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NRHS Nashville Convention 2017 Tennessee Central Trip to Cookeville 6/24/2017



by Chris Guenzler



Bob, Elizabeth and I met at 6:15 AM and drove over to the Waffle House for another good breakfast before making our way to the Nashville Airport Hotel and boarded the first bus to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum.

Tennessee Central Railway History

The Tennessee Central Railway was founded in 1884 as the Nashville and Knoxville Railroad by Alexander S. Crawford. It was an attempt to open up a rail route from the coal and minerals of East Tennessee to the markets of the midstate, a service which many businessmen felt was not being adequately provided by the existing railroad companies. They also wanted to ship coal and iron ore to the Northeastern US over the Cincinnati Southern Railway, which was leased to the Southern and operated as the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNOTP), through their Cincinnati gateway. The N&K was only completed between Lebanon, where it connected to a Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway branch from Nashville, and Standing Stone (now Monterey).

By the 1880s railroads were becoming a mature industry and it was not easy for a new competitor to break in. The firm and its successor companies would struggle for decades with both financial woes and hostility from the more established lines. (It was unable to use Nashville's ornate new Union Station terminal for instance, as that was controlled by the rival Louisville and Nashville Railroad and its subsidiary Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis.) The Tennessee Central linked Knoxville directly, by a link to the Southern Railway's subsidiary Harriman and Northeastern from Harriman to Knoxville, with Nashville via a route which ascended the Cumberland Plateau Escarpment at Walden's Ridge between Emory Gap and Crossville. The traditional major route for this passage had been made via Chattanooga.

In 1893, enter the likes of entrepreneur "Colonel" Jere Baxter. He was known as charismatic and regarded as ruthless. Although no money could be found in Tennessee to complete the property that was to be the Tennessee Central, he traveled to St. Louis and eventually found backing. For much of his construction financing, he issued bonds. He organized and constructed four lines that, together with the N&K acquired from the Crawford family, were to become the Tennessee Central. The lines were reorganized in 1902 and renamed the Tennessee Central Railroad. Several versions of this name were used over a period of some thirty years, until the final name, Tennessee Central Railway, was adopted in 1922.

The line expanded slowly and piecemeal to the west and north of Nashville during this period, falling into receivership twice, in 1897 and 1912, on the latter occasion operating in technical insolvency for ten years. Baxter died in 1904, leaving as his heritage the now completed TC, which was unfortunately heavily burdened with debt. Although the company was operating "in the black", they were unable to meet their bonded indebtedness, which was incurred from the building of the line. In 1905, the TC was leased for three years to the IC west of Nashville and the Southern east of Nashville. Due to unprofitable operations, neither line opted to renew their lease. In 1922, a group of investors led by Paul M. Davis bought the railroad at a bankruptcy sale, thus abolishing the bonded indebtedness. They hired former president Hugh Wright Stanley, who operated the line profitably (except during 1932 and 1933) until 1945. The first diesel-electric locomotive switcher was brought to Nashville in 1939 by the TC.

Postwar Years and Decline

Wartime traffic in the early 1940s brightened the financial picture, but after that hard times returned. Despite losses in 1946, a group of investors led by J. L. Armstrong bought out the Davis group. The last of the steam engines were pulled from service in 1952 due to the arrival of four diesel locomotives (along with 200 coal hoppers) financed by a Reconstruction Finance Corporation loan in the amount of $2.2 million. 1954 saw the opening of the first unit of the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston coal-fired power generating plant, which was largely fed coal from TC's own on-line coal mines operators. The company dropped money-losing passenger service on July 31, 1955, also in that year, the TC ended operations of their steam locomotives. 1956 saw the TC purchase more diesel locomotives and coal hoppers with another RFC loan. Brief profitability was restored from 1949 through 1956. In 1957 the TVA began awarding contracts to non-TC coal mine operators and their traffic boom went bust. Although the program of right-of-way improvement and new equipment acquisition had been carried out, the firm at length was unable to repay the RFC loans and fell into its third and final receivership in 1968. Its assets were sold off. Much of the Nashville beltline south of Nashville had already been sold to the state to build I-440. The Western Division from the western end of the I-440 right of way in Nashville to Hopkinsville, KY was purchased by the Illinois Central Railroad. The eastern end of the line from Harriman to the siding just west of Crossville went to the Southern Railway. The remaining middle portion from Crossville to Nashville went to its old and not at all friendly rival, the Louisville & Nashville.

At the end of 1956 TC operated 286 miles of road and 377 miles of track; that year it reported 278 million net revenue ton-miles of freight and 1 million passenger-miles. The Tennessee Central endured for over 80 years in the face of very tough odds, and played a considerable part in the economic development of its service region. It is still remembered fondly by many people in the small towns it served as "The Route of Personal Service", and is commemorated by a namesake institution, the Tennessee Central Railway Museum, in its former master mechanic's shop, which also was its headquarters in its final years. An unmarked monument exists in today's Interstate 440 loop south of downtown Nashville, which sits on the old Tennessee Central right-of-way, purchased by the state in the railroad's last years.

