Tennessee Central Caboose 11744 - Monterey, TN This caboose is located at the Monterey Depot Museum in Eastern Putnam County. On the day I took this photo in 2022, it was behind a fence as the build a ramp for the visitors. Tennessee Central was headquartered in Nashville - that property is now a museum. They occasionally run excursions all the way to Monterey.
Autumn on Brotherton Mountain I'm not sure if there's actually a Brotherton Mountain, but this view was seen along Brotherton Mountain Road which runs between Cookeville and Monterey in Putnam County, TN. The train tracks are operational but not used often. The line was originally created by Tennessee Central in a failed effort to connect Nashville to Knoxville, but they never got too far past Monterey. The tracks currently belong to Nashville & Eastern Railroad (NERR), a short line owned by RJ Corman.
Tennessee Central #509 - Cookeville, TN Manufactured by Baldwin and originally numbered 502, this was one of eight 4-6-0 locomotives purchased by Tennessee Central in 1909. The sign notes these "Ten Wheelers" were versatile engines which suited the purpose of a small railroad which covered a diverse geography and carried a wide variety of cargo. this small rolling stock is on the grounds of Cookeville's TC depot which is a museum and located in the Cream City historic district.
Tennessee Central Railway neon sign This sign was built in the 1940s or 50s when Tennessee Central had a freight depot along 1st Ave. in downtown Nashville. Tennessee Central ceased operation in 1968 and the depot was demolished in 1973. At that time, the sign went into storage in a private collection. In 2016, the sign came up for auction and the Tennessee Central Railway Museum was the winning bidder. They restored all of the neon tubing and made the sign operational again. In August 2016, the museum put the sign up at their main building facing Willow St.
Tennessee Central Depot - Lebanon, TN This train depot was built by Tennessee Central in Lebanon, TN. I'm not sure how old it is, but TC went out of business in 1968, so it's older than that. Today, it belongs to Nashville & Eastern railroad which has their sign on the side
Tennessee Central Bunk Car 762575 Today this railcar is part of the rolling stock equipment owned by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum. However, they must be out of space at the museum as I found this and several other train cars a couple of counties away stored at a passing loop near Carthage Junction, TN. On the Tennessee Central Railway Museum website, this was listed as Seaboard SBD 762575 as a Maintenance of Way Bunk Car.
The end of the line At one time, these tracks kept on going but now they stop here. This is part of the Tennessee Central spur line that went to Carthage. Only part of that line is used and the remaining miles are unneeded. At this location is the new South Carthage home of the vintage Carthage Junction depot that will become a park. Across the street, the old rail bed is a completed project of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Abandoned Tennessee Central Trestle over Marks Creek This abandoned railroad trestle crosses Mark's Creek in Cheatham County. This bridge was originally built in 1901 by the Tennessee Central Railway as they extended their rail line from Nashville west to Clarksville. Around 1990, the tracks west of Ashland City were abandoned. While there have been nearly 25 years for the trees to grow through the tracks, the real obstacle is the trestle just stops about 10 feet to the right of the photo. Here, the tracks used to cross Chapmansboro Rd. and then the rail-bed becomes what is now the Rails-to-Trails Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail. Hello to anyone who found this here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/abandoned-tn-in-nature/ 12 Abandoned Places In Tennessee That Nature Is Reclaiming
New home of Carthage Junction, TN Depot As the Tennessee Central was working on it's rail line to Knoxville, in Smith County a branch split off to reach the industry of Carthage. The spot where the spur split from the main line was about 8 miles southeast of Carthage at a location known as Carthage Junction. 100 years ago, this depot was located there, close to where Preston Rd. meets highway TN141. After passenger rail traffic ceased, the depot was vacant for many years. Eventually, it was purchased and relocated a couple of miles away along TN56 at the Interstate 40 exit. The depot served as the office for Gordonsville Motor Company. More recently, preservationists have looked to save this station. The first step was to relocate this depot three miles up the road to South Carthage on Oct. 23, 2014. At this new location, the property has been flattened and now overlooks a park along the bank of the Caney Fork River. The tracks used to run right next to this spot, but now the tracks are torn up and across the street has become the endpoint of a rails-to-trails path. There is still much work to do, such as rebuilding the roof and restoring the interior. Then, they will improve the grounds around the station. You can follow their progress on their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CarthageJunctionDepot
Cheatham County Bicentennial Trail Bridge This bridge was originally built in 1901 by the Tennessee Central Railway as they extended their rail line from Nashville west to Clarksville. Around 1990, the tracks west of Ashland City were abandoned and soon many people wanted to convert the old rail-bed and this bridge to a pedestrian trail. With a partnership between the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Cheatham County Parks Department, the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail was built and it utilized the old bridge. (The trail parallels the Cumberland River but actually crosses Sycamore Creek.) The iron Parker through truss bridge with a length of 550 ft. was built by American Bridge Co. Order this as a Post Card! Order this as a Poster! For other views of this bridge: www.flickr.com/search/?sort=relevance&text=cumberland... For the full story: www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringfeatures/trailmonth/a... or: www.cumberlandrivertrail.org/history.htm Thanks everybody, this photo has made Explore peaking at #60! Hello to anyone who found this here: www.homesnacks.net/41-photos-of-tennessee-that-will-make-... 41 Photos of Tennessee That Will Make You Want to Move There or here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/unknown-tennessee/ 14 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About The State Of Tennessee or here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/tn-scenery/ These 15 Mind-Blowing Sceneries Totally Define Tennessee
