Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway
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Page Contents
Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway
NC&StL Railway – Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean
The NC&StL Railway completed its rail line from the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers southward across the Cumberland Plateau to Chattanooga TN by as early at 1877. By coordinating with partnering rail lines, they were able to move freight and passengers from the Ohio Valley to the Atlantic seaboard. By 1890, NC&StL had reached Atlanta GA, allowing for a more seamless rail service from the Ohio to the Atlantic.
NC&StL Railway Stats
- Reporting Mark: NC&StL
- Chartered: 1845
- Operated: 1851-1957
- Mainline Length: 1,189 miles
- Predecessor: Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad
- Mainline: Hickman and Paducah KY to Atlanta GA (through Nashville and Chattanooga), Memphis to Nashville TN
- Primary Cities: Nashville TN, Chattanooga TN, Atlanta GA, Memphis TN, and Paducah KY
- Headquarters: Nashville TN
- Passenger Trains: City of Memphis, Dixie Express, Dixie Flyer, Dixie Limited, Dixie Flagler
- Successor: Louisville & Nashville Railroad
- NC&StL Today: Part of CSX Transportation
NC&STL Map
NC&StL Memory by Ron Flanary
Narrative and Photo by Ron Flanary
L&N F7A No. 1831 leads through freight No. 66 at Appalachia, Va. on Labor Day, 1964. This blue and gray locomotive is obviously a former Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis unit, added to the roster the August 1957 when that road was merged into the L&N.
The “NC’s” F-units were true dual-purpose locomotives, working both freight and passenger trains. In 1962-63, they were replaced in their former territory by new GP30s and GP35s. After joining the general freight pool of locomotives, they could, and did, show up all over the L&N system. The L&N merely added 1000 to all the former NC units, so this one was NC&StL No. 831. A major renumbering project in the summer of 1965 cleaned up all the interim numbering problems, including filling in blanks caused by wreck retirements of older units.
For More Information
- https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/nashville-and-chattanooga-railroad/
- NC&StL Railway Preservation Society: http://www.ncstl.com/
For More Information – Sources and Resources
The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.
- Association: Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
- Association: Carolina Clinchfield Chapter National Railway Historical Society
- Association: ET&WNC Railroad Historical Society and their Facebook Page
- Association: George L. Carter Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society
- Association: Norfolk & Western Historical Society
- Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
- Association: Watauga Valley Railroad Historical Society
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia: Documents, maps, timetables, and track charts
- Archives of Appalachia: ETSU, Johnson City TN
- Book – Castner, Flanary & Dorin: Louisville & Nashville Railroad, The Old Reliable
- Book – Drury. The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Flanary: The Louisville & Nashville Cumberland Valley Division
- Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi. The Southern Railway
- Book – Flanary, Oroszi & McKee: ‘The Louisville & Nashville in the Appalachians’
- Books – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield‘ and ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield‘
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City‘
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter‘
- Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country‘
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color‘
- Book – Oroszi & Flanary: ‘Dixie Lines, The Louisville & Nashville Railroad’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina‘
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century‘
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine‘
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains‘
- Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
- Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
- Magazines/Online: ‘Trains‘, ‘Classic Trains‘
- Newspaper Articles: Newspapers.com
- Online Article: Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘; Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Online Videos: Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1 | Video #2:
- Website: Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website: HawkinsRails.net
- Website: StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website: RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website: SteamLocomotive.com
- Website: VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia
- Website: WvncRails.org – North Carolina and West Virginia Railroads
Contact Us
Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the railroads or model railroading.
3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org
