# List of Tennessee railroads

The following railroads operate in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

## Common freight carriers

* BNSF Railway (BNSF)
* Canadian National Railway (CN) through subsidiary Illinois Central Railroad (IC)
* Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC)
* Caney Fork and Western Railroad (CFWR)
* Chattooga and Chickamauga Railway (CCKY)
* CSX Transportation (CSXT)
* East Chattanooga Belt Railway (ECTB)
* EACH Railroad (EACH)
* East Tennessee Railway (ETRY)
* Heritage Railroad Corporation (HR)
* Knoxville and Holston River Railroad (KXHR)
* KWT Railway (KWT)
* Mississippi Central Railroad (MSCI)
* Mississippi Tennessee Railroad (MTNR)
* Nashville and Eastern Railroad (NERR)
* Nashville and Western Railroad (NWR)
* Norfolk Southern Railway (NS) including subsidiaries Alabama Great Southern Railroad (AGS), Central of Georgia Railroad (CG), Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway (CNTP), Tennessee Railway (TENN), and Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway (TAG)
* R.J. Corman Railroad/Memphis Line (RJCM)
* R.J. Corman Railroad/Tennessee Terminal (RJCK)
* Sequatchie Valley Railroad (SQVR)
* South Central Tennessee Railroad (SCTR)
* Tennessee Southern Railroad (TSRR)
* Tennken Railroad (TKEN)
* Tyner Terminal Railroad (TYNT)
* Union City Terminal Railroad (UCTY)
* Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
* Walking Horse and Eastern Railroad (WHOE)
* West Tennessee Railroad (WTNN)

## Private freight carriers

* Franklin Industries
* Lhoist North America
* Southern Freight Logistics
* Tennessee Valley Authority

## Passenger carriers

Tennessee train stations :
Legend :
Key :
This diagram: viewtalkedit :
* Amtrak (AMTK)
* Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association
* WeGo Star
* Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum

