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.
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]
^
ab"(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.
ISBN978-0-8071-3150-3 – 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)