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51-759: Apalachia Dam is named for the crossroads community of Old Apalachia, located near the dam site in North Carolina, and the community's L&N railroad stop, known simply as Apalachia, which was further downstream on the Tennessee side of the state line. Apalachia Dam is located nearly 66 miles (106 km) upstream from the mouth of the Hiwassee River , which flows northwestward through Northern Georgia and Western North Carolina before emptying into Chickamauga Lake in East Tennessee . The dam

102-445: A cliffside overlooking the dam's powerhouse, where it splits into two smaller tunnels which carry the water to a valve house. From the valve house, the water drops 200 feet (61 m) through two steel penstocks to the powerhouse turbines below. The total elevation drop from lake surface to power house discharge is 394 feet (120 m) to 436 feet (133 m), depending on the lake level. Private and public entities had been aware of

153-464: A habitat affected by nearby mining operations, as well as power production. It is also located in an area that is subjected to trampling associated with whitewater rafting recreation on the river. Despite these threats, the Ocoee population, recently counted at 593 plants, is considered to be secure for the time being. Conservation activities include propagation of the plant in greenhouses . This

204-769: A hit in the Dutch charts in the late 1960s with "Ridin' on the L&;N" (a cover from the Dan Burley / Lionel Hampton composition from 1946). This composition also was covered by John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers . The L&N is also mentioned in the Lost Dog Street Band song “Last Train”, written by Benjamin Tod , from their 2024 album Survived . In 1926 the L&N turned over approximately 137 acres to

255-565: A manner that earned it the nickname, "The Old Reliable". Growth of the railroad continued until its purchase and the tumultuous rail consolidations of the 1980s which led to continual successors. By the end of 1970, L&N operated 6,063 miles (9,757 km) of road on 10,051 miles (16,176 km) of track, not including the Carrollton Railroad. In 1971 the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad , successor to

306-609: A portion of the Lebanon Branch. The museum owns the following L&N equipment: K2A Light Pacific 4-6-2 No. 152, a steam locomotive; heavyweight coaches Nos. 2572 and 2554; an observation car; heavyweight combine No. 1603; combine coach No. 665; sleeper the Pearl River , the Pullman heavyweight 10 section sleeper-lounge Mt. Broderick which was assigned to the L&N but owned and operated by Pullman; several baggage cars;

357-508: A steam-powered crane; and E-6 diesel locomotive No. 770. All of the last seven pieces of equipment listed need restoration. The Historic Railpark and Train Museum owns or operates several pieces of L&N equipment, including an E-8 diesel locomotive, a Railway Post Office car, dining car No. 2799, a sleeping car, an observation car, along with a Jim Crow combine in need of major overhaul. Several other museums own L&N equipment, including

408-604: Is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common name Ruth's golden aster . It is endemic to the US state of Tennessee , where it is known only from Polk County . It is threatened by the modification of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species . This is a perennial herb growing 10 to 30 centimeters tall from a rhizome several centimeters in length. There are one to several erect, slender stems covered in silvery hairs. The basal leaves are lance-shaped and 3 or 4 centimeters long. Leaves on

459-446: Is controlled by 10 radial gates with a combined discharge of 136,000 cubic feet per second (3,900 m/s). Apalachia Lake stretches for 9.8 miles (15.8 km) to the base of Hiwassee Dam , and contains 31 miles (50 km) of shoreline and 1,070 acres (430 ha) of water surface. A 900-foot (270 m) steel penstock connects the reservoir intake at the dam site to the 8.3-mile (13.4 km) conduit. The conduit emerges from

510-449: Is made difficult by the infestation of the greenhouse plants by the powdery mildew Erysiphe cichoracearum . The mildew is not present in the wild populations. Competing vegetation has been increasing yearly, and this is likely causing a negative impact. The Cherokee National Forest implemented a plan to remove poison ivy from aster sites, and though this was effective it was not feasible. Mechanical and chemical means are used to remove

561-488: Is occasionally released from the dam when toxic pollution builds up and needs to be flushed out of the river. When the aster was placed on the endangered species list, its Hiwassee River population had declined 50% in eight years. Since then it has declined another 40% and all subpopulations are likely to become extinct within 50 years. The other population on the Ocoee River was composed of about 500 plants growing in

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612-551: Is situated near the center of a scenic and relatively isolated valley sliced by the river as it winds its way through the southwestern fringe of the Blue Ridge Mountains . The Unicoi Mountains rise to the north of the dam, and the Nantahala National Forest surrounds the dam and its reservoir on all sides. Apalachia Dam's powerhouse is located 12 miles (19 km) downstream from the dam at

