[citation needed] Main lines included Memphis to New Orleans via Vicksburg and Baton Rouge, Memphis to Tutwiler, Clarksdale, MS to Yazoo City, Clarksdale to Jackson, MS, and Jackson to Natchez.

The railroad - or its predecessor, the Yazoo Delta Railway (Moorhead-Ruleville) - is featured in a number of blues songs by African-American artists as the Yellow Dog Railroad.

According to W. C. Handy, locals assigned the words "Yellow Dog" to the letters Y.D.

It ran south from Friars Point to Vicksburg, with stops including Rosedale; and north to Memphis.

The marker emphasizes a common theme of blues songs of riding on the railroad, which is seen as a metaphor for escape.