Surviving Portions

The trackage between Monterey and Crossville was dismantled by the L&N in the 1980s, which has proven problematic to recent advocates of the restoration of passenger train service between Nashville and Knoxville. The Nashville and Eastern Railroad was formed to revive operation of the line's freight service to Old Hickory and Lebanon, approximately 30 miles east of Nashville, with occasional runs to points somewhat further east over the former L&N owned TC trackage. The N&E once participated in the operation of the Broadway Dinner Train out of Nashville. Today it hosts the Music City Star commuter rail service between Nashville and Lebanon.

In 2000, the Nashville and Western Railroad was formed as subsidiary of the Nashville and Eastern to take over the operation of the old TC from Nashville to Ashland City, which was on the portion originally sold to the IC, but later operated by numerous short lines. The Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail extends approximately 14 miles west from Ashland City on the old TC roadbed. Eventually the Dept. of Defense took over the operation of the old TC from Hopkinsville to Fort Campbell. The rest of the TC line between the Trail's end and Fort Campbell has been abandoned.

At the eastern end, the former Tennessee Central remains in use between Crab Orchard, Tennessee and Rockwood, on the opposite side of Walden's Ridge, by Franklin Industrial Minerals for movement of aggregate products. At Rockwood, Franklin interchanges traffic with Norfolk Southern, which uses the ex-TC the rest of the way from Emory Gap to handle this business.

Our trip

I found out that the museum was ready for our group and they were, so we turned them loose into the museum. Me, I decided to walk and photograph a few of the locomotives hanging around the museum.





Tennessee Central SW8 52, formerly US Army 2038, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951.





Our passenger train for today's trip to Cookeville.





TCRX E8A 6902, originally New York Central 4084, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1953.





TCRX F7A 819, formerly Bessemer & Lake Erie 719, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952.





TCRX GP10 8349 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1954 as Illinois Central GP9 No. 9037, and later rebuilt to a GP10 at the company's Paducah, Kentucky shops, emerging as Illinois Central Gulf 8008 in 1974. It was sold to Paducah & Louisville and was renumbered 8349 before going to the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. This story was updated in July 2022 and I learnt that the Cincinnati Scenic Railway acquired the unit from the museum in June 2021.





Louisville and Nashville 70 ton switcher 125 built by General Electric in 1948. It was later sold to Tropicana as their 98 and is privately-owned today.





Nashville and Eastern B20-8 5938, nee New York, Susquehanna and Western 4026 built by General Electric in 1988.





Two cabooses on the property.





Crane and idler car.





Nashville and Eastern baggage car 409, originally Wabash 454 built by St. Louis Car Company in 1934 and later converted to a power car .





LTEX F7A 719, originally Bessemer & Lake Erie, built by Electro-Motive Division in 1952.





Tennesee Central wooden observation car 102 "Palm Beach" built by Pullman in 1916 and scrapped in 2018. I was then led out to the gate and took my location at the front of the line for boarding. About twenty minutes later, the gate was opened and I led the way onto the train, sitting in the former Santa Fe car. The consist of our special NRHS Tennessee Central train was Tennessee Central E8A 6902, Louisville and Nashville F7B 715, Nashville and Eastern B40-8W 573, TCRX coach 4717, TCRX coach 4739, TCRX dome coach 9400, TCRX coach 3119, TCRX baggage car 1266 and TCRX HEP car "Silver Chest" formerly Amtrak.





Bob and Elizabeth in the former Santa Fe car TCRX 4739 making their first trip on this railroad.





Me pointing to the Kachina on the wall of the car behind my seat.





The passengers in our car. We started reversing to reach the route of the Nashville Music City Star train and once past the switch, started the trip to Cookeville this morning.





Westvaco SW1 4800, built by Electro-Motive Corportion in 1939 as Illinois Central 9014. This switcher worked anonymously in switching yards across the Illinois Central's vast system, eventually being renumbered to 600 in 1951. Retired and sold off in May 1969, it was picked up by the Rock Island Line less than a year later and switched cars for them until the company's bankruptcy in 1980. A new home would be found at the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company (or Westvaco), switching cars containing paper products at any one of their facilities. This engine has been stored at TCRM since at least 2004.





Louisville and Nashville GP7 405 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1951 as Louisville and Nashville 2302. By 1981, the L&N's name would be absorbed into the newly branded Family Lines System, ushering in a new numbering pattern for locomotives. As a result, L&N 2302 was repainted and renumbered as Seaboard System 2302. The Geep would soldier on until retirement from the subsequently formed CSX Transportation in the late 1980s, and even then would still be moving freight on the Kentucky and West Tennessee short line, with another new paint scheme and the number 300. Finally, the unit would be donated to Tennessee Central Railroad Museum in November 2000, where volunteers would spend the following twelve years restoring and rechristening the Geep to its original identity.





