Tennessee

Name: Tennessee Central Railway
Brand: Ralcon L. Wagner
SKU: 9781467108799
Price: 17.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Stretched between the Great Smoky Mountains and the Mississippi levees, Tennessee history offers a study in contrasts. The heritage of the Volunteer State makes room for both the quiet of a Walland glade and the roar of an Opryland crowd. Grab one of our Tennessee history book titles for a masterclass in variety that includes Piggly Wiggly founder Clarence Saunders, pioneering architect Moses McKissack, Nashville ghost tours, the Knoxville World’s Fair and the best barbecue in Memphis. [View all Tennessee books]

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Tennessee Central Railway

The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad

Chattanooga's Terminal Station

Railroads of Chattanooga

Nashville's Streetcars and Interurban Railways

Chattanooga's Transportation Heritage

The Clinchfield No. 1: Tennessee's Legendary Steam Engine

Johnson City

Tennessee Central Railway

9781467108799

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

For over 60 years, the Tennessee Central Railway spanned 296 miles, linking western Kentucky with middle and east Tennessee. Visionary businessman Jere Baxter consolidated several railroads over the course of five years. By 1904, his new railway was serving numerous coal mines on its eastern end. The colorful regional road was loved and revered by citizens in the cities it served. The scrappy homespun railroad would spend most of its existence fighting for survival as it faced aggressive competition from other railroads and fended off bankruptcy on several occasions.

The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad

9781467143462

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

The Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville Railroad is a perfect example of rail lines in the mid-nineteenth century. Chartered in 1852, the line ran from Paris, Tennessee, to the Kentucky state line and connected with two other routes to create a seamless link between Memphis and Louisville. It shortened the travel time between major economic cities, but its ability to make money didn't match its founders' aspirations. Its detractors ridiculed the route as "beginning in the woods and ending in a hollow tree." Following the Civil War, the railroad revitalized the line, only to run out of money and largely fade away. Author Todd DeFeo recounts the fascinating story of a historic line.

Chattanooga's Terminal Station

9780738568089

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Long before Glenn Miller made the world-famous ""Chattanooga Choo Choo"" an American icon, Chattanooga was already a bustling railroad community.

By the beginning of the 20th century, passenger trains overwhelmed Chattanooga's two railroad depots and a larger station was needed. The solution was Terminal Station, which rivaled most Southern depots in size, expense, and aesthetic beauty. Providing transportation to cities throughout the country, the terminal made its mark as the gateway for rail from the agricultural south to the industrial north. Following its closure, the terminal was reopened as a renowned hotel and entertainment complex in 1973, becoming one of Chattanooga's many exciting attractions. Images of Rail: Chattanooga's Terminal Station follows the history of this depot in both stories and photographs.

Railroads of Chattanooga

9780738515397

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Founded in 1803 at the site of Ross's Landing on the Tennessee River, Chattanooga was once a small settlement centered around a trading post run by John Ross, who was the leader of the Cherokee nation at the time. In 1836, the State of Georgia chartered the Western and Atlantic Railroad to connect the village of Marthasville (now Atlanta) with the river port at Chattanooga. Within the next twenty years, additional railroad companies would link Chattanooga with all of the major cities in the country. These connections would prove to be vital to the Confederate effort during the Civil War and would make Chattanooga the prime target of numerous military actions on both sides, the most famous being the Andrews Raid of 1862. Railroads of Chattanooga celebrates the history of Chattanooga as a major Southeastern railroad hub and the employees, engines, and events that have made it what it is today.

Nashville's Streetcars and Interurban Railways

9781467116862

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Nashville's 150-year public transportation heritage is a rich and colorful one that began in 1866 when two private companies, the McGavock and Mount Vernon Horse Railroad Company and the South Nashville Street Railroad Company, commenced operation. The first cars were mule powered. During the 1880s, as streetcar routes became longer and too strenuous for animal power, steam dummy lines were introduced. On April 30, 1889, Nashville became one of the earliest cities served by electric street railways, developing a 70-mile system by 1915. In addition to its advanced streetcar system, Nashville was also served by two interurban railway systems. Over time, improved roads and affordable cars caused ridership on public transportation to drop rapidly. By February 1941, buses had replaced the last of the city's aging streetcars. The traction era had come to an end.

Chattanooga's Transportation Heritage

9781467110266

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Chattanooga's 138-year public transportation heritage is a complex and colorful conglomeration of some 32 companies that were initially comprised of horse-drawn streetcar lines. They were later upgraded to electric traction operations, steam dummy lines, and finally to the motor-coach buses of today. Chattanooga's transit story has been unique from its inception. Few cities have had any connection to the incline railways that were constructed in this mountainous city, one of which, the famous Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, is still in daily operation. Today's CARTA transit system has innovated one of the largest fleets of battery-operated electric buses, which other transit companies use as their model for comparison.

The Clinchfield No. 1: Tennessee's Legendary Steam Engine

9781626195967

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

As general manager for Erwin, Tennessee-based Clinchfield Railroad, Thomas D. Moore found an eighty-six-year-old vintage 4-6-0 ten-wheeler steam engine--the Clinchfield No. 1. Miraculously, the engine had escaped the cutter's torch when, in the mid-1950s, the railroad retired its steam fleet, shuttered passenger service and embraced the diesel era. Moore wanted the No. 1 fully restored and its long life on the rails--which had included being the first train to reach the victims of the 1889 Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood--celebrated as a goodwill ambassador for the railroad. The revived Clinchfield No. 1 led beloved excursion trains that visited seven state capitals, bringing joy to passengers from the Appalachian Mountains to Tampa, Florida. Join authors Mark A. Stevens and A.J. Alf" Peoples on the journey of the real-life little engine that could."

Johnson City

9781467129664

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Johnson City's growth was transformed through development of transportation in East Tennessee. Trails first blazed by migrating buffalo and Native Americans evolved into trails for stagecoaches, tracks for rail lines, and paved roads for automobiles. Henry Johnson realized the potential for the area and took a risk in 1854 when he bought a parcel from Abraham Jobe at the junction of the proposed East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad and the stage road to build a home, store, and depot. The community that arose around this complex was known by many names in its early days, including Blue Plum, Haynesville, and Johnson's Depot. However, on December 1, 1869, Johnson City received its first charter of incorporation from the State of Tennessee. As Johnson City approaches the 2019 sesquicentennial of the city's incorporation, this collection of postcards provides a look back at the people, places, and scenery around Johnson City.