one of Tennessee’s most famous railroads. Of course, there are several more museums and tourist trains in Tennessee than those featured above.

In all, along with its rich history (such as Casey Jones, who is buried in Jackson, TN and whose home is now a museum) Tennessee railroading offers a wide range of operations that should appeal to about any railfan. If, however, you are just interested in museums and/or excursion trains the Volunteer State offers plenty of those as well! And lastly, after a thorough day of enjoying everything Tennessee has to offer book a room in the Chattanooga Choo Choo, the Southern Railway’s former Terminal Station.

.