Southern Railroad Overview and Predecessors in Southern Indiana

AtlantaHistoryCenter (Source), 1908, Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center
"In addition to the records, Atlanta History Center has digitized over 11,000 photographic images from the collection. These images will be added to our website throughout 2024. Over 2,000 are now [Jan 2024] available."

The black line between Cincinnati and Chattanooga would be the NS/CNO&TP/Sou/Cincinnati Southern Railway.

Bill Stroud posted

Just for clarification if you ever see me post anything on here more than likely it will be on these lines "The old Southern Railway Line" or "The Airline Railway" or the "Evansville Consolidated Railway".

Bill Stroud The main line was also called the New Albany & St. Louis Airline Railway. It changed its name many times. The Air Line Stuck. 89 trestles in the air from Huntingburg to New Albany.
Brian Small A lots of tunnels! From Air to Subterranean!
Dennis DeBruler I assume the long line west of New Albany was the various Airline names. Which was the Evansville to Tell vs. the Rockport to French Lick?
Bill Stroud Fingers don't fail me now. The New Albany to East St. Louis started on paper in 1869 as the New Albany & St. Louis Air Line Railway. In 1870 it became Louisville, New Albany, & St. Louis Air Line Railway (of Indiana). In 1872 it became the Louisville, New Albany & St. Louis Air Line Railway. In 1878 it became Louisville, New Albany & St Louis Railway. That is when some of the building started. The line was built from the western part of the state at the Wabash to the east. The Duncan tunnel caused most the misery for the formal railroad companies that could not make it out of New Albany. In 1882 the line was finally finished at Patton tunnel. The Railway was then called the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Railway. In 1886 it became the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Railroad Company of Indiana. Then again in 1886 it became Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Railroad. In 1889 it became Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Consolidated Railroad at this time Mackey owned the railroad and every railroad in Evansville. Macky owned the Elnora to Richmond line. In 1900 it became the Southern Railway Company of Indiana part of the J.P. Morgan empire. Then in 1944 it officially became Southern Railway. In 1990 it was renamed Norfolk Southern. That is just the History of the line between New Albany to St. Louis. You also have RRs that built from Evansville to Lincoln City, Rockport to Jasper, Lincoln City to Cannelton. Sources: Craig Berndt, Southern Railway, Simons Parker Railroads of Indiana. Thanks
Bill Stroud It changed its name 12 times. Because of bankruptcies/receiverships and consolidations. It was a poor railroad, bad terrain, and no money. You got to love it.

Update: I copied this from the bridge posting because of the history that Bill provided.

Bill Stroud posted

The picture you see below was in Ties Magazine (Southern Railway System). Bridge construction on the Wabash Near Mt. Carmel in 1872. Note the 4-4-0 wood burning locomotive.

On an interesting note. The original bid for the entire line in Indiana was 3.8 million dollars in 1869. Which is about 90 million with inflation today.
Augusts Bradley was president when the Air Line was formed.
Isaac Munroe St. John was the civil engineer who decided the best route for the Air Line.
St. John originally planned the line to be 245 miles from St. Louis to New Albany. It ended up being 268 miles to New Albany.
He was off 23 miles. New Albany subscribed $300,000 and Louisville subscribed $500,000 in 1869. Dubois county pledged $53,000.
Why did Louisville and New Albany want this new railroad to be built? Answer: it was the coal in Dubois, Pike and Gibson County that had been discovered and explored.