| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Tennessee and Kentucky, United States |
| Dates of operation | 1852 (chartered) 1859–1872 |
| Successor | Louisville and Nashville Railroad (1872); CSX Transportation; R.J. Corman Railroad Group (1987) |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 5 ft (1,524 mm) |
| Length | 83 mi (134 km) |
The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad (MC&L) was a railway in the southern United States. It was chartered in Tennessee in 1852, and opened in 1859. The MC&L entered receivership after the American Civil War, and financial troubles led to an 11-day strike in 1868 that ended when Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) leased the line. L&N finally purchased the MC&L in 1871 and operated it as its Memphis Branch. L&N was merged into CSX, and CSX sold the former MC&L line to R.J. Corman Railroad Group in 1987, becoming that company's Memphis Line.
History
The company received its original charter on January 28, 1852,[1][2][3][4][5] and amended its charter in 1854 to merge with the Nashville and Memphis Railroad[6][7] and to build a line from Memphis through Clarksville to the state border in the direction of Bowling Green, Kentucky.[8] Construction began in Fall 1854.[1][note 1] In 1855 the charter was amended to allow it to build into Kentucky to a point on the Tennessee River to connect with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad.[7] After construction had begun, William Andrew Quarles was appointed president,[10] succeeding William B. Munford.[7][9][11][12]
The first train operated between Clarksville and Guthrie, Kentucky, on October 1, 1859,[2] becoming the first railroad to operate in Clarksville.[13] The line's extension to Bowling Green was completed on September 16, 1860, with the first regular train operating through to Bowling Green on September 24.[2] A ceremonial first train was operated on September 18, including a symbolic handshake between William Quarles and James Guthrie of the L&N at the Kentucky/Tennessee state line.[14] The 83-mile (134 km) line of 5 ft (1,524 mm)[15][16] gauge track connected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) between Memphis and Louisville. In Louisville, the railroad used the L&N Depot as the terminal for its passenger trains, and provided connections through to New Orleans via Humboldt, Tennessee.[17]
Its line was heavily damaged during the American Civil War,[18] and the MC&L entered receivership in July 1865[19] under George T. Lewis.[20] Assistance to restore the line to service was offered by the L&N,[21][note 2] which was declined by the MC&L.[19] The line was restored soon after the war,[23] reopening on August 13, 1866.[3][21] Heavy rain again caused disruption in December 1866 through a landslide near Clarksville.[24] In 1868 the railroad was bankrupt and could not pay its wages; this led to an 11-day strike in February,[25] during which time through trains from Memphis to Louisville were routed on competing lines via Nashville and McKenzie.[19] The strike ended when the L&N leased the line on February 17.[2][3] The railroad was dissolved on September 30, 1871, then purchased by the L&N.[3][5][26] Although the L&N's purchase was effective as of October 1, 1871,[27] the company's accounting was kept separate until October 1872.[19] L&N operated the line as its Memphis Branch,[16] but saw declining traffic through the early 20th century, with the last passenger train serving Clarksville in February 1968.[13][note 3] L&N was merged into CSX, and CSX sold the former MC&L line to R.J. Corman Railroad Group in 1987,[13] becoming that company's Memphis Line.
Notes
- ↑ According to the Nashville Daily Patriot,[9] the groundbreaking ceremony occurred in 1856.
- ↑ Additional records of the offer by L&N are held by the Filson Historical Society, in their collection of Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company Records, 1836-1912.[22]
- ↑ Despite the similarity in title, the 1966 song "Last Train to Clarksville" does not refer to this station or its passenger service.[28] But, the city of Clarksville later used the song in promotion of local industrial development.[29]
References
- 1 2 Herr 1964, p. 27.
- 1 2 3 4 Defeo, Todd (February 16, 2003). "Railroad strike 135 years ago left long tracks". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, TN. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 Defeo, Todd (February 16, 2003). "Strike (continued)". The Leaf-Chronicle. Clarksville, TN. p. D3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Rail Road Convention". Clarksville Jeffersonian. Clarksville, TN. April 7, 1852. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Twelfth Annual Report of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission of Illinois. Springfield, IL: W. H. Rokker State Printer and Binder. 1883. p. 187 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Acts of the State of Tennessee Passed at the First Session of the Thirtieth General Assembly. Nashville, TN: McKennie & Brown, Book and Job Printers, True Whig Office. 1854. p. 755 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 Quarles, Wm. A. (October 22, 1858). "The Memphis Branch Railroad". Clarksville Chronicle. Clarksville, TN. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Railroad Convention at Clarksville, Ten". The Louisville Daily Courier. Louisville, KY. April 15, 1852. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "(untitled)". Nashville Daily Patriot. Vol. XX, no. 180. July 2, 1856. p. 3 – via United States Library of Congress.
Ground was broken on the Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad on the 23d ult. Speeches were made by Mr. Munford, President of the Road...
- ↑ Warner, Ezra J. (2008) [1959, 1987]. Generals in Gray (second printing ed.). Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-3150-3 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Munford, William B. (1810 – 1859)". Tennessee GenWeb - Montgomery County Biographical Directory. submitted by Jill Hastings-Johnson, Montgomery County Archivist. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ↑ Munford, W.B. (February 9, 1856). Poor, Henry V. (ed.). "Notice to Railroad Contractors. Memphis, Clarksville, and Louisville Railroad". American Railroad Journal. Vol. XII, no. 6. New York, NY: J.H. Schultz & Co. p. 94 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 "History: City marked by impact meteors, fires, tornados, war (continued)". The Leaf-Chronicle. August 29, 2010. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Herr 1964, p. 28.
- ↑ "Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville". Confederate Railroads.
- 1 2 Poor, Henry V. (1869). Manual of the Railroads of the United States for 1869-70. New York, NY: H.W. & H.V. Poor. pp. 56, 151–152 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad". The Louisville Daily Courier. Louisville, KY. June 7, 1861. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Davis, William C. (2014). Crucible of Command. Boston, MA: Da Capo Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-306-82246-9 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 3 4 Vernon, Edward, ed. (1874). "Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad Company". American Railroad Manual for the United States and the Dominion. New York, NY: American Railroad Manual Company. p. 446 – via Google Books.
- ↑ Impeachment Investigation - Testimony Taken Before the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives in the Investigation of the Charges against Andrew Johnson. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. 1867. pp. 226–227 – via Google Books.
- 1 2 "Louisville And Nashville Railroad. Annual Report of Superintendent Fink - Condition and Progress of the Road - Its Connections and Extensions". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. October 15, 1866. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Cole, Jennie (October 29, 2014). "Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company Records, 1836-1912". Filson Historical Society. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Mississippi Central Railroad Company". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, MS. September 4, 1866. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Land Slide". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, KY. December 17, 1866. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Defeo, Todd (January 15, 2003). "Clarksville, Tenn., Railroad Strikes After Money Tightens". Railfanning.org.
- ↑ "Clarksville and Princeton Railroad". Nashville Union and American. Nashville, TN. July 31, 1872. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Reports and Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission. New York, NY: L.K. Strouse & Co., Law Publisher. 1888. p. 34 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Just where was that train headed? Arizona". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay, WI. September 14, 1995. p. 73 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "City hopes Monkees hit will boost industry". The Marion Star. Marion, OH. Associated Press. February 21, 2002. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- Herr, Kincaid A. (1964) [1943]. The Louisville & Nashville Railroad, 1850-1963 (revised, 2009 reprint ed.). University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-9318-2 – via Google Books.