## Defunct railroads

| Name | Mark | System | From | To | Successor | Notes |
| Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad | | SOU | 1868 | 1877 | Alabama Great Southern Railroad |
| Arkansas and Memphis Railway Bridge and Terminal Company | | MP/ RI/ SSW | 1912 | | | Still exists as a nonoperating subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad |
| Athens and Tellico Railway | | L&N | 1910 | 1911 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway | | L&N | 1896 | 1905 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1894 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in Tennessee |
| Beaver Dam Railroad | | | 1900 | 1918 | N/A |
| Belt Railway of Chattanooga | | SOU | 1895 | 1946 | Alabama Great Southern Railroad |
| Birmingham and Northwestern Railway | | GM&O | 1910 | 1929 | Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad |
| Bon Air Railway | | L&N | 1887 | 1887 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Brimstone Railroad | | SOU | 1941 | 1965 | Brimstone and New River Railway |
| Brimstone and New River Railway | | SOU | 1965 | 1966 | New River Railway |
| Bristol, Elizabethtown and North Carolina Railway | | SOU | 1889 | 1895 | Virginia and Southwestern Railway |
| Burlington Northern Inc. | BN | | 1980 | 1981 | Burlington Northern Railroad |
| Burlington Northern Railroad | BN | | 1981 | 1996 | Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway |
| Cambria Southern Railway | | L&N | 1904 | 1904 | Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway |
| Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway | CC&O | ACL/ L&N | 1908 | 1990 | CSX Transportation |
| Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railway | | SOU | 1882 | 1895 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in Tennessee |
| Central of Georgia Railway | CG | CG | 1901 | 1971 | Central of Georgia Railroad |
| Central Mississippi Railroad | | IC | 1877 | 1878 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Central Southern Railroad | | L&N | 1853 | 1866 | Nashville and Decatur Railroad |
| Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Company | CTRN | | 1992 | 2000 | Nashville and Western Railroad |
| Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1887 | 1893 | Ohio River and Charleston Railway |
| Chattanooga Railway, Bridge and Terminal Company | | SOU | 1890 | 1892 | Chattanooga Terminal Railway |
| Chattanooga, Harrison and Cleveland Railroad | | SOU | 1850 | 1852 | Chattanooga, Harrison, Georgetown and Charleston Railroad |
| Chattanooga, Harrison, Georgetown and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1854 | East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad |
| Chattanooga, Rome and Columbus Railroad | | CG | 1887 | 1891 | Savannah and Western Railroad |
| Chattanooga, Rome and Southern Railroad | | CG | 1897 | 1901 | Central of Georgia Railway |
| Chattanooga Southern Railroad | | SOU | 1896 | 1911 | Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railroad |
| Chattanooga Southern Railway | | SOU | 1894 | 1895 | Chattanooga Southern Railroad |
| Chattanooga Station Company | | CG/ SOU | 1905 | | |
| Chattanooga Terminal Railway | | SOU | 1892 | 1993 | Alabama Great Southern Railroad |
| Chattanooga Union Railway | | SOU | 1888 | 1895 | Belt Railway of Chattanooga |
| Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain Railway | | | 1889 | 1928 | N/A |
| Chesapeake and Nashville Railway | | L&N | 1884 | 1892 | Gallatin and Scottsville Railway |
| Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern Railroad | | IC | 1881 | 1896 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Chicago, Memphis and Gulf Railroad | | IC | 1909 | 1963 | Illinois Central Railroad |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad | RI, ROCK | RI | 1948 | 1980 | N/A |
| Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway | RI | RI | | 1948 | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad |
| Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad | | IC | 1878 | 1951 | Illinois Central Railroad |
| Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1836 | 1837 | Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad |
| Cincinnati, Cumberland Gap and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1853 | 1871 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad |
| Cincinnati, Green River and Nashville Railroad | | L&N | 1882 | 1884 | Chesapeake and Nashville Railway |
| Cincinnati, Nashville, Southern Railway | | | 1912 | 1934 | N/A |
| Cincinnati Southern Railway | | SOU | 1870 | | | Still exists as a lessor of Norfolk Southern Railway operating subsidiary Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway |
| Clinchfield Railroad | CRR | ACL/ L&N | 1924 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Coal Creek and New River Railroad | | SOU | 1877 | 1889 | Knoxville and Ohio Railroad |
| Corinth and Counce Railroad | CCR | | 1958 | 1991 | TennRail Corporation |