663-496: Is threatened by a number of processes that affect its environment. The stretches of river where it occurs are downstream from dams . The Apalachia Dam has eliminated the natural water regime in the Hiwassee River habitat. Water is now piped out of the river to a powerhouse and most of the flow comes from tributaries and runoff from surrounding hills. This stoppage of the normal river flow has allowed plants to move into

714-830: The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , purchased the remainder of the L&N shares it did not already own, and the company became a subsidiary. By 1982, the Seaboard Coast Line had absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. Then in 1986, the Seaboard System merged with the C&;O and B&O (known as the Chessie System ) and the combined company became CSX Transportation (CSX), which now owns and operates all of

765-698: The Bluegrass Railroad Museum . L&N 2132, a South Louisville Shops steam locomotive, is also on static display in Corbin, Kentucky. 2132 was moved from Bainbridge, Georgia to Corbin and underwent a full cosmetic restoration. Along with 2132 and her tender is L&N caboose 1056. The Wilderness Road Trail is a rail trail built on the ROW from Cumberland Gap National Historical Park to Ewing, Virginia . Pityopsis ruthii Chrysopsis ruthii Heterotheca ruthii Pityopsis ruthii

816-700: The Georgian north of Nashville. (The Official Guide of the Railroads, February 1952) The railroad also hosted other named trains, including: The L&N was one of few railroads to discontinue a passenger train that was en route. On January 9, 1969, as soon as a judge lifted the injunction preventing its discontinuance, the L&N discontinued its southbound Humming Bird at Birmingham, in mid-run from Cincinnati to New Orleans. The 14 passengers continuing south did so by bus. There are several preservation organizations of L&N equipment and L&N lines, such as

867-753: The Kentucky Railway Museum , The Historic Railpark and Train Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky , and the L&N Historical Society. The city of Atlanta, Georgia , is home to the General and the Texas , two 4-4-0 locomotives originally built for the Western and Atlantic Railroad , which was later leased to L&N predecessor Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis. The lease of the W&;A

918-553: The L&;N , was a Class I railroad that operated freight and passenger services in the southeast United States . Chartered by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1850, the road grew into one of the great success stories of American business. Operating under one name continuously for 132 years, it survived civil war and economic depression and several waves of social and technological change. Under Milton H. Smith , president of

969-580: The Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis was finally fully merged. In the 1960s, 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

1020-641: The SS Pensacola , the SS August Belmont , and the SS E. O. Saltmarsh . The venture ended with the sale of the Pensacola in 1906 and the selling off of the remaining assets in 1915. 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

1071-446: The model railroading hobby. The L&N Railroad is mentioned by country music pioneer Jimmie Rodgers in his "Blue Yodel #7". It is also the subject of the 2003 Rhonda Vincent bluegrass song "Kentucky Borderline", as well as " The L&N Don't Stop Here Anymore " by Jean Ritchie and individually performed by Michelle Shocked , Johnny Cash , Billy Bragg & Joe Henry , and Kathy Mattea . Dutch blues/rock band The Bintangs had

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1122-847: The Civil War, different parts of the network were pressed into service by both armies at various times, and considerable damage from wear, battle, and sabotage occurred. (For example, during the Battle of Lebanon in July 1863, the company's depot in Lebanon, Kentucky , was used as a stronghold by outnumbered Union troops). However, the company benefited from being based in Kentucky, a southern border state that initially had competing Unionist and Confederate state governments, but with Bowling Green (the latter's capital) and Nashville falling to Union forces within

1173-667: The Civil War. In the postwar period, the line 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, such as the Dixie Flyer , the Humming Bird , and the Pan-American . Though well past its 100th anniversary, the line was still growing. The railroad retired its last steam locomotive, a J-4 class 2-8-2 Mikado #1882, from active service on January 28, 1957. Also in that year,

1224-641: The Kentucky State Park Commission, making possible the creation of the state's Natural Bridge State Park . The Humming Bird and Pan-American , both from Cincinnati to New Orleans and Memphis, were two of the L&N's most popular passenger trains that ran entirely on its own lines. However, the Humming Bird later added a Chicago to New Orleans section in conjunction with the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad utilizing

1275-476: The L&N to its rival Atlantic Coast Line Railroad , but that company did not attempt to control L&N operations, and for many decades there were no consequences of this change. The L&N also attempted an expansion into foreign trade, through investments into the Export Coal Company, and the creation of a wholly owned subsidiary the "Gulf Transit Company" in 1895. This operated three ships,

