There have been books covering major rail systems. There have been books covering short-line railroads. But this is one of the very few-if indeed there are any others-that have been written covering a district of approximately 10 miles of a regional (major regional, admittedly, but regional) carrier. The fact that the line under discussion includes a 2,200-foot tunnel and is a pusher district explaines the existence of the book and, indeed, why it was written at all.
Cumberland Mountain Tunnel was built by the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad in the years 1849-52. Mr. Arbuckle not only describes the construction of the tunnel and the operation of the line through it, but also offers a brief discussion of the origins of the N&C RR (later Nashville, Chattanooga & St Louis Railway). He includes a description of a cab ride through the tunnel on a train of the present operator, CSX Transportation.
...The book is well researched (and footnoted), well written, and adequately but not profusely illustrated (there are 17 pages of photos). It generally coveres the subject well.
While the subject matter is somewhat limited in scope, readers interested in railroad operations as well as railroad history will find this book enjoyable.

Robert H. Hanson
Florida East Coast Railway