| Tuscumbia Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | North Alabama |
| Dates of operation | 1830–1832 |
| Headquarters | Tuscumbia, Alabama |
The Tuscumbia Railway was chartered on January 16, 1830 and proceeded to build a 2.1 mile railroad from downtown Tuscumbia, Alabama to the docks on the Tennessee River west of Sheffield. This was the first railroad chartered/constructed west of the Appalachian Mountains.[1] The purpose of this railroad was to allow transport of cotton bales to a new wharf on the Tennessee River. Also the name of a tourist railroad constructed in city-owned Spring Park.[2]
With the success of this small railroad, it was decided to build a new railroad from Tuscumbia to Decatur via Courtland. The Tennessee River between these points has a stretch of shallow rapids in the Tennessee River known as the Muscle Shoals which make river transport impossible and this railroad was designed to bypass that obstacle. Thus, the Tuscumbia, Courtland and Decatur Railroad came into being just two years later.