| Crandull and Shady Valley Railway | | | 1909 | 1918 | N/A |
| Cumberland Railway | | SOU | 1902 | 1944 | Southern Railway |
| Cumberland and Big Stone Gaps Railroad | | L&N | 1889 | 1900 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Cumberland Plateau Railroad | | TC | 1901 | 1902 | Tennessee Central Railroad |
| Decatur, Chesapeake and New Orleans Railway | | L&N | 1887 | 1893 | Middle Tennessee and Alabama Railway |
| Duck River Valley Narrow Gauge Railroad | | L&N | 1872 | 1879 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Dyersburg Northern Railroad | | IC | 1904 | 1909 | Chicago, Memphis and Gulf Railroad |
| East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad | | SOU | 1848 | 1869 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad |
| East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad | | SOU | 1848 | 1869 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad |
| East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad | | SOU | 1869 | 1886 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway | | SOU | 1886 | 1894 | Southern Railway |
| East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad | ETWN | | 1866 | 1983 | East Tennessee Railway |
| Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad | | L&N | 1852 | 1872 | Nashville, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad |
| Emory River Railroad | | | 1918 | 1958 | | formerly the Emory River Lumber Company until 1943 |
| Gallatin and Scottsville Railway | | L&N | 1906 | 1907 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Greenback Railroad | | L&N | 1905 | 1907 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Gulf and Chicago Railroad | | GM&O | 1889 | 1903 | Gulf and Chicago Railway |
| Gulf and Chicago Railway | | GM&O | 1903 | 1909 | New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad |
| Gulf and Mississippi Railroad | GMSR | | 1985 | 1988 | SouthRail Corporation |
| Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad | GM&N | GM&O | 1915 | 1940 | Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad |
| Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad | GM&O | GM&O | 1940 | 1972 | Illinois Central Gulf Railroad |
| Harriman Railway and Construction Company | | SOU | 1890 | 1891 | Harriman Coal and Iron Railroad |
| Harriman Coal and Iron Railroad | | SOU | 1891 | 1895 | Harriman and Northeastern Railroad |
| Harriman, Knoxville and Eastern Railroad | | L&N | 1910 | 1913 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Harriman and Northeastern Railroad | | SOU | 1895 | 1970 | Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway |
| Henderson and Nashville Railroad | | L&N | 1848 | 1867 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in Tennessee |
| Hickman and Obion Railroad | | L&N | 1853 | 1855 | Nashville and Northwestern Railroad | sold to Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad in 1872 |
| Hiwassee Railroad | | SOU | 1836 | 1848 | East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad |
| Holston River Railway | | SOU | 1905 | 1908 | Virginia and Southwestern Railway |
| Holston Valley Railway | | | 1892 | 1915 | Bristol Traction Company |
| Illinois Central Railroad | IC | IC | 1883 | 1972 | Illinois Central Gulf Railroad |
| Illinois Central Gulf Railroad | ICG | | 1972 | 1988 | Illinois Central Railroad |
| Indiana, Alabama and Texas Railroad | | L&N | 1885 | 1887 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Iron Mountain Railroad of Memphis | | MP | 1886 | 1966 | Missouri Pacific Railroad |
| Jackson and Southeastern Railroad | | IC | 1905 | 1913 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Jamestown Railroad | | | 1912 | 1913 | Oneida and Western Railroad |
| Johnson City, Bakersville and Southern Railway | | | 1905 | 1909 | Unicoi Railway |
| Johnson City and Carolina Railway | | SOU | 1887 | 1891 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railroad | | SLSF | | 1901 | St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad |
| Kansas City and Memphis Railway and Bridge Company | | SLSF | 1887 | 1928 | St. Louis – San Francisco Railway |
| Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad | | SLSF | 1886 | 1928 | St. Louis – San Francisco Railway |
| Kingsport Southern Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1906 | 1906 | South and Western Railroad |
| Knoxville and Augusta Railroad | | SOU | 1878 | 1890 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| Knoxville Belt Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | 1898 | Southern Railway |
| Knoxville and Bristol Railway | | SOU | 1898 | 1903 | Southern Railway |
| Knoxville and Carolina Railroad | | | 1921 | 1926 | Smoky Mountain Railroad |
| Knoxville and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1873 | Knoxville and Augusta Railroad |
| Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railroad | | SOU | 1888 | 1895 | Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railway |
| Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railway | | SOU | 1895 | 1898 | Southern Railway |
| Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad | | SOU | 1853 | 1871 | Coal Creek and New River Railroad |
| Knoxville, La Follette and Jellico Railroad | | L&N | 1902 | 1904 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Knoxville and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1871 | 1903 | Southern Railway |
| Knoxville, Sevierville and Eastern Railway | | | 1907 | 1921 | Knoxville and Carolina Railroad |
| Knoxville Southern Railroad | | L&N | 1887 | 1890 | Marietta and North Georgia Railway |
| La Grange and Memphis Railroad | | SOU | 1835 | 1852 | Memphis and Charleston Railroad |
| Laurel Railway | | | 1905 | 1926 | N/A |
| Laurel Fork Railway | | | 1910 | 1925 | N/A |
| Lewisburg and Northern Railroad | | L&N | 1910 | 1915 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Lexington and Knoxville Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1853 | Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad |
| Little River Railroad | LR | | 1901 | 1940 | N/A |
| Livingston Terminal Company | | | 1910 | 1911 | Overton County Railroad |
| Louisville, Cincinnati and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1837 | 1843 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in Tennessee |
| Louisville and Nashville Railroad | L&N, LN | L&N | 1851 | 1983 | Seaboard System Railroad |
| Louisville and Nashville Terminal Company | | L&N | 1893 | 1962 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway | | IC | 1884 | 1892 | Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad |
| Marietta and North Georgia Railway | | L&N | 1890 | 1895 | Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway |
| McCormick, Ashland City and Nashville Railroad | MACO | | 1988 | 1992 | Central of Tennessee Railway and Navigation Company |
| McMinnville and Manchester Railroad | | L&N | 1850 | 1875 | Memphis and Charleston Railroad | sold to Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway in 1877 |
| Memphis, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad | | SLSF | 1885 | 1887 | Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad |
| Memphis and Charleston Railroad | | SOU | 1846 | 1898 | Southern Railway |
| Memphis–Chattanooga Railway | | SOU | 1899 | 1941 | Southern Railway |
| Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad | | L&N | 1852 | 1871 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Memphis, Holly Springs and Mobile Railroad | | SLSF | 1860 | 1869 | Memphis, Holly Springs, Okolona and Selma Railroad |
| Memphis, Holly Springs, Okolona and Selma Railroad | | SLSF | 1869 | 1870 | Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad |
| Memphis, Holly Springs and Selma Railroad | | SLSF | 1881 | 1881 | Memphis, Selma and Brunswick Railroad |
| Memphis and Ohio Railroad | | L&N | 1853 | 1872 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Memphis, Paducah and Northern Railroad | | IC | 1878 | 1881 | Chesapeake, Ohio and Southwestern Railroad |
| Memphis, Selma and Brunswick Railroad | | SLSF | 1881 | 1885 | Memphis, Birmingham and Atlantic Railroad |
| Memphis and Southeastern Railroad | | SLSF | 1886 | 1886 | Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham Railroad |
| Memphis and State Line Railroad | | IC | 1903 | 1908 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Memphis Union Station Company | MUSC | L&N/ MP/ SOU/ SSW | 1909 | 1976 | N/A |
| Mentor Southern Railway | | L&N | 1904 | 1904 | Atlanta, Knoxville and Northern Railway |
| Middle and East Tennessee Central Railway | | L&N | 1883 | 1897 | Gallatin and Scottsville Railway |
| Middle Tennessee Railroad | | | 1907 | 1920 | N/A |
| Middle Tennessee and Alabama Railway | | L&N | 1893 | 1897 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Middlesborough Railroad | | L&N | 1895 | 1896 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Middlesborough Belt Railroad | | L&N | 1890 | 1895 | Middlesborough Railroad |
| Mississippi Central Railroad | | IC | 1859 | 1874 | New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago Railroad |
| Mississippi Central and Tennessee Railroad | | IC | 1853 | 1859 | Mississippi Central Railroad |
| Mississippi River Railway | | IC | 1858 | 1872 | Paducah and Memphis Railroad |
| Mississippi and Tennessee RailNet | MT | | 1998 | 2003 | Mississippi Tennessee Railroad |
| Mississippi Tennessee Railroad | MTNR | | 2003 | 2004 | N/A |
| Mississippi and Tennessee Railroad | | IC | 1853 | 1889 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Missouri Pacific Railroad | MP | MP | 1917 | 1997 | Union Pacific Railroad |
| Mobile, Clarksville and Evansville Railroad | | L&N | 1881 | 1885 | Indiana, Alabama and Texas Railroad |
| Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City Railroad | | GM&O | 1903 | 1909 | New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad |
