The most significant railroad serving Memphis was Illinois Central, with its main line between Chicago and New Orleans. The Fulton District and the Grenada District. Amtrak continues to use the Fulton District, and previously used the Grenada District. IC subsidiary Yazoo & Mississippi Valley operated an additional line between Memphis and Jackson MS, which became the Tallahatchie District. The Y&MV route eventually evolved into the main IC freight route south of Memphis. And with little through traffic remaining on the Grenada District, Amtrak service in 1995 began instead using the Y&MV route. IC used Central Station, while other railroads used either Central Station or Union Station. Nearly all other railroads serving Memphis paralleled each other east and west south of downtown, along the "Broadway Corridor". South of Central Station, Broadway was the crossing of the IC line with the Broadway Corridor, and where other railroads using Central Station connected with the IC trackage. Tower 17 controlled the trackage south of Union Station, connecting with the Broadway Corridor. At KC Jct., the Broadway Corridor separated into three railroads continuing east. Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis extended as far as Atlanta. Southern Railway passed through Chattanooga, Knoxville and Bristol. And St. Louis San Francisco extended to Birmingham. Louisville & Nashville had trackage rights over NC&SL to Aulon, where its own line diverged northeast to Bowling Green, where it connected with the main line north to Louisville. In 1957, L&N acquired NC&SL. West of the Broadway Corridor IC crossing was Kentucky Street, where most of the railroads combined into the Arkansas & Memphis Railway Bridge & Terminal Co., which operated the Harahan Bridge over the Mississippi River. Rock Island, Missouri Pacific, and St. Louis Southwestern used the Harahan Bridge, while St. Louis San Francisco used its own bridge. At Briark, A&MRB&T separated into MP's Memphis Subdivision, and the Rock Island main line west to Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Amarillo and Tucumcari. MP's Memphis Subdivision extended west to Bald Knob, where it connected with the main line between St. Louis and Texarkana. MP also had trackage rights over the Rock Island line from Briark to Hulbert, where MP's Marianna Subdivision diverged south. SSW had trackage rights via Rock Island to Brinkley, where a connection was made with the SSW main line south from St. Louis into Texas. The SLSF line in Arkansas continued northwest to Turrell, where the lines split between St. Louis and Kansas City.
Significant Locations and Distances from Station
Y&MV Jct. (2 miles S) - junction of IC main line, Y&MV subsidiary.
Broadway (1 mile S) - junction and crossing of Broadway Corridor, IC.
Tower 17 (1 mile S) - junction of Broadway Corridor, Union Station.
KC Jct. (3 miles E) - Broadway Corridor separates to NC&SL, SR, SLSF.
Aulon (6 miles E) - junction of NC&SL, L&N with trackage rights.
Kentucky Street (1 mile S) - east end A&MRB&T, SLSF with separate bridge.
Briark (3 miles W) - west end A&MRB&T, connect with MP Memphis Subdivision, CRI&P.
Hulbert (7 miles W) - junction of CRI&P, MP Marianna Subdivision with trackage rights.
Brinkley (69 miles W) - junction of CRI&P, SSW with trackage rights.
Turrell (22 miles NW) - junction of SLSF lines to St. Louis, Kansas City.