The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad (MC&L) was a railway in the

southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. It was chartered in Tennessee in 1852, and opened in 1859. The MC&L entered receivership after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and financial troubles led to an 11-day strike in 1868 that ended when

Louisville and Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad , commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of ...

(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 CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

, 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, and amended its charter in 1854 to merge with the Nashville and Memphis Railroad and to build a line from

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

through Clarksville to the state border in the direction of

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...

. Construction began in Fall 1854. In 1855 the charter was amended to allow it to build into

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

to a point on the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is a long river located in the Southern United States, southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. Flowing through the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, it begins at the confluence of Fren ...

to connect with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad. After construction had begun,

William Andrew Quarles William Andrew Quarles (July 4, 1825 – December 28, 1893) was a Tennessee lawyer, politician, railroad executive, and a general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Early life William A. Quarles, the son of Garret ...

was appointed president, succeeding William B. Munford. The first train operated between Clarksville and

Guthrie, Kentucky Guthrie is a home rule-class city in Todd County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 1,330 at the 2020 census. Geography Guthrie is located at (36.647396, -87.170725). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city h ...

, on October 1, 1859, becoming the first railroad to operate in Clarksville. 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. 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. The line of

gauge Gauge ( ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, especia ...

track connected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the

(L&N) between

and

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

. 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 Humboldt is a city in Gibson and Madison counties, Tennessee. The population was 8,452 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1,015 from 2000. It is the principal city of and is included in the Humboldt, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, whic ...

. Its line was heavily damaged during the

, and the MC&L entered receivership in July 1865 under George T. Lewis. Assistance to restore the line to service was offered by the L&N, which was declined by the MC&L. The line was restored soon after the war, reopening on August 13, 1866. Heavy rain again caused disruption in December 1866 through a landslide near Clarksville. In 1868 the railroad was bankrupt and could not pay its wages; this led to an 11-day strike in February, during which time through trains from Memphis to Louisville were routed on competing lines via

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

and McKenzie. The strike ended when the L&N leased the line on February 17. The railroad was dissolved on September 30, 1871, then purchased by the L&N. Although the L&N's purchase was effective as of October 1, 1871, the company's accounting was kept separate until October 1872. L&N operated the line as its Memphis Branch, but saw declining traffic through the early 20th century, with the last passenger train serving Clarksville in February 1968. L&N was merged into

, and CSX sold the former MC&L line to R.J. Corman Railroad Group in 1987, becoming that company's Memphis Line.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Memphis Clarksville Louisville Railroad Defunct Tennessee railroads Predecessors of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Railway companies established in 1852 Railway companies disestablished in 1871 5 ft gauge railways in the United States 1852 establishments in Tennessee