| Mobile and Ohio Railroad | | GM&O | 1848 | 1940 | Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad |
| Morgan and Fentress Railway | | | 1914 | 1934 | N/A |
| Morristown and Carolina Railroad | | SOU | 1881 | 1882 | Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railway |
| Morristown and Cumberland Railroad | | SOU | 1890 | 1898 | Knoxville and Bristol Railway |
| Morristown, Cumberland Gap and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1880 | 1882 | Carolina, Cumberland Gap and Chicago Railway |
| Nashville and Ashland City Railroad | NACR | | 1981 | 1988 | McCormick, Ashland City and Nashville Railroad |
| Nashville and Atlantic Railroad | | | 1921 | 1939 | N/A |
| Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad | | L&N | 1845 | 1873 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway | changed name |
| Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway | N&C, NC | L&N | 1873 | 1957 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Nashville, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad | | L&N | 1872 | 1872 | St. Louis and South Eastern Railway |
| Nashville and Clarksville Railroad | | TC | 1901 | 1902 | Tennessee Central Railroad |
| Nashville and Decatur Railroad | | L&N | 1866 | 1990 | CSX Transportation |
| Nashville and Florence Railroad | | L&N | 1879 | 1887 | Nashville, Florence and Sheffield Railway |
| Nashville, Florence and Sheffield Railway | | L&N | 1887 | 1900 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Nashville and Knoxville Railroad | | TC | 1884 | 1902 | Tennessee Central Railroad |
| Nashville and Memphis Railroad | | L&N | 1852 | 1853 | Memphis and Ohio Railroad |
| Nashville and Northwestern Railroad | | L&N | 1850 | 1872 | Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad |
| Nashville and Tellico Railroad | | L&N | 1887 | 1893 | Nashville, Tellico and Charleston Railway |
| Nashville, Tellico and Charleston Railway | | L&N | 1892 | 1899 | Tellico Railway |
| Nashville Terminal Company | | TC | 1894 | 1937 | Tennessee Central Railway |
| Nashville and Tuscaloosa Railroad | | L&N | 1877 | 1884 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Natchez Trace Railroad | NTR | | 1982 | 1993 | Mississippi Central Railroad |
| New Orleans, Jackson and Great Northern Railroad | | IC | 1852 | 1874 | New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago Railroad |
| New Orleans, Mobile and Chattanooga Railroad | | L&N | 1867 | 1871 | New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad |
| New Orleans, Mobile and Chicago Railroad | | GM&O | 1909 | 1915 | Gulf, Mobile and Northern Railroad |
| New Orleans, Mobile and Texas Railroad | | L&N | 1871 | 1880 | N/A | Sold at foreclosure; no property in Tennessee |
| New Orleans and Ohio Railroad | | IC | 1866 | 1871 | Paducah and Memphis Railroad |
| New Orleans, St. Louis and Chicago Railroad | | IC | 1874 | 1877 | Central Mississippi Railroad |
| New River Railway | | SOU | 1966 | 1970 | Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific Railway |
| Oakdale and Cumberland Mountain Railroad | | SOU | 1879 | 1882 | Walden's Ridge Railroad |
| Ohio River and Charleston Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1894 | 1902 | South and Western Railway |
| Oneida and Western Railroad | OD&W | | 1913 | 1954 | N/A |
| Ooltewah and Red Clay Railroad | | SOU | 1881 | 1882 | Tennessee State Line Railroad |
| Overton County Railroad | | | 1904 | 1912 | Cincinnati, Nashville, Southern Railway |
| Paducah and Memphis Railroad | | IC | 1872 | 1877 | Memphis, Paducah and Northern Railroad |
| Paducah and Tennessee Railroad | | L&N | 1854 | 1889 | Paducah, Tennessee and Alabama Railroad |
| Paducah and Tennessee Railway | | L&N | 1888 | 1889 | Paducah, Tennessee and Alabama Railroad |
| Paducah, Tennessee and Alabama Railroad | | L&N | 1890 | 1895 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Powells Valley Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | 1888 | Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railroad |
| Powells Valley Railway | | SOU | 1886 | 1887 | Powells Valley Railroad |
| Ripley Railroad | | GM&O | 1871 | 1872 | Ship Island, Ripley and Kentucky Railroad |
| Rock Island Memphis Terminal Railway | | RI | 1913 | 1948 | Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad |
| Rockwood and Tennessee River Railway | | | 1867 | 1911 | N/A |
| Rogersville and Jefferson Railroad | | SOU | 1852 | 1873 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway | | MP | | 1917 | Missouri Pacific Railroad |
| St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad | | SLSF | 1901 | 1916 | St. Louis – San Francisco Railway |
| St. Louis – San Francisco Railway | SLSF | SLSF | 1916 | 1980 | Burlington Northern Inc. |
| St. Louis and South Eastern Railway | | L&N | 1872 | 1879 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| St. Louis Southwestern Railway | SSW | SSW | 1912 | 1997 | Union Pacific Railroad |
