Railroad Collections: Railroad Company Records

Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis Railroad Records, 1887-1891
.25 linear foot
The Louisville, Henderson and St. Louis was chartered in 1882 and became a subsidiary of the Louisville and Nashville since 1905.  It was sometimes called the Texas line as its original name was Louisville, Henderson and Texas.

Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company records, 1829-1981
255 linear feet
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Chartered in 1850 and also known as the L & N Railroad and Old Reliable, it was a small regional railroad until after the Civil War when it underwent expansion into a major Midwestern and Southern area railroad stretching from Louisville, to Atlanta, to Louisiana and northward to Chicago. The railroad played a major role in the rise of Southern industry. The growth of the steel industry and the development of the eastern Kentucky coal fields were in fact dependent upon the services and financial support of the railroads.  The L&N expanded its reach by purchasing other railroads; its stock was ultimately purchased by SCL Industries in 1971-72, and it became part of the CSX Transportation system in 1986. The collection contains executive correspondence (1902-1961); board minutes (1859-1976) of the railroad and its subsidiaries; annual and other company reports (1856-1980); leases, deeds, equipment trust contracts, and other records (19th century) of the law department; financial records; indexed company magazines (1925-1981); timetables, brochures, scrapbooks, architectural and mechanical drawings, maps, audio discs, films, land photos. Topics include real estate transactions in southern and mid-western states, construction and maintenance of track, bridges, and terminals, relations with shippers, suppliers, and financiers, manufacture of locomotives and rolling stock, state and national regulation, wartime nationalization, transition from steam to diesel power, decline of passenger service.

Monon Railroad records, 1864-1953
8.85 linear feet
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The Monon's earliest predecessor, the New Albany and Salem Railroad Company, was organized in 1847, making it one of the pioneer lines of the Midwest.  In 1859 the line was reorganized as the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Railroad.  The line developed into a distinctive x-shaped pattern across Indiana.  In 1897 it reorganized again as the Chicago, Indianapolis and Louisville Railway Company.  The line changed its name to Monon in 1956.  In 1902 the Louisville and Nashville acquired a controlling portion of the line's stock and finally absorbed the line in 1971. The collection includes 14 scrapbooks of company circulars and news clips (1880-1953); miscellaneous business ledgers and journals (1864-1901); and a centennial song (sheet music - 1947).

Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad Records, 1845-1960
9.5 linear feet
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This historically important railroad was chartered by Tennessee in 1845 as the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad Company. It was known popularly as "The Nashville". It was reorganized only once in 1873, renamed the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway and operated successfully thereafter in an era when many railroads failed.  It never reached St. Louis, but stretched from Paducah, Kentucky, on the Ohio River to Atlanta, with branches crisscrossing Tennessee.  The railway was bought by the Louisville and Nashville in 1880 and was finally merged with that company in 1957. Collection includes charters, bylaws and financing records of the early company; legal records, annual reports, and company magazines from the late 1890s until 1956.  Also included are collections of historical files and files relating to other rail lines.