The last half of the 1940s were slim times for the MT&A, falling back to its agricultural base primarily. Limited light industry did appear in Shelbyville and Fayetteville that provided traffic for the MT&A. Also, the MT&A encouraged local men getting out of the Army to take advantage of their GI Bill to start businesses. The MT&A realized that the land of North Alabama and South-Central Tennessee was good. This land was prime real estate, with investment, for agricultural uses. The MT&A collaborated with these young men to start businesses like nurseries, furniture manufacturing, repair shops for farm machinery and automobiles, and other assorted trades. Businesses that would generate freight traffic, but also potentially generate passenger traffic as well.
This had limited success for the MT&A. While quite a considerable number of the businesses thrived, others languished and failed. A substantial number of these generated limited traffic and others never fully materialized. There were a couple of nurseries near Bobo that took root and became valuable customers for the MT&A, these customers even played a part in the tourist and rail fan role in the future of the MT&A.