A new lease of the Western & Atlantic Railroad

Part I: In the 1960s, the lease of the Western & Atlantic touched off a political firestorm

Louisville and Nashville 613 (FP7) idling on storage track of Atlanta Union Station on April 15, 1963. (Photo by Roger Puta via Wikimedia Commons)

In 1963, in advance of a new lease of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, Georgia officials hired a New York engineering firm to help determine the value of the line.[1]

The then-current 50-year Louisville & Nashville Railroad lease, awarded to the predecessor Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway starting in 1919, expired in 1969.

As the Louisville & Nashville extended its hold on the line, its focus shifted from passenger trains to freight. Its passenger train timetables of the era included advertisements for its freight services to attract new customers.

Bids accepted

In December 1966, the state accepted bids for the Western & Atlantic. As the state accepted bids, the L&N was gifting The General steam locomotive to Georgia, which turned into a controversy of its own.