GUTHRIE, Ky. – The Elkton & Guthrie Railroad was incorporated on Feb. 10, 1871, as the Elkton Railroad Company.
“Work on the railroad was very slow and 13 years later, only the right of way had been cleared and the roadbed graded,” Dennis Mize wrote in his 1999 book L&N’s Memphis Line.
“To make matters worse, the line was out of money and the prospects of raising additional funds for laying track and purchasing rolling stock were bleak,” Mize wrote. “The problem was solved by turning to L&N’s president, Milton H. Smith, who signed a contract on Aug. 30, 1884 with the Elkton Railroad.”
Train service on the railroad began on Feb. 1, 1885. During its 72-year history, the railroad was leased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. As a result, the Elkton & Guthrie Railroad did not own any rolling stock or locomotives.
During its heyday, there were three daily roundtrips on the 11-mile railroad that connected Elkton, Ky., and Guthrie, an important railroad town.
On May 12, 1957, as railroads in America were on the decline, the Interstate Commerce Commission granted the Elkton & Guthrie Railroad permission to abandon its tracks.