Tennessean (train)

The Tennessean was a named passenger train jointly operated by the Norfolk and Western Railway (N&W) and the Southern Railway (SR). Inaugurated on May 17, 1941, its route ran from Washington, DC, to Lynchburg, Virginia, on the SR, then on to Bristol, Tennessee, on the N&W, terminating at Memphis Union Station via the SR. The St. Louis Southwestern Railway inaugurated a new passenger train, the Morning Star from Memphis to Dallas, specifically to provide close connections with the Tennessean at Memphis.

Tennessean

Overview
Service type	Inter-city rail
Status	Discontinued
Locale	Southeastern United States
First service	May 17, 1941
Last service	March 30, 1968
Former operator(s)	Southern Railway via Norfolk and Western Railway
Route
Start	Washington, DC
End	Memphis, Tennessee
Distance travelled	1,155.1 miles (1,859.0 km)
Average journey time	23 hours, 50 minutes
Service frequency	Daily
Train number(s)	45 (southbound), 46 (northbound)
On-board services
Class(es)	Deluxe Coach Train, Through Sleeper service available
Seating arrangements	Reclining seat coach, Tavern-lounge coach
Sleeping arrangements	Open sections, roomettes, double bedrooms and compartments
Catering facilities	Onboard dining car
Entertainment facilities	Radio
Technical
Rolling stock	Air conditioned cars built by the Pullman Company
Track owner(s)	Southern Railway
Route map 0 mi 0 km Washington, D.C. DC VA border 8 mi 13 km Alexandria 112 mi 180 km Charlottesville 173 mi 278 km Lynchburg 225 mi 362 km Roanoke 258 mi 415 km Christiansburg 376 mi 605 km Bristol VA TN border 401 mi 645 km Johnson City 433 mi 697 km Greeneville 465 mi 748 km Morristown 507 mi 816 km Knoxville 589 mi 948 km Cleveland 618 mi 995 km Chattanooga TN AL border 715 mi 1151 km Huntsville 740 mi 1191 km Decatur 784 mi 1262 km Sheffield-Tuscumbia AL MS border 835 mi 1344 km Corinth MS TN border 876 mi 1410 km Grand Junction 923 mi 1485 km Buntyn 929 mi 1495 km Memphis

Intended to replace the Memphis Special as the preeminent carrier on the Washington–Memphis run, one of its critical duties was the transportation of mail for the Railway Mail Service division of the Post Office Department. The train's almost immediate success was further bolstered by a sharp rise in passenger traffic during World War II. The Tennessean carried a Bristol-Nashville sleeping car, a Chattanooga-Memphis sleeper, and a New York-Memphis sleeper.[1] The heavyweight Pullman sleeping cars were painted silver to help them blend in with the train's stainless-steel, streamlined baggage cars, dining cars, coaches, and observation cars. Following World War II, streamlined sleeping cars replaced the heavyweight sleepers on the Tennessean.

The amenities provided on the Tennessean were gradually curtailed as Southern Railway attempted to reduce operating losses. By the early 1960s, the train carried only coaches and a single Pullman sleeper, in addition to the railway post office car and express and mail cars. Due to a decline in overall ridership, and Southern Railway's determination to escape the expensive burden of operating Memphis Union Station, the Tennessean was discontinued on March 30, 1968. This discontinuance ended all Southern Railway passenger train service to Memphis, allowing abandonment of Memphis Union Station.