Fayetteville, TN to Jeff, AL

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The MT&A tell-tales are still in place even after the right-of-way was converted to automobile use as "Old Railroad Bed Road". Sumner's crossing over the Elk River is in the background. Picture taken circa-1940s. Photo by Thomas E. Bailey, Submitted by Phillip Kennedy.

In 1887, the Decatur, Chesapeake and New Orleans Railway was chartered to build a line from Gallatin, TN to Aberdeen, MS. However, only 37 miles of track was actually laid between Fayetteville, TN and Lax, AL. The railroad soon faced financial trouble, and the Middle Tennessee and Alabama Railway purchased the line in 1893 in hopes to complete the line as far as Decatur, AL. The MT&A only got as far as a station called "Jeff", just northwest of Hunstville, AL. In 1897, the line was purchased by the Nashville, Chattanooga and Saint Louis Railroad, part of the Louisville and Nasvhille family of lines.

Hard times befell the NC&StL during the Great Depression, and the line was abandoned in 1929, with the rails removed in the early 1930s. The respective rights-of-way were sold to both Tennessee and Alabama, each transforming the railbed into a state road, "Old Railroad Bed Road", which is still there today. Otherwise, no evidence remains of this railroad abandoned long ago.

From the rail yard in Fayetteville (where the former The Huntsville Branch of the NC&StL connects), the line followed Elk River to a tributary at Cold Water, TN. It then ran through Taft, TN and south into Alabama. Whistle stops along the way were Elkwood Section, Bobo, Ready Section, Madison Crossroads (Toney), Harvest, Clark and finally Capshaw.

Thanks to Phillip Kennedy for contributing information about this route.

I am seeking information and pictures of train depots on the line from Fayetteville to Capshaw. I especially want a picture of the Capshaw and Harvest depots. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Carol Abernathy
Athens, AL
11/9/2010

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There actually is two structures left by the railroad still today. The spring at the end of Dan Crutcher Rd. is where the engine would stop and a siphon hose lowered from the coal tender to take water for the boiler on the engine. The N.C.&St.L did'nt think the capshaw spur carried enough revenue to pay for a water tower so they laid the rock wall around the spring and used it for the water supply. And the last structur building wise from the railroad left standing is in the front yard of a persons house with tree growth on the right hand side of old rr bed going south after you pass toney fire dept. it was the Madison cross roads depot. The engine that ran on the line was a 2-8-0 Baldwin locomotive with a coal tender that pulled in cotton season 6 flat cars and a passenger car and a box car and a caboose. I know this because there was the daughter of the engineer that operated the spur train lived in capshaw and she had pictures of the train and her dad. She was 11 in 1927 and died in the late 90's. I made a exact copy of that train in lionel o gauge and run it today.

Clayton Burrell
Toney, AL
6/24/2012

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I live just north of Ready Section on Old Railroad Bed Road, when we built our house in 1991 the contractors found several railroad spikes in our yard, this also was the case with our neighbors who had built their house a few months earlier.

Penny Kennedy
Toney, AL
7/2/2012

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Hi, do you have any info about the history of the gold robbery at either the toney post office or maybe the toney depot? Rumored to happen in the 1800's and buried somewhere around the swamp of blue hole! Any info you could share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Could you emnail me at itsmy36@aol.com

jeff
harvest, AL
3/18/2013

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