Clarksville & Dunbar Cave Railway

Overview

The Clarksville & Dunbar Cave Railway emerged in 1912 when the Clarksville Railway & Light Company separated its street railway operations from its electric utility business. Local investors hoped the new company could improve the city’s streetcar system and extend service to Dunbar Cave, which was being promoted as a recreational and tourist destination. The railway inherited Clarksville’s electric streetcar network and explored several expansion projects, including extensions to Dunbar Cave and New Providence. Company officials believed increased tourism and suburban development would generate the passenger traffic needed to make the line profitable.

Despite its ambitions, the railway struggled financially almost from the start. Service was further hindered by recurring power interruptions, leaving streetcars stranded during some of the busiest hours of the day. By 1915, company president and receiver A.C. Murray was publicly advocating for an interurban expansion as a way to improve revenues, but the necessary investment never materialized. Later that year, the Clarksville & Dunbar Cave Railway ceased operations. Its failure led directly to the formation of the Citizens Street Railway in 1916, which assumed operation of Clarksville’s streetcar system and gave local trolley service one final chapter before its eventual abandonment.