Cheatham County Bicentennial Trail Bridge (Ver. 3) This bridge was originally built in 1901 by the Tennessee Central Railway as they extended their rail line from Nashville west to Clarksville. Around 1990, the tracks west of Ashland City were abandoned and soon many people wanted to convert the old railbed and this bridge to a pedestrian trail. With a partnership between the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and the Cheatham County Parks Department, the Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail was built and it utilized the old bridge. (The trail parallels the Cumberland River but actually crosses Sycamore Creek.) The iron Parker through truss bridge with a length of 550 ft. was built by American Bridge Co. For the full story: www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringfeatures/trailmonth/a... or: www.cumberlandrivertrail.org/history.htm Hello to anyone who found this here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/undeniable-tn-home/ 11 Undeniable Reasons Why Tennessee Will Always Be Home
Baxter, TN Replica Train Station Baxter is a small town in Putnam County and is named after the founder of Tennessee Central railroad Jere Baxter. The old TC tracks go through the middle of town. The city built a replica train depot to be used as a visitors center and museum.
Tennessee Central 6902 - Watertown, TN The Tennessee Central 6902 is a Diesel EMD E8 locomotive built in 1953. Originally, it was built for New York Central and became part of Penn Central, New Jersey transit and New Georgia railroad. In the late 80's, the train came to Nashville to become the Broadway Dinner Train with this Crimson and Silver color scheme. When the Dinner Train closed in 1999, the train was then used by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum for many of their excursions. One of the most popular excursions is the semi-annual trip to Watertown, TN in Wilson County for the Mile Long Yard Sale. Behind it are two 1952 EMD F7B Boosters. Hello to anyone who found this here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/autumn-tn/ 10 Reasons Why Fall Is The Best Time Of The Year In Tennessee or here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/nashville/train-ride-na... This Epic Train Ride In Nashville Will Give You An Unforgettable Experience or here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/fall-in-tn/ 11 Reasons Why Fall Is The Best Time Of The Year In Tennessee or here: suburbanturmoil.com/things-to-do-with-kids-in-nashville-2... 75 Things to Do with Kids in Nashville This Summer: 2017 Edition
Monterey Depot Museum The Depot in Monterey, TN is a replica station which opened in Feb. 2012. The rail line here was originally part of the Tennessee Central and today they coordinate with the Tennessee Central museum in Nashville, with the furthest excursion train they run coming this far. The museum not only features rail artifacts but also the history of the people of the nearby Upper Cumberland region. www.montereydepot.com/
Tennessee Central Orange Maintenance Car Seen at the Depot Museum at Monterey, TN
Tennessee Central Caboose #9828 Seen at the Depot Museum at night in the Cream City Historical District in Cookeville, TN
Monterey Depot Museum at Dusk The Depot in Monterey, TN is a replica station which opened in Feb. 2012. The rail line here was originally part of the Tennessee Central and today they coordinate with the Tennessee Central museum in Nashville, with the furthest excursion train they run coming this far. The museum not only features rail artifacts but also the history of the people of the nearby Upper Cumberland region. www.montereydepot.com/
Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail Bridge near Sunset The bridge in the photo here does not cross the Cumberland River, but instead is a bridge that's now part of the "Cumberland River Bicentennial Trail" in Cheatham County. Instead, the bridge crosses Sycamore Creek less than a mile before it runs into the Cumberland River. The Parker Through Truss bridge was originally built by the American Bridge Co. in 1901. The railroad bridge was built by Tennessee Central railway as part of their line that connected Nashville to Clarksville. This portion of line has long since been abandoned (although the current short line Nashville & Western uses the line from Nashville to Ashland City). In the Mid to late 1990's, the Ashland City Parks and Recreation Department partnered with the Rails to Trails conservancy to convert the former rail line into a the pedestrian trail. For more info about the trail, insluding directions to the entrance, visit their website here: cumberlandrivertrail.org/
Tennessee Central Dome Car The Dome car is an upgrade from standard coach seating on modern excursion trains. A small number can sit in the upper section which has windows on all sides and offers the best views. This one operates on the excursions offered by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville, TN. Hello to anyone who found this photo here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/nashville/fall-foliage-... Take This Fall Foliage Train Ride Through Nashville For A One-Of-A-Kind Experience
Tennessee Central #52 This well maintained locomotive is part of the rolling stock seen at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville, TN. On my website is a gallery of the Tennessee Central Railway Museum. See the Gallery by clicking this link!
