Jerry Summers
The railroad has always played an important role in the history of Chattanooga and today still is very active in hauling freight, but unfortunately passenger service on the Southern Railway System and its successors ended long ago in this area.
Chattanooga was an important railroad hub during the Civil War and up until March 30, 1968, was a stop on the route of the passenger train named the Tennessean that ran to Memphis three times a week.
The luxury train was jointly operated by the Norfolk and Western Railway and the Southern Railway System and service was inaugurated on May 17, 1941.
Washington, D.C. was the point of demarcation for the Tennessean which ended in Memphis, Tennessee, after travelling 1,155.1 miles on a journey that averaged approximately 23 hours and 50 minutes to complete. Originally the train carried both Deluxe Coach cars as well as Pullman Sleeping cars and an onboard dining car that also contained catering facilities. For non-Pullman sleeping car patrons, sandwiches, drinks, and newspapers were available for sale. During World War II there was a sharp rise in passenger service due to the movement of troops across the country from induction centers, bases, and demarcation points.
One individual that rode on both the initial trip on the Tennessean from Chattanooga to Memphis on May 17, 1941, and the final one on March 30, 1968, was Hamdsom (Ham) Humphrey who worked in the mail storage car. He would retire after the return trip from Memphis at the age of 55 ending a railroad career that began when he was 15. Ham began working at the Terminal Station in 1930 and after 11 years he was appointed to the diesel-powered Tennessean as a mail handler.
As the last train pulled out of the station it carried only one passenger car, a baggage car, and four piggy back freight cars. This was in great contrast to the busy days in the 1040’s-1950’s when the Tennessean carried 18 cars including four Pullman sleeping cars, three chair cars, two mail cars, and three storage cars.
Reservations were required and many would-be passengers were turned away if they didn’t have one. Eventually the development of air traffic and the freeway system, planes and cars replaced trains as the primary modes of transportation throughout the South. The Union Station was demolished in 1969 after serving as a mail handling facility for the federal government. The Chattanooga Terminal station was converted into a hotel and tourist attraction in the developing Southside of Chattanooga after incorporating the name of Glen Miller’s popular song, the Chattanooga Choo-Choo.
Fortunately, persons born after 1969 can still relive the life of a passenger on a variety of historical trips departing from the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum at 4119 Cromwell Road in East Chattanooga. Although not the Tennessean, tourists and locals that want to get a glimpse of what was once a glorious part of Chattanooga’s railroad history can still participate.
Googling Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum’s website reveals several optional trips throughout the region that range from the short six-mile trip through the pre-Civil War tunnel through Missionary Ridge into downtown Chattanooga to the “Dinner on the Diner” journey that includes a three-course dinner. The trips range from 55 minutes to a nine-hour trip with a variety of available services.
The railroad stock includes both steam and diesel-powered trains that were purchased by interested volunteers and former railroaders such as Paul Merriman to preserve the era of railroading.
To fully appreciate the history of passenger train travel in Chattanooga each local citizen should take a trip down memory lane to get a view of a part of the area's rich railroad past. “Ham” Humphrey would be happy that the memories of how it was with the Tennessean and other passenger trains that operated during the 1941-1968 period are still alive.
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Jerry Summers
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Union Station yards