...and the Memphis Street Railway

Early Railroads became important to the city of Memphis as a means of balancing commerce between land routes and the Mississippi steamboat traffic.  The trains totally reinforced the city's position as a major hub of trade.  The Memphis and Charleston Railroad, completed in 1857, was the first railroad in the US to link the Atlantic Ocean with the Mississippi River.  It ran from Memphis to Stevenson Alabama through the towns of Corinth, Mississippi and Huntsville, Alabama.   When the Civil War broke out in 1861, this railroad became strategically important as the only east-west railroad running through the Confederacy.  The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad, from 1854-1871, was the first railroad to operate in the state of Arkansas.  

1920s

1950s

1909 Poplar Street "Proposal"

1925 aerial

This station opened in 1912 and was operated by the Memphis Union Station Company.  The Southern Railway, Louisville and Nashville Railway, St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Company, Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railway companies used the station.  It's purpose was to provide a link for travel primarily between east and west.  The station was approximately two blocks east of the Calhoun Street Station (Central Station would be soon be built on that site.)  The architectural Beaux-Arts design of the station was a source of great pride in Memphis.  The main building was the largest stone structure in the city. 

After WWII, train traffic declined and studies indicated that only one station was now needed in Memphis.  The various railroads could never agree on which station, so Union Station continued in operation into the early 1960s.  In early 1964, the railroads finally announced that they would shift all their routes to Central Station.  In 1964 Union Station closed.  1965:  Memphis seeks injunctions to restore service at Union Station.  1966:  Limited service resumes at Union.  1967:  Announcement that Union will soon be demolished to build a Post Office.  1968:  Contents of Union Station sold at public auction.  1969:  Demolition of Union Station is complete and Memphis loses another of it's grand buildings.

Central Station .  545 S. Main, at Calhoun

This station was originally called Grand Central Station and opened in 1914.  It thrived during the era of the passenger train.  In fact, more than 50 times a day trains came and went from the station.  The station was owned by the Illinois Central Railroad but was also used by a number of other railroads.  The success of this station led to rapid business development in the surrounding area.  Restaurants, shops, and hotels sprung up to accommodate travelers coming to and going from Memphis.  A notable business is the Arcade Restaurant, across the street from Central, which is still in operation. 

Throughout the 1960's, passenger trains declined in popularity and by the early 1970's Amtrak operated the only train running through Memphis.  Central Station was falling into disrepair.  In 1995, the Memphis Area Transit Authority purchased the station and by the end of 1999 had completed renovation on it.  Today, Memphis Central Station is used by Amtrak's City of New Orleans and is a stop on MATA's trolley line.  The upper floors of the station were converted into moderately priced apartments appropriately named Central Station Apartments.  There is also a banquet/reception hall in the station and on Saturdays, the "Farmer's Market" is held beneath the station's pavilion.  And there is one platform still in daily use.

Central Station Hotel

Other Stations  

Most Memphians are aware that the city at one time had two large train stations - Union and Central Stations.  Fewer Memphians know about the Calhoun Street Station and the Poplar Street Station.  Virtually none know about the "other stations" around town.  These ranged from actual stations with ticket agents and waiting rooms to a covered stop on the side of the track where you could flag down the train.  As was common in the outlying areas around Memphis, neighborhoods and small towns often got their names from railway stations.

Memphis Street Railway

Patterson Transfer Company

Patterson Transfer Company was formed in 1854 and literally purchased every stage coach in this territory.  In the days before the Civil War Patterson operated stage coaches to Nashville, Jackson and many points in Mississippi.  An ad at the time boasted "...52 hours to Nashville".  After the railroads extended their lines to Memphis, the stagecoaches were discontinued.  Buses then replaced the coaches and Patterson bought up all the buses.  When the auto came into general use, bringing the taxicab, Patterson entered that field also, eventually owning the Memphis Yellow Cab Company.  A Patterson bus or cab met every train that ever came to Memphis.  A major function was to transfer passengers from one train station to another.  Patterson stored their fleet of coaches, buses, autos in various old railroad "round houses" in the downtown area.   

  Vintage Memorabilia and Postcards of Train Stations and Streetcars ...

Union Postcard 1912

Union that was never built

Union Station - Snow

1949 Fares  -  Central Postcard

Central Postcard

Central  Postcard

Central Postcard

The "Memphis Special"

 Historic Memphis Website