Ghost Railroads Of Tennessee

Professor Sulzer introduces us to both the mighty and the humble lines that once traversed this important railroad state. Here we meet Tennessee's own Nashville & Chattanooga (later called the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis) and the Tennessee Central. We also come across the Dummy Line, the Jerkwater, and the Tweetsie. We follow the story as 4,078 miles of rail in 1920 dwindles to 2,969 by 1975. But this is not a mere compilation of dry statistics on track closings and running schedules. It is a book full of the life and vigor of Tennessee's economic arteries. Although Tennessee's mining and logging resources were depleted and the rail lines abandoned, the isolated towns and villages find their voice in Professor Sulzer's storytelling.

One of the real additions to Tennessee history is this fine illustrated volume of a little recorded industry, the small, long-gone and almost forgotten little railroads. -- The Nashville Banner

... highly recommended. Mr. Sulzer writes with an engaging charm, yet incorporates the valuable references and footnotes characteristic of the true scholar. -- Bill Wright, Nashville Flyer (Nashville Chapter, National Railway Historical Society)