Here is the original story for the KT:
KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE
Company Profile
In 1997, plans were drawn up to connect central Tennessee with Knoxville and Nashville, a group of investors saw a decent rail connection would serve this purpose.
It took the group until 2002 to secure a government grant approved directly by President George W. Bush to re-build the former Tennessee Central Railway from Hopkinsville, Kentucky to Harriman, Tennessee with extensions to Oneida, TN, Evansville, IN, and Charlotte NC.
March 9, 2003...Construction is half-way complete.
October 24, 2004...Construction is complete, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen speaks at the dedication ceremony along with President George W. Bush and Rev. Billy Graham.
On February 7, 2006 Kentucky & Tennessee drew up plans to merge with the Paducah & Louisville Railroad, and on April 4, it was complete, P&L did not retain a full name, but rather a new paint scheme was unveiled for KT, and engines working formerly owned by P&L were painted in same scheme with the Paducah & Louisville name under the KT logo.
KT MoW forces began upgrading the entire P&L mailine from 25 & 30 mph to mostly 40 & 45mph track speeds.
On January 30th 2007, KT announced it’s intentions to re-build a former Jasper, TN-Pikeville, TN rail line with an extension to connect with KT’s mainline at Crossville.
This subsidiary would be named the “Sequatchie Valley Railroad” and such name would be applied to three locomotives the were to work it.
On June 5th 2008, the Kentucky & Tennessee merged with the Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia Railway to form connections into Alabama and Georgia.
The Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia name was thus applied to the former T.A.G locomotives, which were mainly GP9’s.
On November 4th 2008, Kentucky & Tennessee merged with the Indiana Railroad.
Unlike previous mergers, the Indiana Railroad fleet would not receive KT colors, but rather a completely new IRR paint scheme was designed.
The company continued to grow throughout the next year, with a major contract coming aboard.
United Parcel Service signed KT to take an intermodal train from Charlotte, NC to Louisville, KY.
A fairly complicated routing was used however, the train would travel from Charlotte to Harriman, then take Norfolk Southern up to Lexington where NS connects with KT’s former RJ Corman Central Kentucky Lines, then it would take Corman to the ex-P&L line then take P&L into Louisville.
As freight service continued to grow, KT double tracked the Nashville to Evansville line and added a 6 mile siding spur at Crossville.
January 2009, KT makes a historic purchase of an ex-BNSF locomotive, number 1460, the “Beep” finds a home on KT, switching cars from local industries at Crossville and pulling them to Cookeville’s Yard.
October 23rd 2009, Kentucky and Tennessee begins taking serious looks at The Volunteer Line Railroad, which runs north out of Knoxville.
KT President T.A.Wood began to draw up plans for a merger while Vice President G.S Sneed was oppositional to the merger. However President of Operations S.E Mast was more than excited about this possible merger.
The Kentucky & Tennessee OCS made it’s first trip over Volunteer Line track on November 25th with all KT officers aboard.
Plans were drawn up by both railroads with officers from both being proponents and opponents of the possible merger.
However at this time of publishment, plans have not been completed.
The line would primarily serve as the eventual route of the UPS Intermodal train from Charlotte to Louisville.
Kentucky & Tennessee is also interested in the railroad for it’s routes through coal-rich mountain country, which if brought aboard would completely phase out Norfolk Southern’s service to the Harriman-Kingston TVA Power plant on the Clinch River.
KT would be the sole provider of coal to the plant bringing in money to improve the existing Volunteer Line tracks.
KT is also interested in VL because of it’s many connections to mountain communities that are accessible by truck, but rail is the preferred alternative.
KT is also moving on VL because of it’s large SD40-2 fleet, which Kentucky & Tennessee would re-build into SD40-3 models at the KT Jamestown, Tennessee Shops.
Management wise, KT is highly interested in VL’s president and management staff, largely to replace poor management conditions at KT.
If the two were to merge, Volunteer Line’s president would become Kentucky & Tennessee’s Vice President ousting Sneed to Cumberland Division Chief Operations Officer.
Current Cumberland Division COO Mast would then be in charge of the proposed “Volunteer Corridor”.
KT is also very interested in VL as a Knoxville Bypass, currently KT uses their former Knoxville and Holston River track age which is limited to 10mph on the river front.
However, when the two finally merged on January 6th, 2010 plans were drawn up to create a holding company, keeping the two seperate operations.
Management Staff would not change after all.
Both KT and VLR are very happy with the final agreements.
KENTUCKY AND TENNESSEE
Locomotive Roster
200-206 B40-8 (ex-BNSF Railway)
801-867 GP10 (ex-Paducah & Louisville
868-891 GP16 (ex-RJ Corman)
945-999 GP11 (ex-Paducah & Louisville)
1001-1015 GP38-2
2025-2070 GP40-2
3140-3146 SD40
3200-3255 SD40-2
3308-3329 SD40-3
3330-3331 SD40-T2 (ex-CN/DMIR)
3411-3417 SD38 (ex-EJ&E)
4400-4412 ES44AC
4413-4415 ES44AC Hybrid
5000-5004 SD50
6010-6011 SD60
6781-6782 FPA-4
7032-7038 C30-7 (ex-CSX)
8120-8140 GP9RM
9701-9703 FP9 *rebuilt with Computer System.
9704-9705 F9
9706 Australian Class CL