Tennessee Central Operation Lifesaver Caboose This caboose is part of the rolling stock on display at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum. I would assume the Operation Lifesaver markings are a relatively newer painted addition to the caboose. I don't know if they leave it here, or if their excursion trains sometimes take it along for educational purposes. The caboose they usually take is the orange one in the background on the right.
The Orange train cars at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum Both get used for the TC excursion trains. Seen here is a rare glimpse of just the two of them together as they had to get all of the train cars lined up just right after an excursion. For more info about the Nashville & Eastern Railroad (NERR) Locomotive 579 "City of Cookeville," look here: www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/6793044276/in/set-7... For more info about the Illinois Central Caboose, look here: www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/6981579059/in/set-7...
Tennessee Central Railway Museum Located at the site of the TC headquarters, most of the Tennessee Central Buildings are gone, but several still remain. The actual museum is held in the building seen here, which was used as the Master Mechanic's shop. Also inside is a small gift shop and a model train hobby shop. Today, the museum is best known for its excursion trains. From here, it's a short walk to the tracks to see their restored passenger cars as well as their other rolling stock. For more info: www.tcry.org/
Tennessee Central Railway Museum Located at the site of the TC headquarters, most of the Tennessee Central Buildings are gone, but several still remain. The actual museum is held in the building seen here, which was used as the Master Mechanic's shop. Also inside are a small gift shop and a model train hobby shop. Today, the museum is best know for its excursion trains. From here, it's a short walk to the tracks to see their restored passenger cars as well as their other rolling stock. For more info: www.tcry.org/
In Tennessee, even the caboose is orange! In Nashville, Illinois Central 9380 has been restored with vivid color. This caboose is on display at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum and accompanies all of their excursion trains. It might just be the most popular train car there!
Nashville & Eastern (NERR) Locomotive (Green & Yellow) Nashville & Eastern Rilroad is a short line railroad which was formed in 1980 to run east from Nashville to Lebanon, Watertown, Cookeville and Monterrey. They operate on track which used to belong to Tennessee Central, so they work with TC to operate their railway museum excursion trains, as well as park their equipment at the old TC rail yard. In addition to the Green & Yellow, they also have an Orange & Yellow design for some of their train cars.
Nashville & Eastern Railroad (NERR) Locomotive 579 "City of Cookeville" Nashville & Eastern is a short line railroad which was formed in 1980 to run east from Nashville to Lebanon, Watertown, Cookeville and Monterrey. They operate on track which used to belong to Tennessee Central, so they work with TC to operate their railway museum excursion trains. Locomotive #579 has ben named "City of Cookeville" Hello to anyone who found this here: www.onlyinyourstate.com/tennessee/beautiful-tn-trains/ Board These 10 Beautiful Trains In Tennessee For An Unforgettable Experience
Nashville & Eastern Railroad (NERR) Locomotive 579 "City of Cookeville" Nashville & Eastern is a short line railroad which was formed in 1980 to run east from Nashville to Lebanon, Watertown, Cookeville and Monterrey. They operate on track which used to belong to Tennessee Central, so they work with TC to operate their railway museum excursion trains. Locomotive #579 has ben named "City of Cookeville"
Tennessee Central Caboose This caboose is on display outside the Cookeville Depot Museum. This is what their website has to say about the caboose: This caboose was built around the same time as the Cookeville Depot building. It was acquired by the Friends of the Depot from the Leslie Bowman estate in Muddy Pond (near Monterey, TN). The caboose went through an extensive restoration when it was moved to the Depot grounds in 1993. It is typical of cabooses of the day in that it was not only the work center for the freight crew, but home as well. Meals were cooked on a coal stove which also provided heat in the winter. Tool lockers became crew bunks. The caboose, originally of all wood construction, later acquired a steel skin to help prolong its useful life. It is a Cupola Type caboose. cookevilledepot.com/index.php?option=com_content&view... I have given the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy permission to use this photo here: www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringFeatures/trailMonth/a...
