The company received its original charter on January 28, 1852, and amended its charter in 1854 to merge with the
Nashville and Memphis Railroad and to build a line from
Memphis through
Clarksville to the state border in the direction of
Bowling Green, Kentucky. Construction began in Fall 1854. In 1855 the charter was amended to allow it to build into
Kentucky to a point on the
Tennessee River to connect with the
Memphis and Ohio Railroad. succeeding
William B. Munford. The first train operated between Clarksville and
Guthrie, Kentucky, on October 1, 1859, The line's extension to Bowling Green was completed on September 16, 1860, with the first regular train operating through to Bowling Green on September 24.
gauge track connected with the
Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the
Louisville and Nashville Railroad (L&N) between
Memphis and
Louisville. In Louisville, the railroad used the
L&N Depot as the terminal for its passenger trains, and provided connections through to New Orleans via
Humboldt, Tennessee. Its line was heavily damaged during the
American Civil War, and the MC&L entered receivership in July 1865 Assistance to restore the line to service was offered by the L&N, which was declined by the MC&L. reopening on August 13, 1866. In 1868 the railroad was bankrupt and could not pay its wages; this led to an 11-day strike in February, during which time through trains from Memphis to Louisville were routed on competing lines via
Nashville and
McKenzie. Although the L&N's purchase was effective as of October 1, 1871, the company's accounting was kept separate until October 1872. L&N operated the line as its Memphis Branch, but saw declining traffic through the early 20th century, with the last passenger train serving Clarksville in February 1968. L&N was merged into
CSX, and CSX sold the former MC&L line to
R.J. Corman Railroad Group in 1987, becoming that company's Memphis Line. == Notes ==