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, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. 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, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, 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 CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

, and CSX sold the former MC&L line to

R.J. Corman Railroad Group R. J. Corman Railroad Group, LLC is a privately owned railroad services and short line operating company headquartered in Nicholasville, KY, with field locations in 22 states. It was owned by Richard J. Corman, who established the company in ...

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 * Memp ...

through Clarksville to the state border in the direction of

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a home rule-class city and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. As of the ...

. 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 state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

to a point on the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

to connect with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad. After construction had begun, William Andrew Quarles 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 1,419 at the 2010 census. Geography Guthrie is located at (36.647396, -87.170725). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has ...

, 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 ( or ) 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, ...

track connected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) between

and

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

. 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, which ...

. 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 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

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