A full history of this important 296 mile railroad that ran from Western Kentucky through Nashville to eastern Tennessee. It had the best routing to and from the city of Nashville, and was an important gateway route as well as connector. It was an important coal hauler as well, and had the full range of passenger and freight services and facilities. It fell on bad days after WWII and eventually its trackage was taken over after 1968 and operated by Southern, Louisville & Nashville, and Illinois Central. The line had interesting ALCO diesels, including FAs! Author Cliff Downey has given a very complete history of the line and concentrates much of the book on the trains, equipment, and operations, with excellent B&W and color photos, maps, and illustrations. This is the definitive history of this railroad, well researched, and well written.

The Tennessee Central Railway existed in various forms for almost 100 years, with tracks across eastern and central Tennessee and north into Kentucky. Although parts of the route are abandoned, several sections live on under different operators. This book describes the route of the old Tennessee Central Railway in detail, plus gives information about the history of the railroad and current railroad operations along the historic route. A must-read for fans of railroading in Tennessee, it also provides information for train passengers who wonder, "Where are we and what once happened here?