The Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (abbreviated: CNO&TP; ) is a railroad that leases the Cincinnati Southern Railway from Cincinnati, Ohio, south to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and sub leases it to the Norfolk Southern Railway system. The physical assets of the road were initially financed by the city of Cincinnati in the 1870s, and are still owned by the city. It is the only such long-distance railway owned by a municipality in the United States. The CNO&TP continues to lease that property and operates one rail line, the Cincinnati Southern Railway, between Cincinnati and Chattanooga. History The line opened completely in 1880, and was financed by the city of Cincinnati. Construction was spurred by a shift of Ohio River shipping, important to the local economy. Fearing the loss of shipping traffic and the local salaries and tax revenue that came with it, the city recognized the need to remain competitive. The Ohio Constitution forbade cities from forming partnerships in stock corporations, so the city, led by Edward A. Ferguson, took upon itself the building of the railway. With wide popular approval, city voters voted for $10 million in municipal bonds in 1869 to begin construction. With 337 miles of track and many tunnels to construct, another bond for an additional $6 million was necessary. Some portions were open by 1877, but the entire line opened February 21, 1880. The last spike was placed on December 10, 1879. It opened for passenger service on March 8, 1880. Routing The CNO&TP main line has three districts: the First District from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Danville, Kentucky; the Second District from Danville to Oakdale, Tennessee; and the Third District from Oakdale to Chattanooga. The Second District is known as the "Rathole" due to steep grades, 27 tunnels, and numerous curves which were once this line's signature. While several projects over the span of 60 years eliminated several problem areas, the Southern Railway's line improvement project between 1959 and 1963 is the best known. This project saw numerous cuts and line relocations to bypass tunnels and reduce the steep grades and tight curves. Only Tunnels #22 and #24 at Nemo, Tennessee and Tunnels #25 and #26 at Oakdale remain on the line; all but #25 were built new in the 1960s. Originally built to broad gauge, the line was converted to standard gauge, , in 13 hours in 1886. The late 1990s saw another