1326-399: 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. Several historical groups and publications devoted to the line exist, and L&N equipment is well represented in

1377-451: The base of a steep-walled gorge formed as the river flows between two mountain formations. The dam's 8.3-mile (13.4 km) conduit— all but 1,600 feet (490 m) of which is underground— passes behind the cliffs on the south side of the river. Apalachia Dam is a concrete gravity diversion-type dam 150 feet (46 m) high and 1,308 feet (399 m) long, and has a generating capacity of 93,600 kilowatts . The dam's spillway

1428-520: The basic ingredients of steel production. The arrival of L&N transport and investment capital helped create a great industrial city and the South's first postwar urban success story. The railroad's access to good coal enabled it to claim for a few years starting in 1940 the nation's longest unrefuelled run, about 490 miles (790 km) from Louisville to Montgomery, Alabama . In the Gilded Age of

1479-604: The city. The new shops featured a central, 920-foot long transfer table that connected the main buildings. From that year until the 1920s, the South Louisville Shop built many of its own locomotives as well as repairing them. The shops in Decatur, Alabama were used to build most of the system's freight cars. The only other significant shops were located in Howell, Indiana , built in 1889. Since all locomotives of

1530-457: The company for 30 years, the L&N grew from a road with less than three hundred miles (480 km) of track to a 6,000-mile (9,700 km) system serving fourteen states. As one of the premier Southern railroads , the L&N extended its reach far beyond its namesake cities, stretching to St. Louis , Memphis , Atlanta , and New Orleans . The railroad was economically strong throughout its lifetime, operating freight and passenger trains in

1581-474: The eastern U.S. as part of the observance of the Civil War Centennial, including a visit to the 1964 New York World's Fair . Between 1966 and 1971, a legal battle ensued between the railroad and the city of Chattanooga as the former had planned to send the engine to Georgia, while the latter claimed to be the owners of the engine. After the dispute was settled, the engine was formally presented to

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1632-579: The firm began an expansion that never really stopped. Within 30 years the network reached from Ohio and Missouri to Louisiana and Florida . By 1884, the firm had such importance that it was included in the Dow Jones Transportation Average , the first American stock market index . It was such a large customer of the Rogers Locomotive and Machine Works , the country's second-largest locomotive maker, that in 1879

1683-536: The firm presented L&N with a free locomotive as a thank-you bonus. Beginning in 1858 and continuing throughout its history, the primary repair shops for rolling stock were located in Louisville , Kentucky. The first shops were acquired from the Kentucky Locomotive Works in 1858. However, this location could not be expanded, so a new tract of land was purchased in 1904 at the south side of

1734-498: The first year of the war, remaining in their hands for the war's duration. The company profited from Northern haulage contracts for troops and supplies, paid in sound Federal greenbacks , as opposed to the rapidly depreciating Confederate dollars . After the war, other railroads in the South were devastated to the point of collapse, and the general economic depression meant that labor and materials to repair its roads could be had fairly cheaply. Buoyed by these fortunate circumstances,

1785-490: The former Louisville and Nashville lines. Its first line extended barely south of Louisville, Kentucky , and it took until 1859 to span the 180-odd miles (290 km) to its second namesake city of Nashville . There were about 250 miles (400 km) of track in the system by the outbreak of the Civil War, and its strategic location, spanning the Union / Confederate lines, made it of great interest to both governments. During

1836-563: The hydroelectric potential of the Hiwassee River since the early 1900s. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers identified several potential dams sites, including Apalachia, in the 1920s, and by the time the Tennessee Valley Authority was formed in 1933, several companies had bought up land and flowage rights in the Hiwassee Valley. TVA took the initiative in the valley, however, with the construction of Hiwassee Dam in

1887-564: The late 1930s. By 1941, the outbreak of World War II in Europe brought a drastic increase in the demand for electricity— especially to support aluminum production in the Tennessee Valley—; and TVA quickly put together a plan to build several new dams, including Apalachia, all of which were authorized July 16, 1941. Work began on Apalachia the following day. The construction of Apalachia Dam and its reservoir required

1938-511: The late 19th century there were no such things as anti-trust or fair-competition laws and very little financial regulation . Business was a keen and mean affair, and the L&N was a formidable competitor. It would exclude upstarts like the Tennessee Central Railway Company from critical infrastructure like urban stations. Where that wasn't possible, as with the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway (which

