The Louisville and Nashville Railroad (reporting mark LN), commonly called the L&N, was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the great success stories of American business.

A little more than four years later, on October 27, 1859, the first train operated all the way from Louisville to Nashville, joining the two namesake cities. For all practical purposes, the 187-mile railroad was complete.

The Louisville & Nashville was a large and successful southern railroad reaching St. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago, and New Orleans.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society was organized in 1982 for the purpose of collecting, organizing, preserving, and sharing information and material relating to the L&N, its predecessors and its successors.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad Historical Society has a collection of employee timetables online here. Information about unit coal train operations in 1975 can be found in the Rail Transportation Requirements for Coal Movement in 1980 study here.

Trains that ply the LCL include autoracks R2 14/R2 15, and freight trains R312/R313, R3751 R376, Q511/Q512, RSl8/R519, RS44/ R546 and Q572/Q573.

Headquarters: Louisville, KY. Years of Operation: 1850-1982. Predecessor Roads: New Orleans, Mobile & Texas. Successor Roads: Seaboard System. Miles Operated: Click map for larger version Google Earth Map HERE: The Louisville & Nashville Railroad was chartered in Kentucky on March 5, 1850.

The Louisville and Nashville Railroad was known as Old Reliable. It was a small regional railroad until after the Civil War when it expanded into a major railroad system serving the South and Midwest. The rail line reached from Louisville, to Atlanta, to Louisiana, and northward to Chicago. The L&N played a major role in the rise of

Nov 3, 2024 · By 1982 the railroad industry was consolidating quickly, and the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. Then in 1986, the Seaboard System merged with the C&O and B&O and the new combined system …

Established in 1859 with a modest 187 miles of track connecting Louisville, KY, to Nashville, TN, the L&N would grow to become a crucial player in the nation’s transportation landscape. The story of L&N begins in 1850, with construction initiated and completed by 1859.