Southern Railway Tennessean

Southern Railway’s Tennessean

The inaugural run for The Tennessean was in 1941 from Washington DC to Memphis TN. The Tennessean and The Southerner were the first two Southern Railway trains with streamlined passenger cars.

The train ran on the Southern Railway from Washington to Lynchburg, on the Norfolk & Western from Lynchburg to Bristol, then back on the Southern from Bristol to Memphis.

Its schedule usually had it leaving Washington around 8AM, and arriving Memphis 25 hours later. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway provided a connecting train to Dallas.

The train ended its run in 1968.

Southern Railway Tennessean Streamline Passenger Train

More Southern Railway information will be added to this page and others in the days ahead. Please let me know if you have any edits that should be made or any content you are willing to share by utilizing the comment form below. Would enjoy hearing from you if you have similar interests in the railroads, the region, or model railroading.

Tennessean Timetable 1952

Tennessean Stats

Route: Washington to Memphis
Cities: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Bristol, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Huntsville, and Memphis
Numbers: 45 southbound & 46 northbound
Years in Service: 1941 to 1968
Partner Railroads: Pennsylvania (NYC to DC), N&W (Lynchburg to Bristol)
Streamlined: 1941
Dieselized: 1941
Distance: 929 miles
Scheduled Time: 24 hours 40 minutes (1952)
Average Speed: 38 MPH (1952)
Equipment: Coach, Sleeper, Diner, Tavern/Lounge in variation throughout its history. In 1952 the Tennessean consist included – Diner: DC to Knoxville. Tavern/Lounge: DC to Memphis. Reaturant/Lounge: Chattanooga to Memphis. Sleepers: 2 NYC to Memphis, 1 DC to Memphis, 1 Bristol to Nashville, 1 Knoxville to Memphis, 1 Chattanooga to Memphis.

Southern-Railroads.org Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the Southern Railway and its predecessors. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Southern-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

Association: Southern Railway Historical Association
Personal maps, timetables, track charts, and memorabilia
Book – Flanary, Lindsey & Oroszi: The Southern Railway
Book – Graybeal: The Railroads of Johnson City
Book – Harshaw: ‘Trains Trestles & Tunnels, Railroads of the Southern Appalachians’
Book – Lindsey: ‘Norfolk Southern 1995 Review’
Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
Book – Reisweber: ‘Southern Railway Power’
Book – Scales: Natural Tunnel, Nature’s Marvel in Stone’
Book – Stout: ‘Southern Railway: Through Passenger Service’
Book – Ward: ‘Southern Railway Varnish 1964-1979’
Book – Webb: ‘The Southern Railway System: An Illustrated History’
Book – Wiley & Wallace: ‘The Southern Railway Handbook’
Book – Withers & Sink: ‘Southern: A Motive Power Pictorial’
Book – Wolfe: Southern Railway Appalachia Division
Magazines – ‘Trains‘ , ‘Classic Trains‘
Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
Website – Hawkinsrails.net
Website – Johnson’s Depot hosted by StateOfFranklin.net
Website – Multimodalways.org: Norfolk Southern Track Charts
Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City
Website – SteamLocomotive.com
Website – TheDieselShop.us
Website – VirginiaPlaces.org – Railroad History of Virginia

Contact Us

Would enjoy hearing from you if you have questions, suggestions, edits, or content that you are willing to share. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have similar interests in the Southern or Model Railroads.

3Cs Websites

Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org