1989-662: The plants and scouring the substrates they grow on. The plants grow in nearly full sunlight and cannot tolerate much shade. The flooding and scouring action of the river water prevents the growth of other plants that might shade it out. The plant is associated with Liatris microcephala (smallhead blazing star), which tolerates the same kind of habitat. Other plants located near the aster include Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem), Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem), Agalinis tenuifolia (slenderleaf false foxglove), Symphyotrichum dumosum (button aster), and Symphyotrichum undulatum (wavyleaf aster). This river plant

2040-593: The project was just over $ 24 million (equivalent to $ 338 million in 2023). The construction of the Apalachia Dam eliminated the natural water flow on the Hiwassee River, causing the decline of Ruth's golden aster ( Pityopsis ruthii ), a major reason why the plant was placed on the Endangered Species List in 1985. Louisville %26 Nashville Railroad The Louisville and Nashville Railroad ( reporting mark LN ), commonly called

2091-661: The purchase of 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) of land, most of which was in possession of three private entities— the Union Power Company, the Hiwassee-Nolichucky Power Company, and the Hiwassee River Power Company, with Union holding nearly half of the 4,500 acres (18 km). After the initial purchase, the Hiwassee-Nolichucky Power Company sold TVA an additional 8,100 acres (3,300 ha), nearly tripling

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2142-480: The railroad industry consolidated, the Seaboard Coast Line absorbed the Louisville & Nashville Railroad entirely. The merged company was known as "SCL/L&N", " 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,

2193-588: 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, as

2244-459: The reservation size. Land for the conduit was transferred by the U.S. Forest Service . Since most of the land was in possession of private companies, only 22 families and 2.4 miles (3.9 km) of roads had to be relocated. The construction of the conduit was necessary to exploit the 12-mile (19 km) stretch of river immediately downstream from the dam site in which the river drops on average 26 feet (7.9 m) per mile. The conduit's tunnel

2295-441: The small patches of soil occupied by the aster, leading to competition and excessive shade. Troublesome competing plant species include Toxicodendron radicans (poison ivy), Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper), Vitis rotundifolia (wild grape), Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper), Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), Lespedeza cuneata (lespedeza), and Microstegium vimineum (Nepal grass). Water

2346-819: The state of Georgia in 1971. The engine currently resides at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw, Georgia , while the Texas is currently at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer, North Carolina undergoing restoration for inclusion into an addition to house it and the cyclorama painting of the battle of Atlanta. The Texas should return to Georgia in late 2016. The Kentucky Railway Museum consists of many pieces of L&N equipment, as well as

2397-476: The stem are longer, overlapping, and silver-haired. The inflorescence is an array of several flower heads on hairy, glandular branches. Each head has nine to eighteen yellow ray florets. This plant grows in soil that has accumulated in the cracks of riverbank boulders on two Tennessee rivers, the Hiwassee and Ocoee Rivers . The rocks are subjected to periodic flooding when the river levels rise, submerging

2448-472: The time were steam-powered, many railroads had favored coal as their engines' fuel source after wood-burning models were found unsatisfactory. The L&N guaranteed not only its own fuel sources but a steady revenue stream by pushing its lines into the difficult but coal-rich terrain of eastern Kentucky , and also well into northern Alabama . There the small town of Birmingham had recently been founded amidst undeveloped deposits of coal, iron ore and limestone,

2499-403: Was built using blasting and a drill jumbo, and its 235-foot (72 m) surge tank was excavated into the rock near the valve house. Apalachia Dam was completed September 15, 1942, and its gates were closed February 14, 1943. The tunnel was completed April 1, 1943. The dam's first generator went online September 22, 1943, and a second went online November 17 of the same year. The total cost of

2550-499: Was older than the L&N), it simply used its financial muscle—in 1880 it acquired a controlling interest in its chief competitor. A public outcry convinced the L&N directors that there were limits to their power. They discreetly continued the NC&;StL as a separate subsidiary, but now working with, instead of in competition with, the L&N. Ironically, in 1902 financial speculations by financier J.P. Morgan delivered control of

2601-597: Was passed to, and renewed by, L&N and its successors. The General and the Texas became famous for being participants in The Great Locomotive Chase during the Civil War. The General had been placed on display in the railroad's Union Depot in Chattanooga in 1901. In 1957, the L&N removed the engine and restored it to operating condition. The engine pulled the railroad's wooden center-door Jim Crow combine coach No. 665 as it traveled throughout

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