I've previously posted proposals for at least 2 Louisville & Nashville (or former) routes, but I'd like to send another proposal: The 165-mile CSX Main Line Subdivision from Louisville, Kentucky to Nashville, Tennessee. This route was originally built as the namesake mainline of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The Louisville & Nashville's original mainline from Louisville, KY to Nashville, TN was built starting in 1850, the same year the railroad was created. A little more than a year later, a similar proclamation was granted through Tennessee on December 4, 1851, which gave the L&N legal authority to construct a line from Louisville to Nashville. It was originally built as a 5-ft gauge railroad, but was later converted to Standard Gauge by 1870. While no one knew it at that time, one of the most successful railroads in American history had been born. It took some time to secure funding but the railroad finally began construction in May of 1853. The L&N's first segment officially opened on August 25, 1855 and work proceeded quickly to push rails southward towards Tennessee. After 4 years of additional labor, the railroad's charter was completed when it opened to Nashville on October 27, 1859. Unfortunately though, the Civil War halted additional growth and the conflict was particularly harsh for the L&N. As Mike Schafer notes in his book, "Classic American Railroads," its lines ran through both the North and South; Kentucky was a member of the Union while Tennessee's loyalties lay with the Confederacy. Its trackage was destroyed by both sides (the Baltimore & Ohio, whose main line ran through the heart of the fighting in northern Virginia/West Virginia and Maryland dealt with a similar issue). Financially, the L&N weathered the war relatively well and exited the conflict in good condition. After the Civil War ended, the L&N continued to grow throughout the southeastern US, reaching the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina. The World Wars placed heavy demand on the L&N. Its widespread and robust network coped well with the demands of war transport and production, and the resulting profits harked back to the boost it had received from the Civil War. In the postwar period, the railroad shifted gradually to diesel power, and the new streamlined engines pulled some of the most elegant passenger trains of the last great age of passenger rail. Though well past its 100th anniversary, the line was still growing. In 1957, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad was finally fully merged into the L&N. In the 1960's, acquisitions in Illinois allowed a long-sought entry into the premier railroad nexus of Chicago, and some of the battered remains of the old rival, the Tennessee Central, were sold to the L&N as well. In 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, successor to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad, purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the company became a subsidiary. Prior to the purchase, the L&N, like other railroads, had curtailed passenger service in response to dwindling ridership. Amtrak, the government-formed passenger railway service, took over the few remaining L&N passenger trains in 1971. In 1979, amid great lamentations in the press, the last passenger service over L&N rails ceased when Amtrak discontinued The Floridian, which had connected Louisville with Nashville and continued to Florida via Birmingham. By 1982, the railroad industry was consolidating quickly, and the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. The merged company was known as "Family Lines," and was depicted as such on the railroad's rolling stock. During the next few years several smaller acquisitions resulted in the creation of the Seaboard System Railroad. Yet more consolidation was ahead, and in 1986, the Seaboard System merged into the C&O/B&O combined system known as the Chessie System. The combined company became CSX Transportation (CSX), which now owns and operates all of the former Louisville and Nashville lines, except for some routes abandoned or sold off. As of today, the original L&N mainline from the namesake cities of Louisville to Nashville (known today as CSX's Main Line Subdivision) still sees plenty of freight traffic, including intermodal, coal, mixed freight, and several locals. I think it would be excellent to see this route set in the L&N era. At the same time, though, I think it would be great to have this route set in the present day, as there are very few CSX routes in Train Simulator, particularly in the southeast US. What do y'all think?