Chicago, Burlington and Quincy E9A 9912 built by Electro-Motive Division in 1955 as Chicago, Burlington & Quincy 9987B. In 1970 CB&Q merged with three other companies forming Burlington Northern. The locomotive became Burlington Northern 9982 in 1970 and was sold to the West Suburban Mass Transit District in 1972 and leased back to the BN. During October 1973, it was rebuilt by Morrison Knudsen and returned as E9AM 9912, named "Village of Brookfield" and pulled commuter trains for the BN under contract with the RTA until retired in July 1992. It was purchased by the Nashville & Eastern for a proposed commuter operation, but was replaced by an EMD F40 before operations commenced.





Nashville and Eastern B20-8 5940, nee New York, Susquehanna and Western 4030 built by General Electric in 1988.





Nashville and Eastern B40-8 5939, nee New York, Susquehanna and Western 4028 built by General Electric in 1988.





Long Island Railroad FA-1 605 cab car, built by Alco in 1956 as Louisville and Nashville 310.





The train crossed Briley Parkway as we left Nashville.





The train crossed Mill Creek.





The train takes a curve.





Curving into the Tennessee countryside.





Passing through the Music City Star's Mt. Juliet station.





Passing through the Mt. Juliet yard.





Curving toward Martha station on the Music City Star route.





Rolled hay in a field.





Taking another curve.





Interesting rock strata along our route.





The train takes another curve just before the Martha station.





Martha Station on the Music City Star route.





Curving toward Lebanon.





The giant bowling pin right before the Lebanon Music City Star station.





The Lebanon Music City Star station. This is where we departed from for our ride on the Music City Star on Monday to the Riverfront station. This starts Bob and Elizabeth's brand new rail mileage all the way to Cookeville.





Curving by the Tennessee Central Lebanon station.





Curving through the city of Lebanon.





Approaching the Music City Star shops in Lebanon.







Music City Star engines at their shop.







Crossing the Carney Fork River.





Looking down the end of the road.





The train rounds another curve.





Beautiful Tennessee countryside.





Steve Barry and Mark Burkhart photographing our train.





Taking yet another curve along the line.





I am so happy that Tropical Storm Cindy has left my life for good.





Taking another curve.





What a beautiful day when there is no Cindy anywhere.





The train takes more curves.





More rolled hay along our route.





A railfan pacing the train.





Steve Barry and friends taking pictures of our train.





The Burke Baptist Church Cemetery.





No Tropical Storm Cindy anywhere! I am one happy train rider today.





A pond along our route.







Kudzu has taken over the countryside as we near Cookeville.





Tennessee Central 4-6-0 509 is really Louisiana and Arkansas 403, built by Baldwin in 1913. The Louisiana & Arkansas (L&A) was incorporated in 1898 to acquire former logging railroad properties in Arkansas and Louisiana. Its main line ran three hundred and thirty-two miles from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans, Louisiana. Branch lines served Vidalia, Louisiana, and Dallas, Texas. The identity of the L&A disappeared in the 1950s and 1960s as the Kansas City Southern name was adopted for all properties.

In 1945, 509 was sold to the Louisiana Midland Railway in Jena, Louisiana, set up to take over the branch line from Packton to Vidalia, that the L&A planned to close. At some point, 509 was sold to the South Shore Railway Company, in Jackson, Louisiana and then went through nine different owners before being bought by the Friends of the Cookeville Depot Museum in 2002. It was rebuilt to match the fleet of Baldwin 4-6-0s operated by the Tennessee Central Railway Company and is on display as Tennessee Central 509.





Tennessee Central caboose 9828 on display here.





Louisville and Nashville bay window caboose 1066, built by Louisville and Nashville in 1964 as number 135.





The Cookeville Tennessee Central station built in 1909. I then joined the photo line for our first runby. Passengers could either join our runby or pick up their boxed lunch to eat. We all chose the photo runby as our choice and some would eat afterwards, except me.



















Reverse up move number one.





I wish Coca-Cola was still five cents.



















Photo runby number one.





Tennessee Central 4-6-0 509.





Tennessee Central caboose 9828.





Louisville and Nashville bay window caboose 1066.







The Cookeville Tennesee Central station. I went and bought an ice cream cone at the shop that John Goodman recommended and boy, was it good.





More views of the Tennessee Central steam engine.





Skip Waters performs his own personal photo runby for our photo line.











Photo runby number two was the train arriving back into Cookeville after the power was run around the train. When the passengers boarded, they all went to the wrong cars because they thought the train had been turned, although it had not.









Leaving Cookeville on the return trip to Nashville. It was just after departing that Elizabeth reached her 20,000th rail mile.







A replica of the Baxter Tennessee Central station. We relaxed on the way back to Nashville and wrote the story of this trip as we headed back to the Tennessee Central museum. Once we returned, we were bussed back to the Nashville Airport Hotel and returned our vests and radios before driving to the Longhorn Steakhouse for a fantastic dinner. Once at the Days Inn, Elizabeth and Bob packed while I started working on the Hermitage story and Elizabeth soon joined me and we proceeded to get the last two stories finished. This ends our coverage of the 2017 NRHS Convention in Nashville.



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