Newbern, TN (NBN)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$334,554

Station Ridership

FY 2011

3,960

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

Newbern is a flag stop along the route of the City of New Orleans, with trains stopping if there are reservations to board or disembark, or on a signal to the train crew.

The station is a former Illinois Central Railroad depot built in 1920, the third depot to be built in Newbern. The station was restored in 1992 with private donations and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Today, the depot houses the Newbern Depot & Railroad Museum in the southern part of the building, an Amtrak waiting room, and a room for public functions. The museum features tools, uniforms, schedules, photos, model railroads, and art work. Outside is a monument to the Illinois Central Railroad. The town is proud of its railroad heritage, and hosts the annual “Depot Days” Festival to celebrate Dyer County and the Newbern Depot.

The Newbern stop serves both Newbern and the city of Dyersburg, ten miles to the southwest. Dyersburg is the Dyer County seat and is situated along the Forked Deer River. Dyer County once belonged to the Chickasaw tribe, who ceded the territory to the United States in 1818. The county was established through an act of the General Assembly of Tennessee in 1823 when John McIver and Joel H. Dyer donated 60 acres of land for the County seat, which they named Dyersburg.

Dyersburg became a hub for steamboat transportation due to its location on the Forked Deer River. In 1879, the city experienced its first industrial boom. The steamboat Alf Stevens shipped timber from A. M. Stevens Lumber Company of Dyersburg to St. Louis markets for the first time. In 1860, the Stevens Company established a large sawmill. The Bank of Dyersburg opened in 1880, while another timber industry, Nichols & Co. Wooden Bowl Factory, began operations in 1881.

The advent of the Newport News and Mississippi Valley Railroad in 1884 furthered economic possibilities. The Dyersburg Northern, a branch line, soon linked the city to Tiptonville. The railroads encouraged economic expansion, and new businesses began springing up. In 1884, the Dyersburg Oil Company (a cottonseed oil factory) was established, which remained important into the 20th century. Between 1909 and 1914, Dyersburg became a railroad hub for three lines, led by the Illinois Central.

During World War II, an emergency landing strip was constructed in Dyersburg. In recent years, Dyersburg has become a regional educational, medical, retail, and distribution center. Dyersburg State Community College has augmented educational and cultural activities in the area.

Dyersburg’s Classical Revival style courthouse, built in 1911 by Asa Biggs, is the center of the downtown area, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Historic downtown serves as the epicenter of many cultural events, including Mayor Hill’s Annual Egg Hunt, the Dyer County Fair, the Main Street Fall Festival, and various shows and concerts.

Notable residents include major league baseball pitcher Ed Wright, as well as professional wrestlers George “Two Ton” Harris and Robert Fuller. On March 5, 1963, country singer Patsy Cline and three other country music personalities were killed in a plane crash outside of Dyersburg.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this facility.

Newbern-Dyersburg is served by two daily trains.