Articles by Railfanning.org

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Historic Profiles

Tennessee & Cumberland River Railroad

December 31, 2006 Railfanning.org
TENNESSEE RIDGE, Tenn. – April 27, 1898, marked the beginning of a very obscure railroad that was built to serve the community’s iron industry. That day, the Tennessee & Cumberland River Railroad was incorporated, and the 13.95-mile line was built at a cost of $110,000. The railroad remained in operation until 1917. According to Elmer Sulzer’s 1975 book “Ghost Railroads of Tennessee,” the railroad owned one locomotive, one passenger coach and 13 freight cars. In Tennessee Ridge, the Tennessee & Cumberland River Railroad had a junction with the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. On the other end, the railroad terminated in
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History

Illinois Central Gulf

December 31, 2006 Railfanning.org
Thanks to a land grant from then President Millard Fillmore, the Illinois Central was chartered in 1851 to build a line from Cairo, Ill., to Galena, Ill. And during its long history, IC made its mark on the nation as a vital transportation route through the heartland of America – the “Main Line of Mid-America.” By 1870, the network reached Sioux City and, in 1878, it reached the Gulf of Mexico. On Aug. 10, 1972, the Illinois Central merged with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad, creating the Illinois Central Gulf. In 1999 IC merged with CN, becoming the only
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Historic Profiles

South Carolina Canal and Railroad

December 31, 2006 Railfanning.org
In 1827, South Carolina granted permission to the South Carolina Canal and Railroad to build a line. In September 1829, the company hired Horatio Allen as its chief engineer and track work began on Jan. 14, 1830 – two years after the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. On Dec. 24, 1830, the railroad demonstrated the Best Friend of Charleston. The locomotive, designed by E.L. Miller and C.E. Detmold, was built at the West Point Foundry in New York City. The day after the trial run, the Best Friend of Charleston was placed into regular duty by the railroad and would remain