The sHOw NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 1994

The SHOW NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER 1994
A Publication of the sHOw MODULAR MODEL RAILROAD CLUB of Bowling Green, KY

December Train
EXPOs planned
at two locations in
Bowling Green

Plans are being finalized for two special displays of The sHOw Train EXPO in December. On the day of the Christmas parade, the sHOw Train EXPO will be presented as part of the L & N Passenger station lighting of the tree ceremony after the parade on December 3rd. Modules will be set up at 8:00 A.M. inside the depot lobby and model trains will run in the afternoon. Santa will be there also. The next week we will be at Western Kentucky University's Center for Economic Development. We hope to have busses of school children transported to see the sHOw Train EXPO at this location. These special public events need support from all members. Mark your calendars now. If you need help on completing your module help is available. Just ask. We have many talents and are willing to share what we know and provide assistance to others. After all---we are a club.

sHOw to view RRslides and films On Thursday, October 20th from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. sHOw members are invited to visit the home of Rumsie Butler. Rumsie promises lots of slides and movies. Past visits to home layouts have been good social events and through the kindness or out hosts we maintain interest in trains. Trustees named at October meeting. David Boyd, Frank Chelf, John Oakes and John Welther were named as Trustees of The sHOw for a two year term.

Next Meeting of
The sHOw at
the Hobby
Crossing
Saturday
November 5th,
at 10:00 A.M.
The next club meeting will be
at the new location of the
Hobby Crossing on Campbell
Lane at 10:00 A.M. on
Saturday, November 5th,
1994. We will review our
by-laws and standards for
final approval and plan
December EXPOs for the
Depaot and the Institute for
Economic Development in
Bowling Green. Also, the
Hobby Crossing is planning a
store layout with help from
members.
Drawing for a door prize of an
IHC city building structure kit
donated to the club will take
place at the conclusion of the
meeting. Be a winner. Be there.
GREAT
AMERICAN
TRAIN SHOW in
Louisville
OCTOBER 29-30th
Commonwealth
Convention Center

"If you play with it long enough it is bound to get broken."Murphy's Law #5002

Bowling Green's ??????? ??? ?????
The Bowling Green and Tennessee and
Louisville & Nashville Railroads 1850 to 1852
by Michael K. Dowell

continued from October issue:

On February 13, 1852 the Tennessee
legislature granted a charter to the
Bowling Green and Tennsessee to
extend its tracks into Tennessee to
Nashville, or to instersect with any
railroad in Tennessee. The
Tennessee charter of the Bowling
Green and Tennessee Railroad was
included in section 8 through 12 of
the Edgefield and Kentucky
Railroad chaarter. This company had
been empowered to construct single
or double tracks from the north side
of the Cumberland River at
Nashville to the Kentucky state line
to unite with any company in
existence or which might come into
existence to connect the towns of
Lexington, Frankfort, Louisville,
Danville, Henderson, and/or Bowling
Green.

With the Tennessee charter, the
Bowling Green and Tennessee now
was empowered to gain county
subscription to finance the road,
which would be built from Bowling
Green to Nashville or some point
north of Nashville and to connect
with the Edgefield and Kentucky
railroad. The company could branch
west of Bowling Green and connect
with the Memphis, Clarksville, and
Loulsville Railroad, thus reaching
all the way to the Mississippi River.
The Bowling Green and Tennessee
then placed a survey party in the
field to survey the line from Bowling
Green to Nashville. The pary consisted of Joshua Pillsbury,
Thomas C. Calvert, Mike T. Hall and
Cook Gloster Willis.

On April 6, 1852 a meeting was held
in Bowling Green to test support for
the Memphis, Clarksville and
Louisville Railroad. Delegates were
appointed to meet in Clarksville the
next day. The Clarksville convention
ended leaving the task of legislative
sanctions on the part of the
Kentucky legislature to connect with
the L & N. Delegates from
Clarksville agreed to make a survey
from Clarksville to the Kentucky
line. Delegates from Todd, Logan
and Warren counties agreed to make
the survey through their counties.

The Bowling Green and Tennessee
railroad now stood postitioned to
build not only a road to Nashville,
but also from a connection with
the Memphis, Clarksville and
Louisville railroad at Guthrie
Kentucky to any point the L & N
decided. The Bowling Green and
Tennessee could finance the road,
with not only stock sales and
Warren County subscriprions, but
also Logan County's $300,000
subscription and a subscription
from Todd County, thus making
the Memphis link. The Bowling
Green and Tennessee could expect
the $100,000 Simpson County
Subscription and perhaps
subscriptions from Goodletsville
and Davidson COunty, Tennessee.
If the line couldn't be built to
Nashville the company could
expect to connect with the
Edgefield and Kentucky railroad
at some point in Tennesse

L & N sources say little of
Glasgow's attempts to secure their
city a spot on the line. Instead,
Glasgow seemed content to sit
back and await a decision by the L
& N. If the upper route was chosen
with only a small subscription the
county would reap the benefits. If
the lower route was chosen a
connection could be made at a
nominal price.

The L & N again surveyed the
route from Nashville to Bowling
Green by Gallatin and found it
added five miles to the route. The
L & N could no longer ignore the
threat of the competitive Bowling
Green railroad. On May 29, 1852
the L & N Board of Directors
authorized President L. L. Shreve
to negotiate a consolidation of the
two companies. This again showed
foresight on the part of the L & N.
The Bowling Green and Tennessee
Railroad had already finsished the
preparatory steps to make the
Memphis connection, something
the L & N badly wanted.

In June, 1852 a consolidation of
the two companies took place with
the L & N recieving all stock,
rights and priveleges of the

Bowling Green and Tennessee
Railroad, as well as the Warren
County subscription. Thus Bowling
Green achieved a point on the
mainline without having to bear the
brunt of the cost of building the road.
The L & N received the support of
Bowling Green, the financial help from
the company stocks, the rights and
priveleges of the company's chaarters
and the ground work on the Memphis
Branch, all for locating the road where
it was first proposed.

About 240 Bowling Green citizens
purchased from one to twenty-one
shares of stock in the Bowling Green
and Tennesse Railroad. One such
subscriber was Bowling Green banker
P. J. Potter. By 1871 Potter had
acquired a large amount of stock in
the L & N. On October 4, 1871 Potter
was elected to the L & N Board of
Directors.

The Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad
ultimately built a road from Nashville
to Guthrie, Kentucky, The company
shaared joint use of 10.37 mile from
Nashville to Edgefield Junction with
the L & N. Glasgow used the Barren
County subscription to join the L & N
mainline at Park City, Kentucky. By
1879, the wisdom of the Bowling
Green consolidation was evident. The
city was a thriving point on the L & N
mainline near the Memphis Branch.
The roads it would have been linked
with, the Memphis, Clarksville and
Louisville as well aas the Edgefield and
Kentucky Railraods had gone into
receivership and been purchased by
the L & N.