Time table TENNESSEE MIDLAND RAILROAD 1894

Tennessee Midland Railroad

The track from Memphis to Jackson was completed on June 1, 1888. The next year the track was completed to Perryville on the Tennessee River and on June 30, 1889, the first train operated from Memphis to Perryville. It consisted of a baggage car, two passenger cars and three freight cars. Perryville’s importance was due to the transfer of passengers and freight between boats on the Tennessee River and the railroad.

The company continued to solicit financing from individuals and government entities along its proposed route. The fledgling railroad hit a brick wall, however, when, it sought subscriptions from Davidson County. Powerful interests in Nashville blocked the subscription, backed by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, who, along with its subsidiary, the Nashville and Chattanooga (the future NC&StL), held a monopoly on rail traffic to and from Nashville. Advocates of the Tennessee Midland continued to seek a referendum on the public subsidy of the railroad through 1892, but were unsuccessful. Later, the Tennessee Central would also be thwarted for many years by the L&N in their attempt to enter Nashville.

It was reported in February, 1892, that the Illinois Central was in negotiations with the Tennessee Midland to acquire the track between Jackson and Memphis, TN. At the time the IC did not have tracks to Memphis from the North but reached Memphis from the south through Grenada, MS. While it had no interest in the forty five miles east of Jackson, the IC offered to arrange through a third party to complete the road beyond the Tennessee River to Nashville and to guarantee the bonds for its construction.

The deal with the Illinois Central evidently fell through and on April 2, 1892, the Tennessee Midland was sold for $2,350,000 to Mr. T. J. Mors of St. Louis, the principal owner of the Paducah, Tennessee and Alabama Railroad. The PT&A operated from Paducah, Ky., to Hollow Rock, Tenn., with a connection under construction between Hollow Rock to the Tennessee Midland at Lexington, Tenn.

In 1893 both the PT&A and the Tennessee Midland went into receivership. The Trustee was the St. Louis Trust Company and John Overton, of Memphis and W. L. Huse of St. Louis were named joint receivers. There was no change in the operation of the two lines. In 1895 both lines were sold at foreclosure to the L&N Railroad. The L&N in turn leased both lines to its subsidiary, the NC&StL, for 99 years.