Cookeville, TN Model Depot. The wonderfully preserved Tennessee Central Depot in Cookeville, TN has been converted into a museum. As soon as you walk in, there's a model train display replicating what Cookeville looked like back when the depot was in use.
Cookeville, TN Train Depot This depot was built in 1909 by Tennessee Central to replace an earlier depot in the middle of the Cream City district. TC only built three depots out of brick, and this was their "Jewel" with its notable pagoda style roof. Passenger service lasted until 1955 and TC used the building until they went out of business in 1968. Like most unused depots, it started to fall into disrepair until the Friends of the Depot and the City of Cookeville purchased it in 1975. In 1985, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places and also opened as a museum. I have given the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy permission to use this photo here: www.railstotrails.org/news/recurringFeatures/trailMonth/a...
Cookeville, TN Train Depot This depot was built in 1909 by Tennessee Central to replace an earlier depot in the middle of the Cream City district. TC only built three depots out of brick, and this was their "Jewel" with its notable pagoda style roof. Passenger service lasted until 1955 and TC used the building until they went out of business in 1968. Like most unused depots, it started to fall into disrepair until the Friends of the Depot and the City of Cookeville purchased it in 1975. In 1985, the depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places and also opened as a museum.
Clarksville TC Freight Depot In addition to the L&N Trains station in Clarksville, TN, there are two Tennessee Central Depots. The two brick depots are located next to each other on Spring St., just a block behind the old public square. The Tennessee Central tracks are long gone, although a train bridge converted to a pedestrian bridge is just down the street. Today, both buildings are used for city offices.
Clarksville TC Passenger Depot In addition to the L&N Trains station in Clarksville, TN, there are two Tennessee Central Depots. The two brick depots are located next to each other on Spring St., just a block behind the old public square. The Tennessee Central tracks are long gone, although a train bridge converted to a pedestrian bridge is just down the street. Today, both buildings are used for city offices.
09 TN State Fair #30: Model Trains Again this year, a model train display was set up. Shown here are some of the model train engines that weren't running at the moment. Closest to the camera is a local "Tennessee Central" train, as well as a Burlington Northern and BNSF Hello to anyone who found this here: thebestlibrary.net/wordpress/blog/archives/2066 CHOO CHOO… THE MODEL TRAIN SHOW IS COMING!
Cookeville's 509 The Tennessee Central Depot in the heart of Cookeville has been turned into a museum, and is known as "The Crown Jewel of the Tennessee Central Railway." Several train cars are outside and part of the museum, led by Locomotive. As a side note, this reminds me of the song "The Railroad Comes through the middle of the house" as one of the lines is: Here comes the 5:09.
Crossville TN Depot Tennessee Central Railroad first came to Crossville in 1900. After the first depot burned, this depot was built in 1926 and served until the early 80's After becoming a hero in WWI, Sgt. Alvin York returned home via this depot. With that in mind, this depot was used for a scene about that in the 1941 Gary Cooper movie Seargent York. Although the tracks are long gone, this depot is well maintained and is used as a gift shop where, anong other things, you can purchase a DVD of Seargent York. www.crossvilleonline.com/Businesses/GiftShops/Depot/index...
Lebanon, TN Train freight depot Tennessee Central
Broadway Dinner Train sign I was surprized to see this sign for a couple of reasons. Those are the music city star tracks now, but a few years back, before they went out of business, the Broadway Dinner Train used the tracks. However, the placement of the sign is what I find odd: The sign is facing away from the city. I saw it from the Shelby St. Bridge, but if I recall correctly, the dinner train went out of business before the bridge was opened for pedestrians. Since this sign is facing the river, I guess they are targeting passengers on the Gen. Jackson riverboat.
In Tennessee, even the caboose is orange! on display at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum
Rotating Train Bridge - Nashville There are 14 bridges over the Cumberland River in Nashville. (Long-time Locals: Can you name them?) Of the 14, this one might be the one you are least familiar with. On the south side of the river, it is near the Ted Rhodes gold course and TSU. The north side is in Bordeaux. This is one of those train bridges that can rotate out of the way in case a tall boat is coming through, and if you look closely, it is open now. I can't find any info on this bridge, but I am guessing it is currently out of service if it is in the permanent open position. Close to the top center, you can see a control station, and a staircase that goes down the left side of it.
