Depot was at the north end of the Market Street Bridge. A mail truck is shown in front.
There were once tracks on the Market Street Bridge and a depot on the north side.
It was part of the Chattanooga Traction Company operation by Charles E. James that featured lines to Signal Mountain, Red Bank and Hixson.
The little temporary depot was hastily constructed in August 1919 when the Cincinnati Southern Railway bridge over the Tennessee River (just below today's Chickamauga Dam) was declared unsafe.
Steps were taken to temporarily haul Cincinnati Southern passengers and freight along the Chattanooga Traction route through Hixson, Red Bank and North Chattanooga - instead of the usual main route across the river, through East Chattanooga and into downtown.
The bridge was again ready for use on Jan. 20, 1920.
Both the Cincinnati Southern and the Chattanooga Traction are featured in the new Chattanooga Railroad Book published by Chattanoogan.com.
Copies of the book are available from Shannon at Zarzour's Restaurant on Rossville Avenue. Zarzour's is open for lunch (11 a.m.-3 p.m.) Monday-Friday.
The book, featuring many photos by Chattanoogan.com photographer Wes Schultz as well as many vintage photos, has 69 chapters and 568 pages.
It includes 1,546 photos and maps telling the story of Chattanooga and the railroad from the rainy day in December 1849 when the first Western and Atlantic train came into town from around Missionary Ridge to the current effort to use some of the old tracks for a new light rail system.
The book, priced at $40, is published by College Press, of Collegedale.
It is in the same softcover, 11 1/2 x 8 format as the book on the Stokes photo collection.
Orders of the new railroad book by mail are still being taken. Please send $45 (includes tax, postage and handling) to:
Chattanoogan.com
@John Wilson
129 Walnut St. Unit 416
Chattanooga, Tn., 37403
Make out checks to Chattanoogan.com.
The railroad book will be available from Shannon there until it sells out. Also available from Shannon are remaining copies of the popular Stokes photo book of historic Chattanooga as well as a few copies of John Wilson's updated edition of Chattanooga's Story.