| Savannah and Western Railroad | | CG | 1891 | 1894 | Chattanooga, Rome and Southern Railroad |
| Seaboard System Railroad | SBD | | 1983 | 1986 | CSX Transportation |
| Selma, Marion and Memphis Railroad | | SLSF | 1870 | 1881 | Memphis, Holly Springs and Selma Railroad |
| Sequatchie Valley Railroad | | L&N | 1868 | 1877 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Ship Island, Ripley and Kentucky Railroad | | GM&O | 1872 | 1889 | Gulf and Chicago Railroad |
| Smoky Mountain Railroad | | | 1926 | 1961 | N/A |
| South and Western Railroad | | ACL/ L&N | 1906 | 1908 | Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway |
| South and Western Railway | | ACL/ L&N | 1901 | 1906 | Kingsport Southern Railway, South and Western Railroad |
| Southern Railway | SOU | SOU | 1894 | 1990 | Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Southern Freight Railroad | SFR | | 1997 | 2003 | Heritage Railroad |
| SouthRail Corporation | SR | | 1988 | 1993 | Kansas City Southern Railway |
| Southwestern Railroad | | L&N | 1852 | 1877 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Swan Creek Railway | | L&N | 1906 | 1921 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Tellico Railroad | | L&N | 1887 | 1887 | Nashville and Tellico Railroad |
| Tellico Railway | | L&N | 1898 | 1910 | Athens and Tellico Railway |
| Tennessee Railroad | TENN | SOU | 1918 | 1973 | Tennessee Railway |
| Tennessee Railway | | SOU | 1904 | 1918 | Tennessee Railroad |
| Tennessee and Alabama Railroad | | L&N | 1852 | 1866 | Nashville and Decatur Railroad |
| Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railroad | | SOU | 1911 | 1922 | Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia Railway |
| Tennessee and Carolina Southern Railway | | SOU | 1902 | 1935 | N/A |
| Tennessee Central Railroad | TC | TC | 1902 | 1922 | Tennessee Central Railway |
| Tennessee Central Railroad | | TC | 1893 | 1897 | Tennessee Central Railway |
| Tennessee Central Railroad | | | 1883 | 1891 | N/A |
| Tennessee Central Railway | TC | TC | 1922 | 1968 | Harriman and Northeastern Railroad, Illinois Central Railroad, Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Tennessee Central Railway | | TC | 1897 | 1902 | Tennessee Central Railroad |
| Tennessee and Cumberland River Railroad | | | 1897 | 1915 | N/A |
| Tennessee, Kentucky and Northern Railroad | | | 1912 | 1934 | N/A |
| Tennessee Midland Railway | | L&N | 1886 | 1895 | Louisville and Nashville Railroad |
| Tennessee and North Carolina Railroad | | | 1900 | 1920 | Tennessee and North Carolina Railway |
| Tennessee and North Carolina Railway | | | 1920 | 1951 | N/A |
| Tennessee Northern Railway | | SOU | 1896 | 1903 | Knoxville and Ohio Railroad |
| Tennessee and Ohio Railroad | | SOU | 1884 | 1889 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| Tennessee and Pacific Railroad | | L&N | 1866 | 1877 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Tennessee and Sequatchie Valley Railroad | | | 1880 | 1883 | Tennessee Central Railroad |
| Tennessee Southern Railroad | | IC | 1881 | 1884 | Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railway |
| Tennessee State Line Railroad | | SOU | 1882 | 1886 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railroad |
| Tennessee Valley Railroad | | SOU | 1887 | 1888 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| Tennessee Western Railroad | | L&N | 1912 | 1939 | N/A |
| TennRail Corporation | | | 1991 | 1993 | Kansas City Southern Railway |
| Troy and Tiptonville Railroad | | IC | 1887 | 1903 | Chicago, St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad |
| Unicoi Railway | | | 1909 | 1918 | N/A |
| Union Railway | URY | MP | 1886 | 1966 | Missouri Pacific Railroad |
| Union Railway | | SOU | 1883 | 1888 | Chattanooga Union Railway |
| Virginia and Southwestern Railway | | SOU | 1899 | | | Still exists as a nonoperating subsidiary of the Norfolk Southern Railway |
| Walden's Ridge Railroad | | SOU | 1877 | 1888 | East Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia Railway |
| Wauhatchie Extension Railway | | SOU | 1914 | 1917 | Alabama Great Southern Railroad |
| West Nashville Railway | | L&N | 1887 | 1887 | Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway |
| Western and Atlantic Railroad | | L&N | 1848 | | | Still exists as a lessor of CSX Transportation |
| Wills Valley Railroad | | SOU | 1854 | 1868 | Alabama and Chattanooga Railroad |
| Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad | | IC | 1892 | 1946 | Illinois Central Railroad |

### Private carriers

* Babcock Lumber Company
* Dayton Iron and Coal Company

### Electric

* Bristol Traction Company
* Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain Railway
* Fountain Head Railroad
* Memphis Street Railway
* Nashville–Franklin Railway

### Not completed

* Brownsville and Ohio Railroad
* Holly Springs, Brownsville and Ohio Railroad
* Memphis and Knoxville Railroad
* Memphis and Raleigh Railroad