 | |
 Memphis Yard in 1885 | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Locale | Southern United States |
| Dates of operation | 1857–1894 |
| Successor | Southern Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 9 in (1,448 mm)[1] |
| Previous gauge | 5 ft (1,524 mm) |
| Length | 311 mi (501 km) |
The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the United States to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River.[2] Chartered in 1846,[3] the 311 miles (501 km) 5 ft (1,524 mm)[4] gauge railroad ran from Memphis, Tennessee, to Stevenson, Alabama, through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi, and Huntsville, Alabama. The portion between Memphis and LaGrange, Tennessee, was originally to be part of the LaGrange and Memphis Railroad, chartered in 1838.[5] From Stevenson, the road was connected to Chattanooga, Tennessee, via the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. In Alabama, the railroad followed the route of the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad between Tuscumbia and Decatur, the first railroad to be built west of the Appalachian Mountains.
In many instances, it was the larger cities and towns, with higher populations, that received superior service and rail line access, as well higher quality trains.
- ^ "The Days They Changed the Gauge". southern.railfan.net.
- ^ Harper's Encyclopædia of United States History from 458 A.D. to 1905: Based Upon the Plan of Benson John Lossing ... Harper & brothers. 1906. p. 526.
- ^ John McLeod Keating (1888). History of the City of Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Citizens. D. Mason & Company. p. 276.
- ^ "Memphis & Charleston Railroad". www.csa-railroads.com.
- ^ "Mocavo and Findmypast are coming together | findmypast.com". www.findmypast.com.